Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word content, today announced the launch of audible.ca, a dedicated service for Canadians. Audible.ca will offer a broad selection of more than 300,000 audiobooks, original programs, lectures, comedy and more, including over 100 new titles from Canadian authors in English and French available at launch, as well as other long- and short-form local content specially curated by and for Canadians. To celebrate the launch, Audible.ca is offering its special edition of Margaret Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, performed by Claire Danes and featuring new content original to the recording, as well as Catherine Leroux’s landmark Quebecois novel LE MUR MITOYEN, performed by Julie Le Breton, free to all Canadians for one month at www.audible.ca/handmaid and www.audible.ca/lmm.
“Honoring Canada’s distinctive literary and theatrical tradition and supporting the creation of rich local content, Audible.ca is a dedicated, authentic, and vibrant multi-language destination for English- and French-speaking Canadian consumers that puts Canadian talent and spoken-word content front and center,” said Audible founder and CEO Don Katz. “Millions of listeners around the world already turn to Audible to enhance the character and quality of daily life, and we look forward to delivering an even richer and more culturally resonant listening experience to our Canadian customers and customers to come.”
“Audible has earmarked $12M CAD over the next three years to invest in Canadian writers and voices,” added Katz.
“Audible’s dedicated Canadian service is great news for Canadian writers of all kinds,” said Atwood. “Artful voice performance enhances text, and Audible gives authors access to a rapidly growing audience for whom listening is a wonderful way to experience gripping narratives and forceful words.”
Audible is celebrating its Canadian launch with an event at Toronto’s Union Station, featuring Katz, Atwood and actress Elisabeth Moss. Moss portrays Atwood’s character Offred in the television production of THE HANDMAID’S TALE. Katz will also make an appearance on September 14, 2017 at Gare Centrale in Montreal with Julie Le Breton and Catherine Leroux.
Among the titles and programs available at launch or shortly forthcoming on audible.ca are:
- Justin Trudeau’s COMMON GROUND, narrated in both French and English, with a new introduction narrated by the Prime Minister
- An unabridged recording of Margaret Atwood’s ALIAS GRACE, performed by Sarah Gadon
- ANGEL CATBIRD, a dramatized, multi-voice production of Margaret Atwood’s graphic novels adapted for audio by the author
- Roz Nay’s suspenseful cat-and-mouse thriller OUR LITTLE SECRET
- Barbara Gowdy’s novels MISTER SANDMAN, FALLING ANGELS and WE SO SELDOM LOOK ON LOVE, available for the first time in audio
- THEY CALLED ME NUMBER ONE, written and narrated by Bev Sellers, the author’s personal story of surviving a government-sponsored religious school to assimilate indigenous children
- HELLGOING, Lynn Coady’s short story collection and winner of the 2013 Giller Prize
- 2015 Governor General’s Literary Award for French Fiction winner SIX DEGRÉS DE LIBERTÉ by former Canada Reads winner Nicolas Dickner, performed by Atriana Reeves
- Winner of the 11th Grand Prix de la relève littéraire Archambault and finalist in both Le Prix littéraire France-Québec and Prix des Cinq continents de la Francophonie in 2011, PETITE ET LE VIEUX by Marie-Renée Lavoie
- Jean-Jacques Pelletier’s thrilling mystery BAIN DE SANG, narrated by Jean Brassard
Audible.ca will also highlight Canada’s unparalleled comedic tradition with a catalogue of comedy content captured in leading Canadian comedy clubs.
“It is so gratifying that Audible is providing Quebec authors and actors this powerful medium to showcase their work,” said Leroux. “Quebec has a unique culture and storytelling tradition, and deeply values the arts. I think the Quebecois public will love hearing the works of their favorite Quebecois writers brought to life in this way.”
Beginning in 2017, Audible.ca will also be the exclusive audiobook sponsor of the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
To support its dedicated digital storefront for Canadian customers, Audible recently extended its innovative audiobook rights marketplace and production engine, the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) to Canada. ACX enables individual authors or publishers to work with professional actors and producers to create audiobooks. Since launching in June, ACX has already added almost 500 audiobooks from Canadian authors to the Audible service.
