LIBRIS AWARDS 2014 - Celebrating Excellence in Canada's Book Industry

Announcing the winners of the 2014 Libris Awards

TORONTO, June 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Professionals from every sector of Canada's book industry united in celebration last night at the 2014 Libris Awards Gala, presented by Retail Council Canada (RCC). Winners in 14 award categories were announced at a beautiful gala event at the Toronto Congress Centre hosted by author Terry Fallis. The Libris Award winners are nominated and selected by members of the Canadian bookselling community, and honour amazing work in every sector of the book industry - from authors to publishers, to editors, sales reps and distributors, and of course, the booksellers who connect their work with readers.

Joseph Boyden was a double award winner. The highly acclaimed author was named Author of the Year and his novel, The Orenda (published by Hamish Hamilton Canada) was awarded the Fiction Book of the Year Award. The award for Non-Fiction Book of the Year was presented to two titles that were particularly supported in the independent bookselling community, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (published by Random House Canada) and The Great Escape by Ted Barris (published by Dundurn Press). Publishers were honoured in two categories, with Penguin Canada being named Publisher of the Year and Groundwood Books being awarded Small Press Publisher of the Year. Raincoast Books was chosen as Distributor of the Year, and Ali Hewitt of Ampersand won the Sales Representative of the Year Award.

RCC was delighted to present Libris Awards to booksellers in three categories. UBC Bookstore was awarded Campus Bookseller of the Year, cited for its forward thinking and innovative approach to campus retailing. Kidsbooks (Vancouver, BC) won the Specialty Bookseller of the Year Award, with nominators speaking to their skill in connecting children with books. Shelley Macbeth of Blue Heron Books (Uxbridge, ON) was there to accept the award for Bookseller of the year - celebrated for the continued success of the Blue Heron store, and for Macbeth's work to support the health of the wider book industry.

The 2014 Libris Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Stuart McLean. Nominators lauded McLean's work both on the radio and through his books and support of Canadian culture.

The communities that form around bookstores are the product of art, business, community needs and self-improvement. They play a vital role in promoting literacy, providing a public space for books and for keeping books and reading in the minds of consumers. Retail Council of Canada is proud to support booksellers and to celebrate all of the vital professionals who help booksellers serve their customers every day.

LIBRIS AWARDS 2014 Celebrating Excellence in Canada's Book Industry
FICTION BOOK The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (Hamish Hamilton Canada)	SALES REP Ali Hewitt (Ampersand Inc.)
NON-FICTION The Great Escape by Ted Barris (Dundurn) & An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (Random House Canada)	DISTRIBUTOR Raincoast Books SMALL PRESS Groundwood Books PUBLISHER Penguin Canada
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, Illustrated by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada) YOUNG READER'S BOOK Jane, the Fox and Me by Fanny Britt, Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (Groundwood Books) AUTHOR Joseph Boyden	EDITOR John Metcalf (Biblioasis) CAMPUS BOOKSELLER UBC Bookstore (Vancouver, BC) SPECIALTY BOOKSELLER OF THE YEAR Kidsbooks (Vancouver, BC) BOOKSELLER OF THE YEAR Blue Heron Books (Uxbridge, ON)
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Stuart McLean
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has been the voice of retail since 1963. We speak for an industry that touches the daily lives of Canadians in every corner of the country - by providing jobs, career opportunities, and by investing in the communities we serve. In 2013, Canadian booksellers officially joined RCC's independent division, MySTORE, and now have access to programming, services and advocacy initiatives specific to the book industry. We are dedicated to helping the book industry in Canada thrive by supporting the book stores and booksellers that connect Canadians with great books and great authors.

Image with caption: "2014 Libris Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Stuart McLean (CNW Group/Retail Council of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140603_C8136_PHOTO_EN_41009.jpg

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

Lesley Fletcher, Manager of Members Services, MySTORE Book Industry 
[email protected]
416-467-3768