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LPG launches collection of newly accessible ebooks from 23 Canadian literary publishers

Readers with print disabilities gain access to hundreds of titles spanning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, graphic novels, and kids’ books

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto—August 16, 2022: The Literary Press Group (LPG) announces the launch of eBooks for Everyone (https://alllitup.ca/eBooks-for-Everyone), a new collection of accessible-format titles from 23 Canadian-owned literary publishers available on the LPG’s All Lit Up book retail website. With close to 600 ebook titles rolling out over the next few months–novels, short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama, graphic narratives, and children’s books–there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The collection includes exciting award winners such as:

• Canada Reads finalist, multi-award winning, #1 National Bestselling, and Time Magazine 100 Best YA Books of All Time, The Marrow Thieves (Cormorant/ DCB).
• Canada Reads finalist Scarborough (Arsenal Pulp Press), which was adapted into a film that premiered at TIFF and is now streaming on Crave;
• Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize winner and Scotiabank Giller Prize-longlisted novel Days by Moonlight (Coach House Books); and
• Griffin Prize-winning poetry collection Blue Sonoma (Brick Books).

With accessibility as the priority of this project, more readers can feed their love for Canadian literature. Ebook accessibility features work with assistive reading technologies, including scalable text, alternative text for images, and a navigable table of contents. Less than 5 percent of books currently published each year are accessible to readers with print disabilities. eBooks for Everyone titles will display detailed accessibility information–a market-leading development for Canadian ebooks.

Titles in the eBooks for Everyone collection have undergone conversion and quality assurance processes, in partnership with eBound Canada, to create files with critical accessibility features and information. The costs of producing accessible ebook files can be prohibitive for literary publishers. Poetry, drama, graphic novels, and children’s books are especially difficult and costly to produce because of their layouts. The LPG’s accessible literary collection helps fill the gap for both publishers and readers.

“It’s thrilling to release this rich literary collection,” said Laura Rock Gaughan, executive director of the LPG. “New readers will discover vital Canadian books that were not previously available in accessible ebook formats, and our All Lit Up site will display a level of accessibility detail that goes beyond what is currently available in the market.” 

The accessible ebooks in the collection are for sale on All Lit Up and directly from participating publishers. They will also be made available for borrowing through the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Librarians and educators interested in acquiring books in the collection should ask their sales representatives or reach out to the LPG for assistance.

The LPG’s accessible ebook conversion project was made possible by funding from the Canadian government through Canada Book Fund’s Accessible Digital Books Initiative. 

About the LPG

Founded in 1975, the LPG is a nonprofit association that represents 63 Canadian- owned and -operated literary book publishers. Our members produce books by some of Canada’s most innovative and creative writers, giving readers access to diverse voices that have not been well represented in mainstream publishing. We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders, the Government of Canada through Canada Book Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council.

Contact: Lauren Perruzza, Engagement Manager, lauren@lpg.ca
 
Tags: Accessibility, A11y, eBooks, Books, CanLit, Culture, Canadian, library, education

Yesterday marked #GAAD, or Global Accessibility Awareness Day - an annual day for talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion and people with different disabilities. How can the book industry help?

For decades, the only available books to people with print disabilities were either a limited number of large-print books for those with low vision, or Braille editions for people with more severe visual impairments. With the advent and mass-market distribution of ereading technology and epub-format books, a lot more books had the potential to be available to those with print disabilities. 

However, even now, less than 5 percent of books currently published each year are accessible to readers with print disabilities. 

It’s critical that epubs are produced with accessibility features that work with assistive reading technologies: scalable text, alternative text for images, and a navigable table of contents as three examples. The production and testing skill sets required to produce these books to accessible, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) A, AA, or AAA standards can be prohibitive for publishers, despite the recognized need for accessible materials. 

The LPG is thrilled to announce a project launching later this summer designed to bridge the gap between Canadian literary presses and readers with print disabilities, releasing a collection of 600+ accessible ebooks for purchase on All Lit Up and on member websites, and for borrowing through the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Says Sarah J. of Cormorant Books: “Our whole team believes in the work being done here. Accessibility is hugely important to us, so we appreciate the opportunity this project has provided.” The project is made possible thanks to funding from Canada Book Fund’s Accessible Digital Books initiative. 

Watch this space, and LPG and All Lit Up’s social channels, for more information on this exciting initiative. The Literary Press Group aims to help build capacity for the production of accessible ebooks in all of its members to continue to bring Canadian literary books to this under-served group of readers.

[August 4, 2021] The Supreme Court of Canada’s July 30th dismissal of appeals by York University and Access Copyright of lower court rulings leaves publishers and authors in a position where they have no practical recourse to address rampant uncompensated copying by educational institutions. The education sector’s overly broad interpretation of fair dealing since 2012 has resulted in devastating losses to the livelihoods of creators and the integrity of copyright-protected works.

“Canadian literary publishers invest in the creative work of authors to produce a wide array of books—the stories, poems, plays, and graphic novels that together make up our vibrant and diverse literary culture,” said Karen Haughian, Chair of the Literary Press Group. “Without a legal framework that protects against unauthorized copying, Canadian cultural production is at risk.”

On behalf of our membership—Canadian-owned and –operated literary publishers across the country—the LPG joins the Association of Canadian Publishers and other groups of creators in calling on the Government of Canada to enact urgently needed reforms to the broken copyright system. Publishers and authors must have accessible, effective remedies for copyright infringement. Litigating case by case against large educational institutions, when their copying involves a massive number of courses and is done systematically from kindergarten through university, is simply not an option for the vast majority of rightsholders.

“As centres of knowledge production, universities should recognize the moral imperative to pay for the intellectual property they copy so freely, but their actions show that they don’t,” said Laura Rock Gaughan, Executive Director of the Literary Press Group, “While we’re disappointed with this legal decision, it clarifies the need for the government to ensure that the fair dealing provision is truly fair and that creators’ rights are enforceable.”

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Contact: Laura Rock Gaughan, Executive Director, laurag@lpg.ca

[November 27, 2020] The news this week that Bertelsmann / Penguin Random House plans to acquire Simon & Schuster is a threat to Canadian literary culture and the Canadian book industry. On behalf of our membership—Canadian-owned and –operated literary publishers across the country—the LPG joins the Association of Canadian Publishers in calling on Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and the Government of Canada to ensure that the acquisition is of net benefit to Canada and the Canadian-controlled book sector, and that it meets Competition Act requirements.

The Canadian book market is already highly concentrated and tilted toward the biggest publishers and retailers. With this acquisition, the domestic market would be utterly dominated by foreign-owned conglomerates, whose profits are sent out of the country. The business practices of algorithm-driven Internet giants such as Amazon have long challenged the survival of Canadian bookstores, distributors and publishers.

When faced with such enormous scale and market power as the combined publishing houses (Penguin Random House Canada and Simon & Schuster Canada) would wield, small literary presses would be disadvantaged in every way: competing for authors, staff, sales and distribution services, retail shelf space, reasonable shipping rates, and media attention.

“Canadian literary publishers operate across the entire country, in communities large and small, reflecting the specific realities of those locales to a much larger audience. We are an integral part of the structure that allows those stories to be told,” said Karen Haughian, Chair of the Literary Press Group. “Small presses are the lifeblood of Canadian book culture. We discover new, exciting voices and invest in them, helping Canadian authors to find readers and tell their stories, at home and abroad.”

Longstanding Canadian cultural policy provides a framework to review proposed foreign investments. The Revised Foreign Investment Policy in Book Publishing and Distribution sets out the requirement to review indirect acquisitions (which result from foreign acquisitions) on the Canadian market. Moreover, one of the purposes of the Competition Act is to “ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises have an equitable opportunity to participate in the Canadian economy”.

“With the acquisition of Simon & Schuster—and its Canadian subsidiary—the situation is further exacerbated. Without fair rules, Canadian companies can’t compete, and we are in danger of having our stories silenced,” Haughian added. “The government must do everything in its power to protect independent Canadian publishers and preserve cultural and economic space for Canadian literature.” 

Contact: Laura Rock Gaughan, Executive Director, laurag@lpg.ca

Due to COVID-19 emergency measures, LPG and LitDistCo staff are working remotely for the time being. We are here to serve members. Please see the contacts listed below and get in touch if you have questions, suggestions, or concerns. While we can pick up voice-mail messages, email is best for reaching us. 

 

Email contacts:

• Sales Manager: Tan Light: sales@lpg.ca
• Marketing Manager: Mandy Bayrami: mandy@lpg.ca
• Engagement Manager: Leyla Top: leyla@lpg.ca
• Business Manager: Barb Phillips: barb@lpg.ca
• LitDistCo General Manager: Leila Bovee-Begun: leila@litdistco.ca
• Executive Director: Laura Rock Gaughan: laurag@lpg.ca

Following are links to COVID-19 resources and FAQ pages:

 

Federal government information: Canada Emergency Response Benefit, EI, Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Business Account & more:

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html#individuals

Department of Canadian Heritage:

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/information-covid-19.html

 

Canada Council for the Arts:

https://canadacouncil.ca/covid-19-information

 

Emergency Rules Across Canada:

https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/insights/articles/covid-19-emergency-measures-tracker

Toronto, September 6, 2019 – Hazel Millar, Chair of the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG), is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Rock Gaughan to the role of Executive Director, starting September 16, 2019. She succeeds Christen Thomas, following her departure in June 2019 after five years with the association.

“The hiring committee was most impressed with Laura's exceptional background in policy and advocacy work, governance and strategic planning. More importantly, she is an advocate for all things literary and cares deeply about Canadian publishing and getting books into the hands of readers. We are confident she will be a wonderful leader for the LPG and a strong ally for our publisher members,” Millar said.

Gaughan joins the LPG after nearly five years with Laridae, a management consulting firm that serves Canadian non-profit organizations and public-sector agencies. In her role as Senior Associate at Laridae, she helped numerous clients build capacity and increase impact through projects such as strategic planning, communications and branding, governance, operational reviews, community engagement, and training.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the LPG and supporting the member publishers. They produce incredible books and sustain Canadian literary culture, a mission they’ve been advancing for more than forty years. I look forward to working closely with LPG’s members, board of directors, and staff,” Gaughan said.