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About the Director - Stefan Novak

Hello my name is Stefan Novak and I am the director of Audio Book choice.

My company is now approaching its twelfth year in business. Audio Book Choice was launched back in 1996 with a passion for audio books. We soon after introduced music box sets on CD and in 2004 introduced a range of audio and domestic gadgets.

For the last eight years I have been one of the Spoken Word Award judges whereby I listen to a large supply of audio book titles in around three months and then need to choose winners from the categories I previously requested. I tend to like non-fiction or autobiographies.

Close-up photo of a smiling Stefan Novak
Guide dog Grant, who's a large all-black long-haired German Shepherd, lying down

Guide Dog Grant

Stefan Novak

Although many audio titles are now becoming available in an unabridged format, I do prefer abridged audio books as then a title can be listened to within 3 to 7 hours which suits me down to the ground and fits in well with my hectic life style.

For almost twenty years I worked for a rather exclusive bank in London and before that worked in a retail store in Lincoln which is also where I was born in 1958.

I am registered blind and have an eye condition called RP and for years refused to use a white stick. I applied for my first guide dog in 1995 and started training with Thomas who was a wonderful black and tan German Shepherd. Thomas sadly died in 2005 at the age of nine from cancer and I said I would never have another guide dog but I was soon to change my mind and along came Grant in March 2006 - what a fantastic boy!

Audio Book choice has grown from strength to strength over the years but we are always striving to reach more vision impaired people. There are around 2,000,000 vision impaired people in this country alone. Three out of four blind people are sadly unemployed but I don't believe this is because they are unemployable. Businesses still need to be shown that blind people can be an important part of any business and with the right equipment would be able to achieve a fulfilling role in the work place.

Much of my time is spent running my business and I have to attend dialysis three times a week as I have kidney failure. My guide dog Grant goes with me and all of the nurses absolutely adore him, of course!

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