News

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in July 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Literary Press Group calls for immediate government action to repair copyright framework, ensure that Access Copyright can continue to protect the rights of creators and publishers

Fair dealing fix is urgently needed to stop massive uncompensated copying in educational settings

Toronto—July 13, 2023: The Literary Press Group (LPG) joins Access Copyright and organizations representing creators and publishers across the country in calling on the federal government to fix copyright and ensure that Access Copyright can continue to protect the rights of creators and publishers. The government has promised to repair the broken copyright framework, most recently in Budget 2022. The Copyright Act must be amended so that, at a minimum, fair dealing for education only applies when a work is not commercially available under licence by the owner or a collective.

The profound harms to Canadian publishers and creators (writers and illustrators) flowing from the education sector’s overly broad interpretation of fair dealing are well known. An estimated $200 million in licensing revenue, and untold additional revenue from book sales, has been lost since 2012’s legislative changes created uncertainty and an opening for abusive practices—massive, systemic, uncompensated copying.

Today, Access Copyright, the organization that publishers and creators rely on for collective administration of licensing revenue from the use of copyright-protected material, has announced that it will be forced to significantly downsize and restructure by the end of 2023, without urgently needed copyright reform.

“Literary publishers rely on Access Copyright to play a crucial role in ensuring that the use of their creative works in educational and other settings is fairly compensated,” said Laura Rock Gaughan, the LPG’s executive director. “We already have a collective solution, which is now at risk of being lost, if the government does not act.”

About the LPG

Founded in 1975, the LPG is a nonprofit association that represents 64 Canadian- owned and -operated literary book publishers and supports them with collective marketing, professional development, and advocacy. 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.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in June 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in May 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in April 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in March 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in February 2023? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

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.”

###

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