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.

Penguin Ireland was the big winner in yesterday’s announcement of the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards Shortlists. The company received a total of 10 nominations (and John Murray, its sister imprint another) twice that of any of its rivals.

The variety of Irish author’s nominated was impressive with Sebastian Barry, Neil Jordan, Derek Landy, Benjamin Black and Alan Glynn all nominated as well as  Orla Tinsley, comedian Des Bishop, radio presenter Joe Duffy, award-winning jockey Tony McCoy, scriptwriter/director John Butler and Irish rugby player Donncha O’Callaghan.

Transworld Ireland, Gill & McMillan, HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan all garnered five nominations with the Hachette group of companies pulling in five as well. Random House gained four, Simon & Schuster three.

Smaller publishers also did well with Liberties Press gaining one nomination in the Ireland Am Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year for Absolute Zero Cool by Declan Burke and Adam’s World of Wonders by Benji Bennett from Adam’s Printing Press joining the Junior section of the Specsavers Irish Children’s Book of the Year.

O’Brien Press, who recently acquired Brandon, gained three nominations, Mercier Press two as did Faber & Faber and Poolbeg with Granta, Atlantic, Andersen Press and Cosair gaining one each.

Public voting for the awards has now started and can be completed online, here. The winners will be announced at an awards dinner in the Concert Hall of the Royal Dublin Society on 17 November.

The Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year
Solace by Belinda McKeon (Picador)
On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry (Faber)
The Cold Eye of Heaven by Christine Dwyer Hickey (Atlantic)
City of Bohane by Kevin Barry (Random House)
The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright (Random House)
Mistaken by Neil Jordan (John Murray)

RTÉ Radio 1’s The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award:
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Corsair)
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt (Granta)
How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (Ebury)
How the Light Gets in by Mary McEvoy (Hachette Ireland)
The Club by Christy O’Connor (Penguin Ireland)
My Dad was Nearly James Bond by Des Bishop (Penguin Ireland)

The Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year:
A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black (Mantle)
The Bloody Meadow by William Ryan (Mantle)
Bloodland by Alan Glynn (Faber)
The Reckoning by Jane Casey (Ebury)
Taboo by Casey Hill (Simon & Schuster)
Absolute Zero Cool by Declan Burke (Liberties Press)

The Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year:
How Ireland Really Went Bust by Matt Cooper (Penguin Ireland)
Easy Meals by Rachel Allen (Collins)
Circles Around the Sun by Molly McCloskey (Penguin Ireland)
Moscow, December 25, 1991 by Conor O’Clery (Transworld Ireland)
Just Joe: My Autobiography by Joe Duffy (Transworld Ireland)
Anglo Republic by Simon Carswell (Penguin Ireland)

Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year:
The Time of my Life by Cecilia Ahern (HarperCollins)
All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan (Headline)
Me and My Sisters by Sinead Moriarty (Penguin Ireland)
Love and Marriage by Patricia Scanlan (Transworld Ireland)
NAMA Mia! by Ross O’Carroll Kelly (Penguin Ireland)
The Pink Ladies Club by Emma Hannigan (Poolbeg Press)

Irish Sports Book of the Year:
My Autobiography by A P McCoy (Orion)
Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson by Paul Kimmage (Simon & Schuster)
Walk On: My Life in Red by Ronnie Whelan and Tommy Conlon (Simon & Schuster)
A Parish Far from Home by Philip O’Connor (Gill & Macmillan)
Joking Apart: My Autobiography by Donncha O’Callaghan (Transworld Ireland)
Inside the Peloton by Nicolas Roche (Transworld Ireland)

Sunday Independent Best Irish Newcomer of the Year:
The Tenderloin by John Butler (Picador)
Solace by Belinda McKeon (Picador)
The Better Half by Sarah Harte (Penguin Ireland)
The Lingerie Designer by Siobhan McKenna (Poolbeg Press)
Salty Baby by Orla Tinsley (Hachette Ireland)
My Dad was Nearly James Bond by Des Bishop (Penguin Ireland)

International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year:
Catherine’s Family Kitchen by Catherine Fulvio (Gill & Macmillan)
Make Bake Love by Lilly Higgins (Gill & Macmillan)
Revolution by Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc (Mercier)
The Other Ireland by Mary Jones (Gill & Macmillan)
Connemara: A Little Gaelic Kingdom by Tim Robinson (Penguin Ireland)
Gorgeous to Go by Aisling McDermott (Gill & Macmillan)

Specsavers Irish Children’s Book of the Year:
Junior:
Adam’s World of Wonders by Benji Bennett (Adams Printing Press)
The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge (Andersen Press)
Sally Go Round the Stars by Sarah Webb and Steve McCarthy with Claire Ranson (O’Brien Press)
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Childrens)
Marco Moves In by Gerry Boland (O’Brien Press)

Senior:
The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Ocean of Blood by Darren Shan (HarperCollins Childrens)
Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy (HarperCollins Childrens)
And For Your Information… by Denise Deegan (Hachette)
Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early (Mercier)
The Real Rebecca by Anna Carey (O’Brien)

Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award
Seamus Heaney

Padraig Lawlor, author of Make It Happen: A Success Guide For Teenagers, was on Sunshine 106.8FM with Lynsey Dolan on her Dublin’s TLking show last week. The interview is below:

Padraig Lawlor On Dublin’s Talking

You can buy his book here.

Publishers Description
Liberties Press presents Make it Happen: A Success Guide for Teenagers, the first book aimed directly at teenagers, enabling them to achieve their goals. With an attractive and eye-catching layout this interactive guide, examines the subconscious and the power of thoughts/beliefs in influencing actions – much in the same vein as hit-film Inception. This is a vital book for teenagers, but also parents and career guidance teachers, in learning how to get the best from young adults.

Teenage-motivational books have always existed. However, they have normally followed the same vein as those aimed at adults; serious, “life-changing”, and somewhat preachy. Make it Happen is really for teenagers – not a makeover on an adult self help guide. It uses styles and techniques such as “Channel Hop”, “Reality Bites”, “Replay”, and other reader-friendly terms to highlight and examine the most important aspects of the book.

Make it Happen focuses on the subconscious, and shows teenagers how easy it can be to achieve any goal or dream. By interspersing technical and informative notes with real-life stories and examples of Make it Happen’s strategies in practice, the fast paced and varied book ensures the teenage reader stays captivated. Modern day examples such as U2, Facebook, and the X-Factor also feature to emphasise points, with the attractive and colourful layout further appealing to the target market.

Irish Publishing News travelled to Earl’s Court in London for the first day of the London Book Fair on Monday. The trip was enjoyable and the fair itself pretty packed, a relief I imagine for the Fair after last year’s poor Ash Cloud impacted attendances.

EoinPurcell@LBF2011

The Irish at the fair seemed busy with representatives from a large number of Publishing Ireland’s members in attendance, notably Maverick House, Mercier Press, O’Brien Press, Blackhall Publishing, Little Island, Liberties Press, The Stinging Fly and Adam’s Cloud.

Liz Ryan appeared on 106.8FM’s Dublin’s Talking with Lynsey Dolan this week talking about her boo, French Leave. The interview is below.

Liz Ryan On Sunshine 106.8Fm

You can buy her book here.

Publishers Description
French Leave is a wonderfully witty and insightful tale of best-selling woman’s fiction author Liz Ryan’s decade spent living in Normandy – will she stay or go after ten years? Find out in this memoir, reminiscent of A Year in Provence and Driving Over Lemons.

Nearly all of us dream of getting away, leaving it all behind – and maybe even more so these days when the news seems to be so hard. For many of us the dream destination is la belle France; we love the food, we can muddle through with Leaving Certificate French, we holidayed in Brittany and Languedoc – we watched Keith Floyd gently winding (and drinking) his way down the Canal Du Midi. That said, very few of us take the plunge and pack it all up into the car and board the ferry at Rosslare with a one-way ticket.

In 2001, journalist and best-selling woman’s fiction writer Liz Ryan did make the big move and settled in Normandy. Her funny and informative book charts her gradual immersion into French village life, the setbacks and the pleasures – as well as explaining the often paradoxical French attitudes to food and dieting, sport, shopping on the grand scale and their attitude to their Anglophone residents.

The book culminates with Liz posing the question to readers as to whether she should stay or go? Or should that be rester ou partir?

In a move that was signalled in late 2010, Peter O’Connell is stepping down as a director of Liberties Press to pursue other ventures. O’Connell who co-founded the company in 2003.

The changes mean that co-founder of the company, Seán O’Keeffe, will now act as Publisher and MD, while Caroline Lambe will take on the role of Publicity and Marketing Manager. Occasional Irish Publishing News columnist, Daniel Bolger will be Managing Editor.

According to the statement, ‘Everyone at Liberties Press wishes Peter all the best for the future.’

Liberties Press has been one of the most successful new publishers in Ireland and had an impressive Autumn list in 2010, with titles from Irish Times foreign correspondent Lara Marlowe, former Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

An emotional Emma Donoghue spoke of the importance of recognition by her homeland as she accepted the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel Of The Year Award at Thursday evening’s ‘Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in the Round Room Of the Mansion House.

It was a theme echoed by many of the winners, including Maeve Binchy who was awarded with a lifetime achievement award by the guest of Honour for the evening, President Mary McAleese.

Perhaps the least surprising winner of the evening was Late Last show host, Ryan Tubridy who won the Newcomer Of The Year Award.

Donal Óg Cusack won the John Murray Listeners’ Choice Award, Donal Skehan won the IES Irish Published Book Of The Year, Neil Richardson won the Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book Of The Year, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly the Easons Popular Fiction Book Of The Year, Gene Kerrigan won the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book Of The Year,  Niamh Sharkey took the Junior category of the DAA Irish Children’s Book Of The Year while Derek Landy took the senior category as well as accepting his Book of the Decade award.

Tom Owens, Trading Director Eason and Chairman of the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, said, ‘The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards allow us the opportunity to celebrate and honour Ireland’s best literary talent. This year’s winning authors illustrate the diversity and vibrancy of the Irish book world, and each book is an outstanding literary achievement in its own right. As a country, we should be incredibly proud of these authors and the wealth of home-grown talent we have on offer.’

The full list of winners
The Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year: Room by Emma Donoghue (Picador)
RTÉ Radio 1′s The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award: Come What May by Donal Og Cusack (Penguin Ireland)
The Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year: Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan (Vintage)
The Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year: A Coward If I Return A Hero If I Fall by Neil Richardson (O’Brien Press)
Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year: The Oh My God Delusion by Ross O’Carroll Kelly (Penguin Ireland)
Energise Sport Irish Sports Book of the Year: A Football Man by John Giles (Hachette Books Ireland)
Irish Newcomer of the Year: JFK in Ireland: Four Days that Changed a President by Ryan Tubridy (Collins)
International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year: Good Mood Food by Donal Skehan (Mercier)
The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children’s Book of the Year:
Junior - On the Road with Mavis and Marge by Niamh Sharkey (Walker Books)
Senior – Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil by Derek Landy (Harper Collins Children’s Books)

Irish readers can win one of ten €100 One-4-All vouchers simply by buying a copy of one of 25 specially selected titles and emailing it to Publishing Ireland. The competition is part of the Irish book publishers associations new Christmas promotion, Great Irish Books.

Publishing Ireland has selected 25 titles that cover everything from Irish language books, Irish history, fiction and children’s books. The goal according to the association is to champion ‘Irish-published books, Irish publishers, and Irish bookshops’ with the aim of ‘making book-buyers think about what they are buying.’

Jean Harrington, president of Publishing Ireland said, ‘Irish publishers provide great Irish books; the quality and variety are second to none. This campaign celebrates and promotes books, and we would ask people to look out for some truly great Irish books when they are considering purchasing a book this Christmas.’

Con Collins, publisher at The Collins Press, who has three titles in the group of the 25 selected titles said, ‘This promotion highlights the best of what Irish publishers are producing and emphasises the importance of supporting Irish companies and writers and staying positive in difficult times. The Great Irish Books campaign is good for everyone: publishers, authors and readers.’

As part of the campaign, Publishing Ireland has set up a website, a Facebook page, a twitter account and is running ads in The Irish Times today to back the campaign.
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The Complete List
Gluaiseacht
Gabháil Syrinx
Where Are You Really From?
Yeats and Sligo
An Irish Country Christmas
Agus Rud Eile De And Another Thing
Máirtín Ó Direáin Na Dánta
Sceon na Mara
Great Endeavour: Ireland’s Antarctic Explorers
Abandoned Mansions of Ireland
Ireland’s Animals: Myths, Legends and Folklore
Cliúsaíocht í nGaeilge – Making Out in Irish
1916 Seachtar na Cásca
1972 And The Ulster Troubles
Strangest Genius – The Stained Glass Of Harry Clarke
An tEagrán Gaeilge/The Irish Issue
The Gathering of Souls
Leading Lights – The People Who’ve Inspired Me
Capital Sins
Renegades – Irish Republican Women 1900-1922
2016 – A New Proclamation for a New Generation
The Rebel Prince – The Moorehawke Trilogy: Book 3
A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall – Stories of Irishmen in World War I
Lansdowne Road – The Stadium; the Matches; the Greatest Days
Sharp Sticks Driven Nails – Anthology of Short Stories

Lara Marlowe was on Dublin’s Talking with Lynsey Dolan on Sunshine 106.8FM this week. The interview is below:

Lara Marlowe on Sunshine 106.8FM

Lara’s book, The Things I’ve Seen can be bought here.

Publishers Description

Some rights reserved by noodlepie

Tom Doorley, author of Liberties Press’ Eating For Ireland, was on Sunshine 106.8FM this week, the interview is below.
Tom Doorley
Publishers Description
Eating for Ireland by Tom Doorley is a nostalgic exploration of iconic Irish (and international) food brands and food culture. Taking a look at how we eat and how we used to eat throughout the years, Eating for Ireland is a must-read, and an ideal Christmas present, for any food-lover and for anyone who has an interest in the food culture of Ireland. Eating for Ireland features a foreword from the legendary Gay Byrne.

Why is lemonade red? How do they get the figs in Jacob’s Fig Rolls? And why do some people like Marmite? These and other mysteries are tackled in Eating for Ireland, a collection of short pieces on the weird and wonderful world of food in Ireland. From much-loved sweet treats like Arctic Rolls, Bird’s Custard and the ‘99’ to the enduring attractions of bacon and cabbage, processed cheese and Sunday brunch, and from the lamentable state of the country’s sausages and rashers to the joys of a proper picnic, there is plenty here to enjoy. What’s the right way to make spaghetti Bolognese? And is fast food an acceptable guilty pleasure or just plain wrong? In Eating for Ireland, Tom Doorley gets stuck into all these subjects and more – in his inimitable light-hearted yet authoritative style.

In a more personal vein, he writes about his Auntie May, his love of blackberries and other wild foods and the importance of the Aga. From the joys of cold curry to the importance – or not – of table manners, Eating for Ireland has it all. Whether you enjoy it in small helpings or in a single gluttonous feast, this book is a wonderfully entertaining collection by one of Ireland’s best-loved food writers.