PRESS RELEASE

HARPERCOLLINS TO MAKE TITLES AVAILABLE TO RNIB ON DAY OF PUBLICATION

HarperCollins has become the first publisher to commit to delivering every new title to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) library on the day of publication, as the RNIB announced that its Talking Books service for blind and partially sighted people has become free.

The Talking Book service, launched on this day in 1935 to help soldiers blinded in the war, offers 4000 audio books to almost 30,000 blind and partially sighted adults and children, making it the largest of its kind in Europe. With this new announcement subscribers to the service are able to borrow up to six Talking Books at any time, on CD or USB or as a digital download, completely free of charge. The £50 subscription fee has been scrapped in the hope that more people will be persuaded to sign up to the service, as there are more than 360,000 people registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK.

As part of these anniversary celebrations, HarperCollins has become the first publisher to commit to delivery every new title to the RNIB library on the date of general publication. This would provide those signed up to the service with equal and immediate access to current bestsellers, including the works of authors such as Hilary Mantel, Bernard Cornwell and David Walliams.

Diretor of RNIB solutions Neil Heslop said: “I am delighted that HarperCollins has chosen to support RNIB Talking Books and help improve accessibility through the library, we hope that other publishers will follow their lead. We’re committed to providing a world-class service which makes a huge difference to many people."

HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne added: "At HarperCollins we are committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK can access all our books in the format of their choice on the moment of publication. As the publisher of the first ever ‘Talking Book’ it is fitting that we should extend our support and work in partnership with RNIB Talking Books to increase accessibility on its 80th anniversary and beyond.” 

DATE POSTED

Nov 10, 2015
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