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Canadian booksellers name Penguin Canada Distributor of the Year; Adrienne Kerr Editor of the Year

Toronto — May 17, 2011 — The Canadian Booksellers' Association has named Penguin Canada Distributor of the Year and Fiction Editor Adrienne Kerr Editor of the Year at the 2011 CBA Libris Awards, presented in Toronto this past weekend.

The Canadian Distributor of the Year Award is presented annually by the CBA to a Canadian distributor in recognition of outstanding support of the bookselling industry, based on customer service; accuracy and speed of order fulfillment; and efficient handling of returns and credits. The Penguin Canada Distribution Centre is an industry leader, consistently recognized as the fastest fulfillment centre in Canada in industry polls and dedicated to excellence in customer service. Penguin Canada distributes books for all the Penguin companies around the world, including Australia, India, South Africa, the UK and the US (with imprints including Berkley, Dutton, Gotham, Putnam, Riverhead, NAL, Viking and Hudson Street Press). Penguin Canada is the exclusive Canadian distributor for leading foreign publishers such as Atlantic, Bloomsbury, Canongate, Faber & Faber, Icon, Michelin and W.W. Norton & Sons.

Said Penguin Canada President Mike Bryan: "It's become obvious to me over the past year that our warehouse provides world-class service and unparalleled efficiency. I am really pleased to say that these comments and the positive feedback appear to be pretty unanimous nationwide and that the Canadian Booksellers Association have completely endorsed this view by confirming Penguin as 'Distributor of the Year' at the CBA Libris Awards."

The Canadian Editor of the Year Award is presently annually to an in-house editor in recognition of excellence in that field, for the development of new authors; commitment to quality; commercial awareness and originality. Adrienne Kerr, Penguin's commissioning editor for commercial fiction, took up her role in July, 2009, following an illustrious career as a bookseller and publishing sales representative. In 2008 she was named sales representative of the year by the Canadian Booksellers' Association.

Said Publisher Nicole Winstanley: "Adrienne is beloved by Canadian independent booksellers. Her passion and her combined sales, purchasing and publishing experience make her an invaluable contributor to our team."

Of her win, Kerr said the following: "In 2010, I realized a lifelong ambition: to acquire, edit and bring to market Canadian novels that deepened my understanding of our shared culture and heritage. It was an absolute thrill to introduce independent booksellers to born storytellers like Keith Ross Leckie and Suzanne Desrochers. It was lovely to see both authors so warmly welcomed by Canadian readers too. During the past year, I've had the honour of working with some of Canada's greatest talents, including Stuart McLean, Jack Whyte and the amazing Robert J. Sawyer. I owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude."