News

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.

[April 19, 2021] The Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG) has established the Luciana Ricciutelli Memorial Bursary at Centennial College, which will provide financial support to a student in the Publishing – Book, Magazine and Electronic graduate certificate program. The $1000 bursary will be offered annually to a woman or nonbinary person demonstrating financial need who is enrolled in the publishing program full-time or part-time.

Luciana Ricciutelli was Editor-in-Chief of Inanna Publications for 28 years. She led the development of Inanna’s book publishing program in 1996 and the launch of the press’s poetry and fiction series in 2004. She was also a force in the editing and production of Inanna’s feminist journal, Canadian Woman Studies / Les cahiers de la femme. A longtime LPG member, she served on the Board of Directors and was a fierce advocate of women’s rights and empowerment, as well as independent publishing. 

“Luciana was known for her generous mentorship of writers and publishing colleagues, as well as her commitment to feminist publishing,” said Laura Rock Gaughan, Executive Director of the LPG. “This bursary will assist a new publishing professional. It’s a fitting way to honour her legacy.”

The bursary will be offered for at least three years. Additional donations to the bursary fund may be made online through Centennial College. Donors should specify in the “Notes” field that the gift is to the Luciana Ricciutelli Memorial Bursary.

The LPG is asking how Canadian literature is being discovered by booksellers, librarians, and retailers in this five-minute survey.

May 22, 2018

LPG announces CarryOnBooks, a custom book vending machine launching at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport this summer

Pick a book. Take a trip. #CarryOnBooks by Canadian authors and publishers

Toronto, ON — The Literary Press Group (LPG) is excited to announce the launch of CarryOnBooks, its custom book vending machine featuring a curated variety of 30 Canadian-authored books by independent, literary publishers across Canada. Located at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and in partnership with Nieuport Aviation, CarryOnBooks will be accessible to all visitors and will feature a rotation of titles for sale to passengers beginning June 1, 2018.

"Canada’s independent literary publishers continue to produce award-winning, well-reviewed, and important books, nurturing diverse, fresh, and creative authors from across the country. A key challenge currently facing our independent publishers is uniting books with their readers. While these books have many supporters, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discover them through traditional sales channels and marketing opportunities," said LPG Executive Director Christen Thomas. 

In light of this, LPG is launching something truly unique on June 1 and would love your support in making this endeavour the most successful it can be. Help us spread the word by tagging us on Twitter or Instagram @alllitupcanada and use the official #CarryOnBooks hashtag.

This project is made possible by the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canada Book Fund.

About the Literary Press Group
The Literary Press Group is a homegrown collective of about sixty diverse, robust, and fiercely independent literary publishing houses all of whom publish works of fiction, poetry, drama, and literary criticism. The LPG has been in operation since 1975, and its members work tirelessly to support each other, Canadian writers, and to champion the value and viability of the Canadian literary arts scene.

Nieuport Aviation owns and operates the passenger terminal at the award-winning Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Nieuport Aviation works closely with PortsToronto, the owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and the airport’s other stakeholders to deliver an exceptional passenger experience.

For more information

Media Contact: Mandy Bayrami, Marketing Manager, Literary Press Group
mandy@lpg.ca | 416-483-1321

There may be some confusion arising from the NOW Toronto article regarding the International Festival of Authors' Toronto Lit Up project. Although similar in name, the initiative Toronto Lit Up has zero affiliation with All Lit Up and the LPG. Toronto Lit Up is a project funded by the Toronto Arts Council to IFOA, and is supporting Toronto-based authors and their publishers hold launches across the city. These launches will be hosted at Harbourfront and other venues around Toronto, and details, including bookselling, remain to be finalized.

LPG holds an advisory committee seat for Toronto Lit Up to help ensure that Canadian literary publishers are represented (Vice Chair of the LPG Board of Directors Hazel Millar of BookThug, who is joined by author and poet Dionne Brand, and Quill and Quire's Allison Jones), but has no other role or agency in the IFOA program, which is still being developed and clarified. The role of the advisory committee is to accept applications from publishers and authors to hold launches, to help allocate monies, and to make recommendations. IFOA continues to welcome pitches and submissions from publishers for Toronto-based authors for this program. LPG and All Lit Up are in no other way affiliated with this initiative, but continue to work on behalf of our membership and the wider industry in Canada. 

Please contact LPG's Executive Director Laura Rock Gaughan with any questions.

2015 marks four decades of supporting and celebrating some of the finest literary presses in all of Canada. The Literary Press Group is a homegrown collective of diverse, robust, and fiercely independent literary publishing houses. Since 1975, our association and its members have worked tirelessly to support Canadian writers and each other, as well as to champion the value and viability of the Canadian literary arts scene.

To celebrate, we're hosting five readings across the country -- Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and St. John's -- throughout the month of October. Each event will host four exceptional authors who represent a larger group of writers with diverse, emerging, and outside-the-mainstream voices who work with our publishers. We hope you'll join us for one of our events if you're in the area.

Vancouver: October 29, 2015
Hosted by the Real Vancouver Writers' Series
Untitled Art Gallery @ 7 pm
With readings by Lucas Crawford, Leah Horlick, Lana Pesch, Jane Munro
Facebook event page

Winnipeg: October 30, 2015
Hosted by Charlene Diehl
McNally Robinson @ 7 pm
With readings by: Rick Chafe, Rosanna Deerchild, Stella Leventoyannis Harvey, Josip Novakovich
Facebook event page

Toronto: October 15, 2015
Hosted by the Literary Press Group
Ben McNally Books @ 6 pm
With readings by: Kate Cayley, Phil Hall, Sachiko Murakami, Russell Smith
Facebook event page

Montreal: October 20, 2015
Hosted by Linda Leith of Linda Leith Publishing
Paragraphe Bookstore @ 6 pm
With readings by: Oana Avasilichioaei, Melissa Bull, Peter Kirby, Laurence Miall
Facebook event page

St. John's: October 27, 2015
Hosted by Breakwater Books, Creative Book Publishing, and Pedlar Press
The Ship Pub @ 7 pm
With readings by: Catherine Hogan Safer, Lisa Moore, Sara Tilley, Patrick Warner
With musical guest Katie Baggs
Facebook event page

If you want to learn more about the literary presses who make up the Literary Press Group, follow along as we go In House with each of our members and share their stories--of how they got started, what their offices are like, and their most memorable titles--here on our website. If you're curious about some of the books and authors published by our members, visit our webstore and blog All Lit Up, where it's easy to discover, buy, and collect our publishers' books.

Cheers to forty more years!