Author: Tech Forum 2020

Laura Brady is an accessibility expert whose priority is always to put users first. For the past fifteen years, she has worked in digital publishing creating and converting ebooks, training publishers on accessible workflows, writing a blog helping developers work more accessibly, and consulting for services organizations about how to publish inclusively while worrying about… Read more »

Dave Cramer is a Senior Digital Publishing Technology Specialist at Hachette Book Group, one of the “Big 5” trade publishers in the U.S. He develops standards, workflows, and tools for both print and ebook production using web technologies. He started working with ebooks in 2001, and created the first commercial EPUB files for Hachette in… Read more »

Wendy Reid is the Accessibility and Publishing Standards Lead at Rakuten Kobo, a retailer, publisher, and reading system developer for ebooks and audiobooks. She is responsible for Kobo’s Accessibility and Standards work, where she mainly focuses on digital accessibility and standards for ebooks and audiobooks. She is one of the co-chairs of the EPUB3 Working… Read more »

Noah Genner has an extensive background in independent bookselling, software, and business development. As the leader of BookNet Canada he orchestrates a skilled team of technical, policy-oriented, and client-focused staff to provide new data management services and supply-chain initiatives to the Canadian publishing, library, and book retail sectors. Before working at BookNet Canada, Noah ran… Read more »

Madeleine Griggs is a software developer at BookNet Canada, where she works on many different projects, recently CataList and Bibli-O-Matic. When not doing that, she can be found consuming large quantities of sci-fi and fantasy books/comics/magazines/etc., or painting. Prior to joining BookNet, she worked in residential renovations as a project coordinator. Session The difference queer… Read more »

Arundhati is a 20 year old college student studying history and biology. She is a longtime book aficionado, a Penguin Teen Partner, and is part of the BookTalk Event team. Find her on TikTok at @irrelevantwaffle. Sessions What makes #BookTokers tick part two: Even more of what publishers need to know March 29, 2022 The… Read more »

Jennifer is a second year B.Sc. student at McGill who is planning to major in Computer Science. Originally from Richmond Hill, Ontario, she is now living in Montreal, where she conducted data science research at .txtLab McGill on fanfiction as a powerful and transformative form of writing, especially for LGBTQ+ youth. Jennifer is also passionate… Read more »

Nikoo Sarraf recently graduated from McGill University with a BA in Computer Science and Hispanic Studies, and she is currently still living in Montreal and pursuing her MA in Digital Humanities. She spent the last year working in the .txtlab analyzing the textual and stylistic markers of queer fanfiction. Her other interests include social media… Read more »

Chris Saynor is responsible for EDItEUR’s book publishing standards including ONIX, Thema and EDItX. He joined the organisation in late 2016. For the previous eight years, he worked for GiantChair Inc. in Paris as a metadata specialist and project manager, and has been responsible for implementation of the Onixsuite application in many publishing organisations. He… Read more »

Graham Bell is Executive Director of EDItEUR, responsible for the overall development of EDItEUR’s standards and the management services it provides on behalf of other standards agencies (including the International ISNI agency and the International DOI Foundation). He joined EDItEUR as its Chief Data Architect in 2010, focussed on the continuing development and application of… Read more »

Lu is a Muslim-Canadian booktoker and bookstragmmer who reads and recommends romance, and YA here and there! She is the VP of Development at BookTalk (that’s T-A-L-K)! She is also the host of BookTalks: Hosted by Lu! She is currently in school majoring in Art History and minoring in French! Find her on TikTok at… Read more »

Azanta is a bookstagrammer and booktoker under the handle @azantareads. She is also the founder and president of BookTalk, a nonprofit aimed at connecting readers and authors through bookish events and the annual BookTalk Event. Her favorite genres are YA Fantasy and Adult Romance. Find her on TikTok at @azantareads. Sessions What makes #BookTokers tick… Read more »

Kimberly is a small town bookworm who never grew out of her reading phase. Find her on TikTok at @kims.library. Session What makes #BookTokers tick part two: Even more of what publishers need to know March 29, 2022 The first discussion with these five BookTokers was so interesting and successful but left many audience questions… Read more »

Danielle is currently based in Lethbridge, AB, and began her journey with online book content creation at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 when she joined Booktok, a community on Tiktok that discusses all things book related. From book reviews to recommendation videos, with some unboxings or hauls sprinkled in, Danielle engages and interacts… Read more »

Shilpa is a brand strategist and creative director. She is a believer in the power of words, creativity, and telling an engaging story whether it be through modern or traditional media. A book lover and critic, she always has one foot in the publishing world, and is a member of Book Summit’s Advisory Board helping… Read more »

I’m brand new to the bookselling business and opened my cute little bookshop on December 1, 2021 in Cook Street Village in Victoria, BC. We sell new and used books, kites, toys, sassy greeting cards and shenanigans. I had a pandemic crisis of the heart in January 2021 in the height of lockdown land and… Read more »

I’m Stacy — educator, librarian, nature lover, busy mama, and (most excitedly!) co-owner of Fable Book Parlour. I love challenges, learning new things, and getting my hands dirty. Fable opened June 1, 2021 with our Fable Bookmobile and Sept. 25, 2021 with our storefront (Fable Book Parlour). We offer a diverse, handpicked selection of new… Read more »

Lori has been a booky as long as she remembers, first as a voracious reader, then as a library worker and now as a bookseller at River Bookshop, a small indie bookshop in beautiful Amherstburg, Ontario. She plans to live long enough to get through her to-read pile. Session I opened a bookstore in the… Read more »

Tim Middleton is a Project Manager & Retailer Liaison at BookNet Canada. With a passion for startup culture, entrepreneurial enterprises, and disruptive technology ignited by a varied career in retail and consumer research, all things bookish remain his first and true love. Sessions I opened a bookstore in the pandemic! January 27, 2022 2-3 p.m…. Read more »

Monique Mongeon has always been fascinated with the intersection of books and technology – from her start making fansites for her favourite books, to her current role as Project Manager at BookNet Canada. Monique also teaches ebook production at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chang School. Prior to joining BookNet, Monique worked in ebook production for Penguin… Read more »

Hannah Johnston is a Product Coordinator at BookNet Canada, where she works on the SalesData and LibraryData projects. Prior to joining the BookNet team, Hannah worked in various environments including public libraries, academic archives, and local museums. Books are her first love, and she has reached the maximum number of loans and holds at her… Read more »

Joshua Tallent is the Director of Sales and Education at Firebrand Technologies, where his focus is on helping publishers of all sizes learn about, and find solutions to, their workflow and metadata problems. In his spare time, Joshua enjoys playing complex board games, playing Minecraft, and reading. Session Optimize your publishing from start to finish… Read more »

Michelle Halket is a bibliophile and technophile who loves to try new things, which is what prompted her to start a digital-first publishing company, when very few knew what ebooks were. Central Avenue is now a traditional press of fiction and poetry. Session Optimize your publishing from start to finish Join representatives from MetaComet, Firebrand,… Read more »

David Marlin co-founded MetaComet® Systems in 2000. David has been committed to enhancing the technological capabilities of the publishing world through his work as the founding co-chairman of the BISG Digital Sales Reporting Committee and a former co-chair of the BISG Rights Committee. Session Optimize your publishing from start to finish Panel | November 18,… Read more »

Richard T. Williams is the Vice President, Publisher Development, at IPG, where he pursues new publisher business and helps clients plan and develop their lists. He is a former sales manager at IPG, was the director of the Small Press United program from its inception in 2009, and was once an operations manager at an… Read more »

Dayla Fuentes-Morales has been doing author interviews with Indigo for over a year. She has interviewed various young adult authors, including Leigh Bardugo, Marissa Meyer, David Levithan, Rachel Cohn, and TJ Klune. Dayla has also moderated various events for Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. When not interviewing, she is working as a Customer… Read more »

Eulalee Lumsden is a Business Operations Analyst at Rakuten Kobo where she is responsible for the quality assurance of Kobo’s digital content and provides publisher support. Before joining Kobo, Eulalee was the Data Associate at House of Anansi Press where she took care of all things metadata.   Session Takin’ care of data: Every day… Read more »

An Information Technology professional with more than 21 years of experience. Proven track record for excellence in the management of resources, projects, and people aligning technology with business needs. Specializes in: System and technology implementations Management, support, and maintenance of ERP and other corporate solutions Liaison between business and technical stakeholders. Session Takin’ care of… Read more »

Nick Hilton manages ebook production, metadata systems, and the distribution of print and digital formats for Coach House Books. In a nutshell, he makes sure books get to where they need to go, and that the internet knows everything about them. He is CPACC certified (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) with the International Association… Read more »

Sarah Lawrence, Metadata Manager at Macmillan Publishers, began her career in scholarly editorial at Palgrave Macmillan, where she quickly took an interest in improving the quality of information sent to libraries and scholarly databases. She moved to Macmillan’s Central Digital Marketing department to work with metadata full-time in 2017, and earned her Masters of Library… Read more »

Jamie Broadhurst is Vice-President of Marketing for Raincoast Books, Canada’s largest book distributor. Jamie has taught in Simon Fraser University’s Publishing Department for the over a decade and is also a Director on the Vancouver Public Library Foundation Board. Session If we knew then what we know now: COVID-driven initiatives with staying power April 7,… Read more »

Dave Reynolds has been the Associate Category Manager, Local Authors – Western Canada for Indigo/Chapters/Coles since January 2016. Dave started with Chapters as a bookseller in 1997 and has held various positions in the stores and Home Office since that time. Before becoming a bookseller, Dave received a Diploma (Hons.) in Film & Video from… Read more »

Doug Minett entered the book industry in 1973 when he co-founded The Bookshelf in Guelph, Ontario. In the late 1990’s, The Bookshelf launched Canada’s first full service book website (subsequently sold to Indigo Books & Music). From 2002 to 2005, Doug served as a member of the ISO working group revising the ISBN standard and… Read more »

Nicole Duguay is the Digital Marketer and Sales Coordinator at James Lorimer & Company and the chair of BookNet’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Metadata Working Group. After spending some time in the world of scientific publishing, Nicole is now focused on getting books into the hands of readers who want to see their own… Read more »

Jean-Benoît Dumais (LLB, MBA) has 20 years of experience in arts management and marketing, with 15 years in the performing arts. He entered the book field in 2014 (ebooks/De Marque) and has been the General Manager at Les libraires since February 2018. Session Moving pieces: Industry initiatives you don’t want to miss March 31, 1-2… Read more »

Catherine Ellsmere, along with Nicki Breuer, co-founded Odin Books in Vancouver 30 years ago, in response to a need to find a way to normalize the discussion of mental health and why it is important. Over the years they have grown and adapted to support the changing community and the increasing need to continue the… Read more »

Shelley Macbeth is the owner of Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ontario. Two-time winner of The Libris Award (Best Bookstore in Canada) and named as a favourite by the legendary Stuart McLean, Blue Heron Books values its location in a 200-year-old building located in the busy and popular shopping area once frequented by former resident… Read more »

Laura Ash is the Co-owner of Another Story Bookshop in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto. Drawn to Another Story for its commitment to making a social impact through books, Laura is determined to ensure Sheila Koffman’s legacy lives on and Another Story continues to bring alternative titles to new generations of readers. Session Serving communities… Read more »

In her role at Indigo, Pam Estabrook places books by Local Authors in their stores in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario. Pam started out working in their stores 23+ years ago and she’s been working with Local books for the last 15 years. She is based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Session If we knew then… Read more »

Léonicka Valcius is a Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency, representing commercial and genre fiction for adults and children. As the founder of #DiverseCanLit and the former Chair of The Festival of Literary Diversity, working with writers of colour is a key part of her mandate. Léonicka previously worked on the Online and Digital Sales team… Read more »

Chelene Knight is the author of Braided Skin and the memoir Dear Current Occupant, winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award, and long-listed for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Her essays have appeared in multiple Canadian and American literary journals, plus the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and the Toronto Star…. Read more »

Annahid Dashtgard is a renowned author, changemaker and co-founder of Anima Leadership, a boutique consulting company specializing in issues of diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Previously she was a leader in the economic globalization movement, responsible for several national political campaigns and frequently referred to as one of the top activists to watch. Her published writing… Read more »

Keni Dominguez is a workplace culture strategist and career coach for Black womxn and other womxn of colour introverts, focused on work law and social justice, including the regulation of work and the problems of inequity, insecurity, and discrimination WOC face in the workplace. She also provides services in organizational culture design and strategy for… Read more »

Karina Urquhart is the Executive Director of BIC (www.bic.org.uk) and has held this position since February 2012. She has been instrumental in the restructure and re-invigoration of BIC which has seen the creation of an agile members organisation focused on driving and delivering meaningful change and education across all sectors of the UK book industry…. Read more »

Elizabeth Kraler has been part of the eBOUND Canada team for a year, where she first joined as a Project Specialist. During this role, Elizabeth provided support in the research and readiness phase of an accessibility project. From there, Elizabeth moved into the Technology group where she addresses all questions technology related and oversees multiple… Read more »

Deborah Nelson has over 25 years of experience in Canadian publishing, having held senior positions at Prentice Hall, Ginn, and Pearson Canada. She has extensive experience in sales, marketing, and the implementation of digital solutions. Her passion for reading and education has taken her to both Eastern and Western Africa to help develop educational infrastructure…. Read more »

Athmika Punja works closely with sales, fulfillment, and customer service on projects to improve the supply chain. Her team at Penguin Random House Canada covers customer operations, sales assistance, publisher operations, as well as co-op processes. Prior to her four years there, she was in operations at ECW Press for four years. Session If we… Read more »

Mark Schrutt (Toronto, ON) is a 30-year veteran of the information technology industry. His work as vice president at the leading tech research firm IDC established Mark as one of the foremost analysts and consultants on digital transformation. He is the author of over 200 IDC industry reports. Session Data-driven decisions: Forecasting emerging trends that… Read more »

As the Director of Content Standards at Macmillan Learning, Rachel Comerford helps to implement and maintain industry and internal standards in content, platforms, and processes. Her work includes establishing internal accessibility, metadata, and epub implementation guides that align with best practices. She co-chairs the w3c Publishing Community Group and participates in working groups at IMS… Read more »

Jeanne LeSage is an arts consultant with a 30+ year career starting as a theatre stage manager, working for 10 years at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Theatre Operations and Human Resources; six years in international arts projects including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, and the… Read more »

Melissa Mack is a corporate crisis preparedness consultant, specializing in establishing, training, and exercising corporate crisis management teams. Her passion is developing and conducting training and tabletop exercises for teams of all maturity levels. Melissa uses her strong attention to detail and deep understanding of team dynamics to create exercises that push crisis management, incident… Read more »

Tom Richardson is BookNet Canada’s Bibliographic Manager and friend to all ONIX producers and users. Sessions Takin’ care of data: Every day trials of the modern metadata manager Panel | October 7, 2-3 p.m. ET | Free Join metadata professionals from across publishing as they discuss all things metadata. Listen in as they talk about… Read more »

Carol Gordon manages BookNet Canada’s CataList project. Having previously worked on both sides of the sales and purchasing relationship, she is excited to work with Canadian publishers, sales reps, retailers and librarians to develop new and efficient ways to share information about forthcoming books using online catalogues. Her reading list continues to grow at an… Read more »