BTW News Briefs

Arlene Lyons Honored as Retailer of the Year

Arlene Lynes, the owner of Read Between the Lynes in Woodstock, Illinois, has received the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Retailer of the Year Award.

The award honors a retailer who has demonstrated a true sense of community spirit in supporting other businesses and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, has been a Chamber member in good standing, and has shown a strong community presence.

The award was presented at the Annual Chamber Dinner on February 21.

(Thanks to Paz & Associates for bringing this to BTW's attention.)

Publishers to Begin Removing Piracy Protections for Audiobooks

This week, the New York Times noted that some book publishers, including Random House and Penguin Group, have decided to begin removing piracy protections -- or digital rights management software (DRM) -- on digital downloads of audiobooks.

This means consumers who download audiobooks can now transfer the files to other digital devices, such as iPods, computers, or even cell phones, the article noted. In addition, the change will make it easier for a variety of online retailers to begin selling digital audiobook downloads. The Times noted that "currently there is only one significant provider of digital audio books -- Audible, a company in Seattle that was bought by Amazon for $300 million in January. Publishers are hoping that, by removing anticopying software, it could "spark renewed growth" in the audiobook business.

Richard Gwyn Wins Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Nonfiction

The winner of Canada's 2008 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Nonfiction is Richard Gwyn (Toronto) for his book, John A.: The Man Who Made Us -- The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald, published by Random House Canada. The prize of $25,000 was awarded Monday, March 3, at a luncheon at Toronto's Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel.

Gwyn is an award-winning author and political columnist, well known to readers of the Toronto Star and to TV and radio audiences. He is the author of two biographies, The Unlikely Revolutionary on Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood and The Northern Magus on Pierre Elliott Trudeau. His most recent book, Nationalism Without Walls, was selected by the Literary Review of Canada as one of Canada's one hundred most important books.

ForeWord Magazine Announces Book of the Year Finalists

ForeWord Magazine recently announced the finalists for its 10th annual Book of the Year Awards, which honor distinctive books across a number of genres. This year's list includes 658 titles from 350 publishers.

A panel of librarians and booksellers, selected from the magazine's readership, will determine the winners. ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards will be announced at a special program at BookExpo America in Los Angeles.