Monthly Archives: November 2011

News

New Digital Journal Of Fiction Launched

November 25, 2011 – 7:36 pm

Aoife Walsh, who worked as an assistant editor with Four Courts Press and is now Information Officer with Ireland Literature Exchange, has launched a new quarterly ejournal of new fiction, The South Circular.

Walsh said that she had ‘been watching the irresistible way in which digital is changing the consumption of content’ and that ‘rather than fear[ing] these developments, THE SOUTH CIRCULAR is committed to being an active participant in this continuing conversation on the communal reinvention of the publishing process.’

The journal has started accepting submissions from unpublished writers, from Ireland and abroad, of short stories of up to 2,000 words. Issue 1 will be published in March 2012.

The closing date, for stories to be considered for issue 1, is Monday, 12 December 2011.

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For submission guidelines, please visit: www.thesouthcircular.com/submission.html.

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News

Collins Press Revamps Website

November 25, 2011 – 5:56 pm

Cork based independent publisher The Collins Press has revamped its website.

The changes which feature a separate section dedicated to eBooks and mean that purchasing both print and eBooks is easier and simpler for readers.

Separately the company also announced an extension of the ebook range. Collins has now converted much of its backlist titles to electronic editions including one of the publisher’s most successful titles, An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean – Antarctic Survivor by Michael Smith.

The company says ‘Ebooks are now a significant part of publishing and we are embracing them with enthusiasm’

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | Building an Irish-indie Christmas – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 21, 2011

November 23, 2011 – 9:16 am

A CAMPAIGN asking consumers to spend more in (possibly more expensive) independent retailers this festive season, as the Government prepares to give us all yet another hair shirt for Christmas,may seem rather quixotic so it is perhaps fitting it has been launched by a bookseller.

This tilt at windmills has been orchestrated by Bob Johnston, theowner of the Gutter Bookshop in Dublin’s Temple Bar who had what he calls “a mad, crazy idea” last weekend as he was sitting on the Dart going into work.

via Building an Irish-indie Christmas – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 21, 2011.

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | Anne McCaffrey, 1926-2011 | Tor.com

November 23, 2011 – 9:14 am

Anne McCaffrey, legendary SF and fantasy author best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, has passed away. Random House has confirmed that McCaffrey died of a stroke at her home in Ireland on Monday, November 21.

via Anne McCaffrey, 1926-2011 | Tor.com.

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News

Bad News For The Irish Market In Latests Nielsen Figures

November 18, 2011 – 1:48 pm

The Irish Consumer Market (ICM) is showing a year on year decline approaching 10% according to the latest data from Nielsen Bookscan.

The Euro value of sales are down 9.3% to €97.8m while the volume of sales are down 9.6% to 9.4m units. The rate of decline in value terms has increased from figures released by Nielsen in October when value was only down 8.9%. However, the decline in volume has moderated slight down .1% on the same October’s figures.

The declines in the ICM are relatively consistent across broad sectors. The Fiction sector is down 8.8% to €28.6m in value, and down 9.7% to 3.0m units. Non-Fiction is down 9.4% to €46.2m, and down 9.2% to 3.3m units. The Children’s sector is down 9.5% to €22.5m in value, and down 9.7% to 2.9m units.

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News

Briefly Noted | BBC News – Easons announces pre-tax losses of £1.5m

November 18, 2011 – 7:50 am

The firm also returned an £18m dividend to its Dublin-based parent company, paid out of accumulated profits

BBC News – Easons announces pre-tax losses of £1.5m.

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News

And The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Award 2011 Winners Are

November 17, 2011 – 9:02 pm

This year’s Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards marked a victory for UK publishers and their Irish based imprints with only O’Brien Press, who recently acquired Brandon Books, among the native houses to win a prize.

Now in its sixth year, the awards nevertheless saw some 33.000 members of the Irish reading public cast their votes for the favourite titles and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award by President Michael D. Higgins.

Despite the poor showing of Irish publishers, Irish authors did well, with winners including film director Neil Jordan, Irish Times journalist Belinda McKeon, celebrity chef Rachel Allen, cycling star Nicholas Roche and popular fiction author Sheila O’ Flanagan, crime author Alan Glynn and children’s authors Anna Carey and Chris Judge.

UK newspaper columnist Caitlin Moran won The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award for her comic memoir, How to be a Woman.

The Crannóg Bookshop in Cavan won the award for ‘Bord Gáis Energy Irish Bookshop of the Year’

RTÉ Television will be broadcasting the highlights of the ‘Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards’ on RTÉ One on Thursday 24 November 2011, at 10.45pm. This programme will showcase one of the biggest celebrations of Irish books and writing with many of our most celebrated and loved authors in attendance.

The full list of winners is below:

The Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year:
• Mistaken by Neil Jordan (John Murray)

RTÉ Radio 1’s The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award:
• How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (Ebury)

The Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year:
• Bloodland by Alan Glynn (Faber)

The Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year:
• Easy Meals by Rachel Allen (Collins)

Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year:
• All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan (Headline)

Irish Sports Book of the Year:
• Inside the Peloton by Nicolas Roche (Transworld Ireland)

Bord Gáis Energy Irish Bookshop of the Year:
• Crannóg Bookshop, Cavan town

Sunday Independent Best Irish Newcomer of the Year:
• Solace by Belinda McKeon (Picador)

International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year:
• Connemara: A Little Gaelic Kingdom by Tim Robinson (Penguin Ireland)

Specsavers Irish Children’s Book of the Year:
Junior
• The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge (Andersen Press)

Senior
• The Real Rebecca by Anna Carey (O’Brien)

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News

Easons Now Has Twenty-Five EStores

November 11, 2011 – 6:37 pm

The trial phase of Eason’s new eStore feature is now finished and the company now has 25 in-store ebook and ereader sections. Several of the stores are in Northern Ireland and the rest in the Republic.

The company is currently selling four ereaders the Elonex 621EB at €99, the  iRiver Cover Story (EB05) at €129, the  iRiver Story HD (EB07) at €149 and  Sony’s Reader PRS-T1 at €149. The devices are displayed on a dedicated shelving section alongside specialized accessories and information about ebooks and how customers can buy and download ebooks.

The spread of prices put the Eason offering in a very competitive position in comparison with the Kindle which is for sale in PC World, Curry’s and Tesco (as reported on IPN last week) for between €109 and €195 depending on the model.

US aggregator, OverDrive, is supplying Easons with the content for the ebook retail side of the operation. Overdrive has been in the Irish market for some time as they supply ebooks to a number of Irish library services.

IPN spoke with Stephen Boylan of Eason and will post details of that interview and discussion of Eason’s ebook strategy next week.

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Books & Authors

Irish Book Awards: Who’s Going To Win

November 11, 2011 – 4:05 pm

With public voting finishing over the weekend, the nominated authors and publishers in this years Irish Book Awards are no doubt starting to feel a little anxious about their chances.

IPN will report the winners as soon as they are announced on the night and would like to take this chance to wish the best of luck to all nominees.

Any predictions? Fire them into the comments!

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Announcement

Job Opening: Liberties Press Sales Representative

November 11, 2011 – 3:39 pm

Liberties Press, Ireland’s leading independent publisher, is seeking to appoint a full-time sales representative to join its dynamic Dublin-based team. Reporting to the MD, the successful applicant will be responsible for securing orders for wholesale and retail accounts and helping formulate an overall sales strategy to drive growth. Relevant experience essential.

Please apply in writing with CV and covering letter by end November to Sales Representative Position, Liberties Press, GEC, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8.

Contact sean@libertiespress.com for more information.

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