Monthly Archives: February 2012

Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | The short story gets big – The Irish Times – Sat, Feb 25, 2012

February 25, 2012 – 2:18 pm

Rather nice piece on short stories in the Irish Times this weekend. Well worth a read:

So what’s the story? Is it all just a coincidence or is something new in the literary air?

Our passion for electronic media provides part of the answer. Bloomsbury spells it out in an online introduction to its spring story series: “In the last few years there’s been a perceptible growth in enthusiasm for short stories, as opinion and debate are distilled into 140 characters, the internet stealthily erodes our attention span, and advertisers train our minds to receive and buy into new ideas in 30 seconds. As life speeds up, so does our appreciation of ‘short’ and the appeal of a story is perfectly crafted to the length of a commute, a lunch break, the last minutes of the day before switching off the light.”

via The short story gets big – The Irish Times – Sat, Feb 25, 2012.

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News

Irish Digital Only Fiction Publisher Laucnhes

February 24, 2012 – 9:43 am

A new digital publisher has launched in Kildare. Tirgearr Publishing is (by our estimate) Ireland’s first digital-only publisher focused on fiction.

The company, founded by author Kemberlee Shortland, is primarily a publisher of adult genre fiction (from the look of the launch list primarily romance titles).

According to the company its business model, ‘dispenses with literary agents, gives authors a say when it comes to having their books produced, and pays fair market royalties.’

The launch list is already live with three titles and three more to be published by the end of June. Books will be published in all formats.

Despite being based in Ireland, the publisher hopes to work with authors from across the globe and says that its ‘editors work with authors on a one-on-one basis to ensure each book presented is of the highest quality … the publisher works side-by-side with authors to develop effective marketing plans and promotional programs, advising on career choices and forward career planning, and assist in setting up the author’s overall image.’

Tirgearr offers an intriguing insight into its pricing policy on their submissions page with a chart featuring suggested retail prices for given text lengths ranging from $1.99 for 9,000 words or less up to $4.99+ for novel length books in excess of 95,000 words.

Social media marketing is  a large part of the company’s marketing plan and it already sports a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a Blogger site, a Tumblr blog,  a YouTube Channel, and LinkedIn and StumbleUpon profiles.

Tirgearr’s Launch Titles:

Tutti-Frutti Blues, Dude Looks Like A Lady, and the 2-in-1 volume The Carmel Charmers Series, by award-winning romance author, Kemberlee Shortland

The Trouble With French Kisses, book one in The Trouble Series, by award-winning romance author, Kristi Ahlers

Man City by award-winning erotica author, C. Margery Kempe

Forthcoming titles:

The Secret of Narava, sequel to The Promise of Kierna’Rhoan, by award-winning author, Isabo Kelly

 Rhythm of My Heart, book two in the Irish Pride series by Kemberlee Shortland

Beguiler, book two in the ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series, by award-winning author, Scarlett Valentine

 

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | ‘Proactive’ indies become regional winners | The Bookseller

February 24, 2012 – 9:04 am

Three shops—Mainstreet Trading from St Boswells in the Scottish Borders, Dublin’s The Gutter Bookshop and The Chorleywood Bookshop—have all won their regions for the second consecutive year. Mainstreet also previously won the Walker Books ­Children’s Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2009.   

Rosamund de la Hey, who co-owns Mainstreet with husband Bill, said Mainstreet had focused in the past year on “keeping in touch with our customers”. She added: “You have to think laterally. We have tried to be proactive, doing a lot of marketing online and with social media, as well as instore.” 

via ‘Proactive’ indies become regional winners | The Bookseller.

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News

Irish Ebook Sales: Radio Interview Shifts Kindle Edition

February 23, 2012 – 10:36 pm

In an interesting shift, an Irish radio interview has led to an ebook edition of a book spiking on Amazon’s bestseller lists.

Constable author, Tim Newark, whose book, The Fighting Irish was the subject of a Pat Kenny interview Wednesday 22nd February. By the end of the day the book had climbed to the top of  the Kindle Irish History bestseller charts and had spiked in the paperback Irish History Bestseller charts.

It remains at #5 on the Kindle chart and #88 on the print bestseller charts a day later. It’s an example of how the immediacy of availability can move units and drive sales for publishers.

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Irish ebooks

The IT Tackles Ebook Pricing >> Why should the price of ebooks . . . be on the floor?

February 21, 2012 – 9:17 am

Actually a nice piece on ebook pricing in The Irish Times. Interestingly there’s a fairly broad set of views on pricing from the Irish industry including a somewhat reluctant sounding Stuart Neville:

John Mooney is in broad agreement. “The traditional publishing model is long dead,” he says. “Maverick House does offer some ebooks at low prices if we feel the author needs support, but this does not guarantee sales. We have digitised our backlist, and the books that sell in large quantities on Kindle and in other digital formats are those offered at full price. People will not purchase books which they do not wish to read just because they are cheap.

“People who use ereaders tend to be avid readers, they are people who are selective about what they read.”

“Readers still want quality,” says Arlene Hunt, “both in terms of story and product. Books for 99 cent might be a novelty now, but there’s an element of you-get-what-you-pay-for there.

via Why should the price of ebooks . . . be on the floor? – The Irish Times – Tue, Feb 21, 2012.

 

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | Publishers make bid to close filesharing sites | Technology | guardian.co.uk

February 20, 2012 – 12:55 pm

Ireland-based websites Library.nu and ifile.it were served with cease and desist court orders on Tuesday after two major publishing groups accused the sites of earning $10.6m £6.7m in revenue a year.

The action against alleged filesharers came amid fresh opposition to controversial anti-piracy legislation in Europe. Internet advocacy groups have expressed concern about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement Acta which has so far been signed by 22 EU member states, including the UK.

via Publishers make bid to close filesharing sites | Technology | guardian.co.uk.

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | The bargain bookseller | Get London Reading

February 13, 2012 – 3:15 pm

The numbers involved are colossal, driven by those low prices: last year The Book People sold 250,000 cook books by Jamie Oliver, 130,000 by baking model Lorraine Pascale, plus 120,000 books of poetry. In a world where a new novel rarely sells 1,000 copies, this gives them vast power. “They are the biggest customer for an awful lot of British publishers,” says literary agent Jonathan Lloyd.

As a result, Glaister’s reaction to an early proof copy is as anxiously awaited as the twitch of a Roman emperor’s thumb. If she dislikes a cover or takes against an intro, editors will tweak rather than lose the chance of 40,000 advance sales. If she’s keen, success is – almost – assured. A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard’s account of her 18-year abduction by a paedophile, sold 80,000 copies through The Book People, 20,000 through the trade.

via The bargain bookseller | Get London Reading.

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Announcement

Nominations sought for next Laureate na nÓg

February 13, 2012 – 12:29 pm

CBI is currently inviting nominations for Laureate na nÓg 2012 -2014. This important initiative was instigated in 2010 with the inauguration of Siobhán Parkinson as Ireland’s first children’s literature laureate.

Siobhán will complete her imaginative and successful term  in May 2012 so now is the time to nominate an Irish author or illustrator to be Laureate na nÓg 2012 –14.

Individuals and organisations are invited to make a nomination between now and February 24th 2012. Nominees must be Irish, may write through the medium of Irish or English and should be an nationally recognised author or illustrator who has made a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature in Ireland.  Further details about the laureate project can be found on childrenslaureate.ie or childrensbooksireland.ie

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council with the support of The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Children’s Books Ireland, Poetry Ireland and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

CRITERIA FOR NOMINATION OF NEXT LAUREATE:

The person nominated for the role needs to meet five key criteria:

1. The laureate should be an Irish writer or illustrator with a recognised body of high quality children’s writing and/or illustration, who writes through the medium of Irish or English.

2. He or she must have made a particularly significant contribution to the field of children’s literature in Ireland and have had a considerable positive impact on readers as well as other writers and illustrators.

3. He or she must demonstrate both eagerness and skill in engaging with children, young people, adults, and media and with the sector as a whole.

4. He or she should demonstrate an enthusiasm for promoting children’s literature in general.

5. Nominees must be of Irish nationality.

Nominations should be sent to info@childrensbooksireland.ie before February 24th, 2012

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | Eight years late and six times over budget, a book on the history of St Stephen’s Green is costing the taxpayer €900 per copy – National News – Independent.ie

February 13, 2012 – 9:44 am

Instead the OPW dramatically scaled back what they wanted, despite paying about €400,000. It was agreed the author would write a standalone title on St Stephens Green. The book ‘St Stephens Green 1660-1875’ has been acclaimed by critics, but has sold only 443 copies since it was published in October. The book retails at €35, which equates to a cost to the taxpayer of about €900 per copy if you take the overall €400,000 payment into account.

via Eight years late and six times over budget, a book on the history of St Stephen’s Green is costing the taxpayer €900 per copy – National News – Independent.ie.

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News

Four Irish Bookstores In Battle For Independent Bookseller Of The Year

February 10, 2012 – 5:00 pm

The Gutter Bookshop in Temple Bar is one of four Irish bookstores nominated for the Independent Bookseller of the Year Award, 2012.

They form one of seven regional sub-categories in the competition which offers a prize of £5,000

The final regional winners will be decided by The Bookseller, Gardners and the BA will pick seven regional winners who will then compete for the overall prize.

The winners will be announced at the Bookseller Industry Awards which will be held at London’s Park Lane Hilton on 14th May.

The Irish nominees are:

The Castle Bookshop (Castlebar)
The Gutter Bookshop (Dublin)
The Blessington Bookstore (Blessington Co. Wicklow)
Kenny’s Bookshop (Galway)

 The full list is here.

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