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OMDC Book Fund - Call for Jury Members

Call for Jurors

Application deadline: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

OMDC is seeking applications from qualified industry professionals for a jury pool for the OMDC Book Fund program. The program is adjudicated by three jurors comprised of two industry experts and one OMDC representative.

The OMDC Book Fund is a program for Canadian-owned, Ontario-based independent book publishers. The program is designed to increase financial viability and overall business growth of Ontario-based publishers through:

  • marketing initiatives which profile the works of Canadian authors to both foreign and domestic markets; and/or
  • activities that build on or leverage existing digital capacity that enable publishers at various levels to achieve business development and/or marketing objectives that best suit their individual corporate goals.

Funding will be provided to support projects that have clear, objective and measurable results and/or indicate direct and positive impact on the overall long-term business growth of the book publisher.


Juror Responsibilities:

  • Thorough knowledge of the program;
  • Attend one pre-jury meeting to discuss roles and responsibilities of the juror;
  • Enter into a Juror Agreement and a Confidentiality Agreement with the OMDC;
  • Individually review all eligible applications received for the program as provided by OMDC on the new online application portal;
  • Assess each application based on specific program criteria and assign a numerical score accordingly based on the information provided by the OMDC, via a jury portal system;
  • Attend one full day Jury Meeting with other jurors to jointly review the applications and determine recommendations for funding.


Time commitment:

It is estimated that the reviewing process may take up to 90 hours, spread over a 4 week time period between June 21, 2010 and July 19, 2010.


Juror Requirements:

  • Wide-range of experience in a senior position(s) in the Canadian book publishing industry: specific marketing expertise essential;
  • Expertise in digital marketing and online digital business models an asset;
  • Maintain in strict confidence your role as Juror until after the adjudication process;
  • Maintain in strict confidence all Confidential Information and take reasonable precautions against accidental disclosure of same;
  • Not directly or indirectly use the Confidential Information for any purpose, except in the performance of your duties for the OMDC;
  • Not directly or indirectly disclose the Confidential Information to any person, firm or corporation, except with the prior written consent of the OMDC or as required by applicable law, and
  • Declare any conflicts of interest that may arise and / or indicate if you are associated in any way with any applicant company or principals of a company that is eligible to submit to the OMDC Book Fund program.

“Confidential Information” means all information (whether oral, written, in computer readable format or otherwise), data and material acquired by the juror from the OMDC or in connection with the performance of their duties for the OMDC.


Additional Information:

  • All application material is to be returned to OMDC upon completion of the review process;
  • Jury members will not have access to an applicant’s corporate financial statements;
  • Jury comments may be relayed to the applicant;
  • Evaluation forms and jury comments may be available through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA);
  • Juror names will be released once all decisions have been made.


Application Process:

OMDC Book Fund - JURY APPLICATION FORM. Please note - you will be asked to upload your resume into the application form.


OMDC is grateful for your interest in participating in this important process. It is anticipated that a substantial number of industry experts will respond. In light of this, only those selected to serve in the 2010-2011 cycle of the OMDC Book Fund will be contacted.


More Information:

Please contact Matt Hilliard-Forde, Program Coordinator, Industry Initiatives:

Phone: 416-642-6632
Email: mhilliard-forde@omdc.on.ca


Appendix A – OMDC Book Fund Projects

The following is a list of types of projects that have received funding in the past. Jurors must be capable of assessing similar types of projects:

  • E marketing campaigns
  • Creations of podcast/videos to promote authors, titles
  • Upgrade of websites to allow for online interviews, blog, shopping carts etc
  • Digitization projects which include marketing and distribution of product
  • POD projects that include promotion/marketing of products
  • Targeted ad campaigns – online and print; either separate or integrated programs
  • Author tours and campaigns – physical and/or online
  • Specific promotions with retailers – chain, independent bookstores, libraries, speciality stores
  • Specialized catalogues/ targeted mailings, including newsletters
  • Events, readings, launches etc
  • Specific title promotions
  • General event promotions: anniversary, selected authors, themed
  • Hiring of freelance/short-term publicists to assist on specific projects
  • Special publisher information/promotion sessions to libraries/schools
  • Participation in various domestic trade fairs, conferences, events
  • Participation in various international trade fairs and events (not duplicated with OMDC Export Fund program)