The idea of the e-reader came to Bob Brown after watching his first "talkie" (movie with sound). In 1930, he wrote a book on this idea and titled it The Readies, playing off the idea of the "talkie". In his book, Brown says movies have outmaneuvered the book by creating the "talkies" and, as a result, reading should find a new medium: "A machine that will allow us to keep up with the vast volume of print available today and be optically pleasing".
Staff Members
Board Members
Leigh Nash is co-publisher of Invisible Publishing, a not-for-profit company that produces contemporary fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Her publishing experience includes work as managing editor at Coach House Books and editorial research Thomson Reuters, and she is also a freelance ebook consultant and producer for a number of Canadian and US small presses. Leigh currently serves as treasurer for Canadian Women in the Literary Arts (CWILA) and on the council of the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP). She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and her first book of poetry, Goodbye, Ukulele, was published by Mansfield Press in 2010.
Christen Thomas is Executive Director of the Literary Press Group, a national association of 60 Canadian literary publishers
Christen previously taught ebook production at Centennial College and managed technology at eBOUND Canada. Her experience in publishing includes managing editorial at Firefly Books and at Formac Publishing, and digital marketing at James Lorimer & Company and is currently serving on the board of the Book and Periodical Council. Christen is a roller derby skater, cycling advocate, and a published poet interested in technology and art.
Kate Edwards is Executive Director at the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP), a national trade association representing more than 120 independent, Canadian-owned book publishers.
A graduate of the University of Toronto, and Centennial College’s Book and Magazine Publishing program, Kate’s work includes the full range of ACP activities, including advocacy, communications, professional development, and collective marketing. In addition to eBOUND, she sits on the boards of the Book and Periodical Council and Work In Culture.
Steve Izma of Kitchener, Ontario, is a co-founder of Between The
Lines publishing and currently sits on its editorial committee.
He has recently retired after 31 years as Computing Systems
Administrator at Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Michael Ciccone is currently the Executive Director of the Centre for Equitable Library Access, on secondment from the Hamilton Public Library, where he is Director of Collections.
Michael is also Chairman of the Information Hamilton Board, a member of the OLA Copyright Committee, and a former member of the eBound/CULC eBook Task Force. Previously he was the Associate Director of Collections at the DC Public Library and the Head of Acquisitions for the branches of the New York Public Library.
With 15+ years’ experience in publishing and book sales, Margaret brings a deep understanding of the book business to the table.
As a Sales and Marketing leader in the publishing industry, Margaret knows what it takes to get books into the hands of readers. She previously worked in sales, marketing and buying at Dundurn Press, Literary Press Group, Firefly Books, Chapters/Indigo, Stoddart and Wiley Canada.
Laura Brady brings a decade’s experience in digital publishing, and even more in trade publishing across Canada. She is into ebooks, accessibility, dogs, and baseball. In her spare time, she helps plan ebookcraft and follows the Blue Jays.