The Speakers

Nic Boshart

Head of Books, Apple

Nic Boshart has been the Editor of Apple Books Canada since 2016. He has worked closely with Canadian publishers and authors in various roles at The Walrus and eBOUND Canada, as well as being a co-founder of Invisible Publishing.

Paula Bruce

Sales and Marketing Manager, eBOUND Canada

Paula is a graduate of the Humber Publishing Program. After graduating the program, she joined ECW Press as their Marketing Coordinator. From there, she joined The Puritan as their Publicity Assistant and promoted literary events in the city. She also worked as a bookseller for both Indigo and House of Anansi Bookstore. An avid cookbook collector and baker, she enjoys destroying coworkers’ diets by bringing in homemade baked goods.

Sarah Chomyc

Collection Strategies Librarian, University of Alberta Library

Sarah Chomyc has worked at the University of Alberta Library (UAL) since 2016 and is currently a Collection Strategies Librarian. Her focus is on monograph acquisitions, including managing the Library's approval plans, ebook frontlist purchases, and exploring monograph open access initiatives.

Marilyn Desrosiers

Director, Supporting Artistic Practice, Canada Council for the Arts

Born in Saguenay, Québec, Marilyn Desrosiers is a Program Director at the Canada Council for the Arts where she leads the delivery of the Supporting Artistic Program and the Council’s Strategic Innovation Fund since 2020.

Before joining the Canada Council for the Arts, Marilyn worked at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for 14 years where she led teams within the Strategic Program Design and Delivery and the Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement Divisions.

Holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Ottawa, she has a keen interest in public policy, social justice, social innovation, and complex systems change.

Kelly Dyer

Manager/Buyer, Audreys Books Ltd.

Kelly Dyer has been a book seller for more than 30 years. Under the fine tutelage of Sharon and Steve Budnarchuk, she has had quite an education on the world of books and publishing. She is currently the Manager and children's/young adult buyer at Audreys. She will happily admit she has an obsession for children’s picture books and a to-be-read pile that goes on for days. When she does not have her nose in a book or a new catalog, she is a musician. Still singing and creating music under her stage name Kelly Alanna, she has written and recorded two cd's and is currently the singer for the Don Berner Big Band and the Motown Mayhem. She is also a proud momma to a book-loving 13-year-old.

Kate Edwards

CEO, Access Copyright

An experienced arts administrator and advocate, Kate Edwards has spent her career in service of the arts and creative industries. She spent more than 15 years with the Association of Canadian Publishers, has served on several industry boards, and in January 2024, was appointed CEO of Access Copyright, representing more than 13,000 Canadian publishers, writers, and visual artists.

Laura Rock Gaughan

Executive Director, Literary Press Group

Laura Rock Gaughan joined the Literary Press Group as Executive Director in 2019. Prior to that she worked as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and taught college-level communications and writing courses for several years. She also writes fiction and essays, with a published short story collection and work appearing in various journals and anthologies. She volunteers for a literary magazine and a local literary festival.

Jack Illingworth

Executive Director, Association of Canadian Publishers

Jack Illingworth is the Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He has worked in book and magazine publishing for over 25 years, most recently in senior roles at the Ontario Arts Council and the Literary Press Group of Canada. He lives in Toronto/Tkaronto and Neebing/Niibing, Ontario.

Amanda Lee

Consultant, eBOUND Canada

Amanda Lee has worked in Canadian publishing for over 10 years. As an independent consultant, Amanda has managed projects focused on using accessible publishing or metadata to ensure everyone looking for a Canadian book can get it. Those projects include managing metadata workflows for Canadian publishers, training publishers in enhanced metadata and digital distribution, researching the state of accessible book publishing, researching the effects of specific pieces of metadata on sales of books, and more.

Sarah McCormack

Library Director, Banff Public Library

Sarah McCormack has been serving as the Library Director at the Banff Public Library since 2014. She holds a Master of Library and Information Management (MLIS) from Dalhousie University, where she gained a comprehensive understanding of information science and library management.

At Banff Public Library, Sarah began her tenure by re-joining the Marigold Library System, emphasizing partnerships and collaboration. She has worked diligently to incorporate new technologies and develop programs that support literacy and access to information for all community members. Her efforts have included the introduction of non-traditional services and resources, such as the Little Free Pantry and the award-winning "Library of Things" program. These initiatives have significantly contributed to the library's role as a welcoming and valuable community resource.

Sarah is committed to professional development and lifelong learning. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues and staying informed about the latest trends and practices in the library field.

In her free time, Sarah loves to explore the natural beauty of Banff spending time outdoors with her two daughters. She is also an enthusiastic reader, gardener, and crafter.

Deborah Nelson

CEO, eBOUND Canada

Deborah has been in publishing for 20 years working with Prentice-Hall, Ginn and Pearson. She started with eBOUND in 2017.

Andrea Newland

Deputy Director & Manager of Library Services, Parkland Regional Library System

Andrea has been working with libraries since 2001. Her career has taken her to the US and across Canada. She's a huge supporter of rural public libraries and assisting them to be as strong and successful as possible.

Karlene Nicolajsen

Manager, Shelf Life Books

Karlene Nicolajsen is the manager of Shelf Life Books in Calgary, where she has worked since it opened in 2010. She studied creative and professional writing at the University of Victoria and publishing at Toronto Metropolitan University. She also works as a freelance editor and proofreader and has recently returned to the bookstore after a maternity leave. She likes to read weird books.

Brian O'Leary

Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group

As Executive Director of BISG, Brian helps ensure that BISG disseminates information, creates and implements standards, and conducts research to benefit the book publishing supply chain.

Before being named to this role in 2016, he was principal of Magellan Media Consulting, which helped publishers improve how they create, manage, and distribute content. In that role, Brian wrote extensively about issues affecting the publishing industry. He also co-edited Book: A Futurist's Manifesto (O'Reilly Media, 2012) with Hugh McGuire.

Brian served as SVP with Hammond Inc. and oversaw production and distribution operations at several Time Inc. magazines. He joined Time Inc. after earning an MBA from Harvard Business School and also holds an AB in chemistry from Harvard College.

Dave Reynolds

Category Manager, Nonfiction, Indigo Books

Dave is the Indigo Category Manager for several Nonfiction Categories nationally, as well as for Local Interest & Local Authors in Western Canada. 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 the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Dave has written original short- and feature-length screenplays and has also directed and produced several short films. In his spare time, he likes to travel by bicycle.

Jocie Wilson

Manager, Collections and Resource Sharing, Yellowhead Regional Library

Jocie has worked in libraries for most of her life! She started as student page with Edmonton Public Library and once completing a Masters in Library and Information Studies, she started working with Yellowhead Regional Library (YRL). Jocie has worked with YRL for the past 14 years as a consultant librarian and now as the manager of the collections and resource sharing department. She values our contribution in connecting physical and digital resources with library patrons across Alberta.

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