The DAISY Planet: DAISY Consortium Newsletter, December 2009
The WIPO SCCR 19 meeting held in Geneva, December 14 to 18, just ended with the surprise announcement that the USA has changed its position from being completely opposed to the proposed WIPO Treaty for Improved Access for Blind, Visually Impaired and other Reading Disabled Persons to being completely in favor of it. This is a huge step forward toward copyright exemption for the specialized editions of works that reading impaired and visually impaired persons need to gain access to published books and other materials. The proposed treaty would greatly reduce or eliminate cross-border movement of such versions.
On another note, George Kerscher, long-time advocate for accessible editions and assistive technology, has been elected President of the International Digital Publishing Forum. The IDPF is the organization of publisher and other interested professionals who work with ebooks. Kerscher was one of the founders of the IDPF and is also Chair of the EPUB standards maintenance Working Group and Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
RHYW Responds to Proposed WIPO Expansion
RHYW Responds to Proposed WIPO Expansion
This is the text of a news release explaining that ReadHowYouWant can help publishers serve reading impaired persons while making a reasonable profit. This new model encourages publishers to provide accessible editions of new titles in a timely way, which benefits publishers by incrementally increasing their revenues while benefiting blind and visually impaired persons by giving them access to new books when the books are still new.
This is the text of a news release explaining that ReadHowYouWant can help publishers serve reading impaired persons while making a reasonable profit. This new model encourages publishers to provide accessible editions of new titles in a timely way, which benefits publishers by incrementally increasing their revenues while benefiting blind and visually impaired persons by giving them access to new books when the books are still new.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Humanware Announces December Free Chapter Download Titles
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
PLEXTALK and ReadHowYouWant Partner to provide free digital books to visually impaired readers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (on Nov 2, 2009)
Contact:
Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi@readhowyouwant.com
971-340-9853
DeanaValdez : dvaldez@shinano.comv
310-693-7629
971-340-9853
Deana
310-693-7629
Sydney, Australia, November 2, 2009†PLEXTALK®, the producer of the PLEXTALK® Pocket and other digital talking book players, and digital accessible publishing innovator ReadHowYouWant are partnering to help visually impaired readers discover literary classics in a convenient format that works for them.
Beginning in November, each month readers will be able to go to the PLEXTALK® website, www.plextalk.com to download five free titles from ReadHowYouWant's Classics collection. November's selected Classics titles are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, TheGreat Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Herbert George Wells.
"We are very pleased to be able to partner with ReadHowYouWant," said Deana Valdez, Sales and Marketing Manager for PLEXTALK® North America. "Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant's extensive library."
ReadHowYouWant will be demoing the PLEXTALK® Pocket DAISY reading device at book industry events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, theLondon Book Fair, and Book Expo America. Similarly, PLEXTALK® will present DAISY files from ReadHowYouWant's collection on their players at technology industry shows, including ATIA (Assistive Technologies Industry Association) conferences.
"We are delighted to be partnering with PLEXTALK®. The monthly giveaway program of ReadHowYouWant titles at the PLEXTALK® website furthers our mission to make more content accessible and easily available to all kinds of readers," says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.
Readers looking for more great books can go to www.readhowyouwant where they will find over 2,000 titles from in the Classics Library in DAISY 2.02 and NISO/2005 formats, as well as synthesized audio MP3 books for $9.99 each. In addition, ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of classic and bestselling titles in downloadable ASCII and Visual braille book files for $4.99 and $9.99. Visit www.readhowyouwant.com/braille for a complete list of titles available in braille, DAISY, and audio.
Beginning in November, each month readers will be able to go to the PLEXTALK® website, www.plextalk.com to download five free titles from ReadHowYouWant's Classics collection. November's selected Classics titles are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, The
"We are very pleased to be able to partner with ReadHowYouWant," said Deana Valdez, Sales and Marketing Manager for PLEXTALK® North America. "Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant's extensive library."
ReadHowYouWant will be demoing the PLEXTALK® Pocket DAISY reading device at book industry events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the
"We are delighted to be partnering with PLEXTALK®. The monthly giveaway program of ReadHowYouWant titles at the PLEXTALK® website furthers our mission to make more content accessible and easily available to all kinds of readers," says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.
Readers looking for more great books can go to www.readhowyouwant where they will find over 2,000 titles from in the Classics Library in DAISY 2.02 and NISO/2005 formats, as well as synthesized audio MP3 books for $9.99 each. In addition, ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of classic and bestselling titles in downloadable ASCII and Visual braille book files for $4.99 and $9.99. Visit www.readhowyouwant.com/braille for a complete list of titles available in braille, DAISY, and audio.
About Shinano Kenshi Co., Shinano Kenshi Corporation & PLEXTALK®
Shinano Kenshi Co. Ltd. is responsible for the development and manufacture of digital talking book players and other products sold under the brand name of PLEXTALK®. Shanano and PLEXTALK® assistive products are created to improve the quality of life , self-reliance and independence of their users. Shinano Kenshi Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
About ReadHowYouWant
ReadHowYouWant Pty Ltd and its R&D parent company, Accessible Publishing Systems Pty Ltd are both Sydney, Australia-based privately held companies founded in 2004 by electronic publishing pioneers Christopher Stephen and Greg Duncan. When Chris's sister, who suffers from MS, developed difficulty reading, they began experimenting to determine whether people with reading difficulties could benefit from changing the text format.
After more than four years of testing, ReadHowYouWant has successfully developed award-winning conversion technology that reformats existing books into the widest selection of on-demand, alternative format editions on the market today. Each edition has been optimized for maximum readability. The company's goals are to make reading easier and more enjoyable by delivering formats that suit the reader and to give people with reading difficulties access to books in the formats of their choice†at an affordable price, and as soon as the book is published. For more information visit www.readhowyouwant.com.
After more than four years of testing, ReadHowYouWant has successfully developed award-winning conversion technology that reformats existing books into the widest selection of on-demand, alternative format editions on the market today. Each edition has been optimized for maximum readability. The company's goals are to make reading easier and more enjoyable by delivering formats that suit the reader and to give people with reading difficulties access to books in the formats of their choice†at an affordable price, and as soon as the book is published. For more information visit www.readhowyouwant.com.
Holiday Friends and Family Discounts on Large Print, Braille and DAISY Books
As you know, ReadHowYouWant is a new book publisher with an important social mission. We believe that readers should be able to choose the format of a book that suits them best. This presupposes a radically inclusive model for publishing that does not discriminate against readers who are unable to read a standard printed book. Our books are available in EasyRead™ large print formats in 16 to 24 point font sizes, braille, and DAISY—an audio format suitable for the blind, visually impaired, and individuals who are unable to hold a physical book.
ReadHowYouWant has a great selection of over 4,000 books—the Classics, Oprah picks, New York Times bestsellers, and titles from best-selling authors including Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Louise Hay, the Dalai Lama, and more. Over 75 publishers have partnered with ReadHowYouWant, including Wiley, Berrett-Koehler, Allen & Unwin, and more.
As a special offer to all readers, we are offering a 25% discount on all orders placed between December 1 and December 31, 2009. Go to www.readhowyouwant.com, and choose the books you want to buy. When you check out there will be a box to enter your Promotional Code.
The Promotional Code is RFF7KT76.
Give the gift of reading to all of your friends and family. Please feel free to re-post this code and announcement on your website or blog. Pass it along to your friends and family.
Purchasing books from ReadHowYouWant allows us to provide books for blind and visually impaired readers at the same time they are available to other readers.
Check out our site and let us know what you think.
ReadHowYouWant has a great selection of over 4,000 books—the Classics, Oprah picks, New York Times bestsellers, and titles from best-selling authors including Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Louise Hay, the Dalai Lama, and more. Over 75 publishers have partnered with ReadHowYouWant, including Wiley, Berrett-Koehler, Allen & Unwin, and more.
As a special offer to all readers, we are offering a 25% discount on all orders placed between December 1 and December 31, 2009. Go to www.readhowyouwant.com, and choose the books you want to buy. When you check out there will be a box to enter your Promotional Code.
The Promotional Code is RFF7KT76.
Give the gift of reading to all of your friends and family. Please feel free to re-post this code and announcement on your website or blog. Pass it along to your friends and family.
Purchasing books from ReadHowYouWant allows us to provide books for blind and visually impaired readers at the same time they are available to other readers.
Check out our site and let us know what you think.
Monday, November 30, 2009
ReadHowYouWant CEO Tricia Roth News Release on Accessibility and Kindle
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi@readhowyouwant.com
971-340-9853
Publishing Innovator ReadHowYouWant Bridges Kindle Gap
for Blind and Visually Impaired Readers
Sydney, Australia, November 23, 2009—Amidst complaints of Amazon’s Kindle inaccessibility for blind readers, ReadHowYouWant, a new technology publishing company from Australia, is leading the way in accessible publishing by using proprietary XML conversion software to repurpose books into a number of formats to meet the varying needs of readers who are blind, visually impaired, or have print or learning disabilities.
Now readers can choose between as many as ten different formats before they buy a book at www.readhowyouwant.com, including electronic braille, synthesized audio MP3; optimized, large print, 24 point bold EasyReadÔ print-on-demand books, and DAISY—a talking book format that produces audio along with the written text. DAISY books play on DAISY players, which are either standalone units or computer applications. DAISY is ideal for vision-impaired and blind readers, dyslexic readers, and for readers who are unable to hold a conventional book or turn pages. Testing is also being conducted on several specialized formats for readers with dyslexia and eye-tracking issues.
“Technology now offers the possibility of access to hundreds of thousands of books for blind and visually impaired readers. It is unacceptable that The Kindle and other mainstream reading devices have been designed with no consideration given to the requirements of universal design. The introduction of the Kindle DX in some universities discriminates against blind and visually impaired students, and educators should join with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University in rejecting this as a textbook replacement until it is accessible for all students,” says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.
ReadHowYouWant is reaching out to visually impaired readers through partnerships with leading assistive technology companies, HumanWare™ and PLEXTALK®. HumanWare's™ products include BrailleNote, a productivity device for blind people in education, in business and in their personal lives; digital talking book players; and a unique "auto-reader" for people with low vision. PLEXTALK® is the producer of the PLEXTALK® Pocket and other digital talking book players.
"Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant's extensive library,” says Deana Valdez, Sales & Marketing Manager, PLEXTALK® North America.
Through its partnership with over 70 leading trade and university publishers, www.readhowyouwant.com/braille currently offers some 4,500 titles in braille, DAISY, and audio MP3 formats¾from current bestsellers to health, political, spiritual, mystery, business, and history books. Readers can browse, sample different formats, and choose the format that is best for them. “New titles are being added weekly as the number of publishers partnering with ReadHowYouWant continues to grow,” reports Roth.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Starred Reviews. Bestsellers, Timely Topics. All in Large Print!
Starred Reviews. Bestsellers, Timely Topics. All in Large Print!
This gives the November Hot List from ReadHowYouWant.
This gives the November Hot List from ReadHowYouWant.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Humanware and ReadHowYouWant Free Chapter Downloads for November
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PLEXTALK and ReadHowYouWant Launch Monthly DAISY Book Giveaway
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Bradi Grebien-Samkow: bradi@readhowyouwant.com
971-340-9853
Contact:
Deana
310-693-7629
PLEXTALK® and ReadHowYouWant Launch Monthly Giveaway of Literary Classics in DAISY for Visually Impaired Readers
Sydney, Australia, November 2, 2009—PLEXTALK®, the producer of the PLEXTALK® Pocket and other digital talking book players, and digital accessible publishing innovator ReadHowYouWant are partnering to help visually impaired readers discover literary classics in a convenient format that works for them.
Beginning in November, each month readers will be able to go to the PLEXTALK® website, www.plextalk.com to download five free titles from ReadHowYouWant’s Classics collection. November’s selected Classics titles are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, The
“We are very pleased to be able to partner with ReadHowYouWant,” said Deana Valdez, Sales and Marketing Manager for PLEXTALK® North America. “Through our PLEXTALK® Pocket partnership with ReadHowYouWant, we are able to offer even greater access to and increased mobility for reading thousands of books available for download from ReadHowYouWant’s extensive library.”
ReadHowYouWant will be demoing the PLEXTALK® Pocket DAISY reading device at book industry events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the
“We are delighted to be partnering with PLEXTALK®. The monthly giveaway program of ReadHowYouWant titles at the PLEXTALK® website furthers our mission to make more content accessible and easily available to all kinds of readers,” says Tricia Roth, CEO of ReadHowYouWant.
Readers looking for more great books can go to www.readhowyouwant.com/braille where they will find over 2,000 titles in the Classics Library in DAISY 2.02 and NISO/2005 formats, as well as synthesized audio MP3 books for $9.99 each. In addition, ReadHowYouWant offers thousands of classic and bestselling titles in downloadable ASCII and Visual braille book files for $4.99 and $9.99.
About
Shinano Kenshi Co. Ltd. is responsible for the development and manufacture of digital talking book players and other products sold under the brand name of PLEXTALK®. Shanano and PLEXTALK® assistive products are created to improve the
About ReadHowYouWant
ReadHowYouWant Pty Ltd and its R&D parent company, Accessible Publishing Systems Pty Ltd are both Sydney, Australia-based privately held companies founded in 2004 by electronic publishing pioneers Christopher Stephen and
After more than four years of testing, ReadHowYouWant has successfully developed award-winning conversion technology that reformats existing books into the widest selection of on-demand, alternative format editions on the market today. Each edition has been optimized for maximum readability. The company’s goals are to make reading easier and more enjoyable by delivering formats that suit the reader and to give people with reading difficulties access to books in the formats of their choice—at an affordable price, and as soon as the book is published. For more information visit www.readhowyouwant.com.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Accessible Librarian October 2009
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Monday, September 21, 2009
Oprah Top Picks and New York Times Bestseller Available for First Time in Large Print and Accessible Formats
Oprah Top Picks and New York Times Bestseller Available for First Time in Large Print and Accessible Formats
Sydney, Australia, September 15, 2009--ReadHowYouWant, a new technology company that partners with publishers to offer accessible editions of their bestselling books in five sizes of large print, braille, DAISY, and ebooks is pleased to announce September's 20 new titles available for the first time in accessible editions.
September Hot List titles include:
The #1 New York Times bestseller--
Excuses Begone! by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
- As seen on the PBS Special with Dr. Dyer
Picks from Oprah's "25 Books You Can't Put Down"--
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards by Robert Boswell
- "An unnerving, fascinating collection." --O, The Oprah Magazine, July 2009
One D.O.A., One on the Way by Mary Robison
- "Mary Robison's telegraphic sentences and blunt-cut dialogue make her latest novel, One D.O.A., One on the Way...a riveting read." --O, The Oprah Magazine, July 2009
Please use the links below to learn more about our September Hot List titles and to download a free excerpt in the large print size of your choice. All of these titles are available in five sizes of large print--from 16pt. to 24 pt.--and many are available in braille, synthesized audio MP3, and DAISY (a form of talking book with synchronized text and audio) as well.
More Titles for Adults
- Relative Danger by Charles Benoit
- Answers from the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh
- Five Wishes by Gay Hendricks
- Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bournes
- Investing for Dummies by Eric Tyson
- And the Rat Laughed by Nava Semel
- Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington
- Letters to a Young Therapist by Mary Pipher
- Getting Green Done by Auden Schendler
- The Universe Next Door by James Sire
- Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Titles for Children and Young Adults
- The Cherry Ames Series by Helen Wells
- Fighting Invisible Tigers by Earl Hipp
- Treading the Boards by Celeste Walters
- Girls Who Rocked the World 2 by Michelle Roehm
- Dogs Move Too! by Anthony Majewski
- Jason Chen and the Time Banana by Duncan Richardson
Over 60 publishers have partnered with ReadHowYouWant whose offerings include more than 3,000 titles available in accessible formats. Publishers from the U.S. include Wiley, Perseus Books Group, Hay House, Berrett-Koehler, New World Library, and Springer Publishing, while the Australian list includes Random House Australia, Allen & Unwin, Murdoch Books, and children's book publisher, Little Hare. Visit www.readhowyouwant.com to see a complete list of titles available in accessible editions from ReadHowYouWant.
Please feel free to duplicate this information on your blog, website, or in a newsletter. If you are interested in reviewing any of the Hot List titles, please contact Bradi Grebien-Samkow at bradi@readhowyouwant.com.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Free Chapter Download Program Update from Humanware
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