CNIB urges Canadian publishing industry to “hear the bigger picture” with first-ever collection of winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards in audio format

Toronto, ON — The CNIB Library and Simply Audiobooks are unveiling the first-ever collection of winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards in audio format and hoping to draw the Canadian publishing industry’s attention to a mushrooming demand for Canadian audiobooks in the larger worldwide market.

CNIB, Canada’s largest producer of audiobooks for consumers with a print disability, partnered with Audio Joe, Simply Audiobooks, Canadian Heritage, and publishers and authors of the winning GG titles in this unique “proof of concept” project to produce, market and retail the 2006 GGs.

The project’s aim is threefold: to identify and increase market potential for digital audio for the Canadian publishing industry, which will raise the profile of Canadian authors internationally; to increase access to information for the three million Canadians who cannot read regular print due to a disability; and to facilitate the production of audiobooks for Canadian publishers who don’t have the resources to undertake audio production themselves.

“We hope that this project will launch Canada as a contender in the digital audiobook market. The United States and Great Britain are significantly ahead of Canada, offering thousands of titles for people who want to listen to their favourite book. The portability of the digital download has really increased interest in audiobooks. Marketing the 2006 Governor General’s Literary Awards in digital audio format for online retailing will be a significant step towards raising the profile of Canadian authors,” says Shelagh Paterson, Director, Advocacy Sales and Marketing, CNIB.

“Our customers are always asking for more Canadian authors, so there definitely is a market. We hope projects like this one will provide incentive for more audio publishing in Canada,” says Vitaly Petritchkovitch from Simply Audiobooks, a leading online retailer of downloadable Audiobooks.

Download, subscribe or listen to a sample of a GG book online at www.simplyaudiobooks.com/listentoggs. People with vision loss can listen to the CNIB’s collection of winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards in audio format.

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for this project.