More Publishing Options

Tuesdays at Charlie's, Fermanagh Writer's Group

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:59:40 +0100

We encouraged – and sometimes nagged - everyone to get writing and submissions began to trickle in. A few keen people had their stories and poems written almost as soon as the AGM concluded but there were also stragglers. We missed our November deadline for submissions and it was after Christmas before the last ones were received. But we didn’t let this worry us as we wanted the book to display our writers’ talent so we preferred to wait for their best material rather than use hurried, subs...

New Irish Writing

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:51:30 +0100

Ciaran Carty told writing.ie "Our primary aim is to help emerging writers to build their literary careers and reach a wider readership by being published alongside leading names in Irish literature. We hope to champion the short story form and also highlight the work of smaller literary journals.The short story form is more robust that some critics realise. What it needs is ready access to a wide audience. Hennessy Irish Writing Today will provide this, as the New Irish Writing Page alr...

Self Print Publishing Options

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:09:13 +0100

'On our first visit we also met Justin Tormey, who works on the manuscript. I’d emailed my draft word document to him prior to our visit and after a brief discussion regarding my preferences for the layout etc, he produced a hard copy of the manuscript for me while we were there. That hard copy gave me a good idea of how the final draft would look and I was able to take it home to proof. My book also contains photographs and Elaine assisted me with the placement of those as well. The time perio...

Writing without payment? Is it for you?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:32:13 +0100

If you’re offering a professional service to a person or company then you should be paid. Writing articles, blog posts, reviews, stories, poems (yes; they’re a professional service if used as content), all take time, effort and skill. The days of blogging for free tickets should, in my opinion, be abolished – after all, how many of those reviews are little more than a quick gush in the hope of another free ticket? I’m not saying that everyone should be paid for every little piece they wri...

Alliance of Independent Authors Dublin launched

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:20:33 +0100

Founded in response to Orna Ross's own experience as a trade-published author turned indie, ALLIA hopes to educate the literary and publishing sector about how and why so many writers are now making that choice, alerting them to writers creative and financial needs in the new publishing landscape. The Alliance is a global organisation with branches already springing up in London, San Diego and San Francisco offering guidance and help, connection and collaboration, a host of benefits and incentive...

The South Circular by Aoife Walsh, editor & publisher

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:48:52 +0100

It can take a long time to become a good writer. But all writers must begin somewhere. I wondered where really young writers get their very first opportunity. I wondered what kind of platform they might like to be published or exposed upon: an anthology, a showcase, a festival, a quarterly journal read by their peers? I was interested in meeting emerging writers who showed a flare and a confidence evident in some of the non-fiction/journalistic writing already available here (e.g., Blow, AU Magaz...

Launch of The Alliance of Independent Authors

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:20:45 +0100

The launch will feature a number of writers talking about their experience of going indie, from established successes like Linda Gillard, recent converts like New York Times bestseller Joni Rodgers, to new author Jerome Griffin, who is just starting out. International advisers already appointed to assist the Alliance include, from the US: Smashwords’ Mark Coker, Media Professor Jane Freidman, and co-founder of Writer Beware Victoria Strauss. From the UK Joanna Penn...

The Ghost: Susan Feldstein on Ghostwriting

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:58:44 +0100

Huge advances, dark dealings with terrorists, the CIA, M15 and a series of assassination attempts are all part and parcel of this character’s world. Fortunately – and in some respects, unfortunately also (I’m thinking here of the six-figure advance!) – the lives of most ghostwriters are not as fraught with danger, excitement and dirty dealings as that of Ewan McGregor’s ‘ghost’. The film does however highlight some of the key issues which anyone in this profession faces, such as the...

Publishing Opportunities from Online Communities

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:23:43 +0100

And if you’re a reader, blogger publisher or agent, authonomy is for you too. The book world is kept alive by those who search out, digest and spread the word about the best new books – authonomy invites you to join our community, champion the best new writing and build a personal profile that really reflects your tastes, opinions and talent-spotting skills.

The publishing world is changing. One thing’s for sure: whether you’re a reader, writer, agent or publisher, this is an exc...

How Much Does it Cost To Self-Publish?

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:57:12 +0100

Self Publishing Packages

Many self-publishing companies offer full service packages that require you to do little other than hand over your finished manuscript – they’ll take care of everything else, from editing to printing the finished copies. I personally do not recommend that self-publishers go down this route. You are essentially paying someone else to project manage your self-publishing project when you could easily do it yourself, and I have yet to come across a company offering bette...

The Paperback Bites Back

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:32:44 +0100

The books were an instant success, and Hodder, in what has been claimed as the paperback fight-back against eReaders, released 12 popular titles to shops this week. Despite their size, Flipback books cost slightly more to make than the familiar average-sized paperback book, partly because they are all maunfactured by one printer in the Netherlands, but also because they use high-quality paper and have a cloth binding on the spine.

Lightweight, landscape style books have been available in...

Hot Cross Mum - Hazel Gaynor

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:07:05 +0100

‘There are many highs; days when she bursts with love and pride for her two boys and days when nothing gets spilt or broken. But there are also the lows; when the days seem endless, the dinner is thrown on the floor and there isn’t any tonic for the gin. Written with a wry humour and honesty which only someone who has lived through the experience of raising young children could do justice to, ‘Hot Cross Mum’ will reassure any parent that it isn’t just them and, apart from anything else,...

Original Thinking: The Mammy Diaries

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:52:45 +0100

Mammy Diaries is a self-published work. Did you decide to self-publish from the word go or did you consider approaching traditional print publishers first?
From the start, I really liked the idea of self-publishing. Aside from the obvious benefits of working at my own pace (essential with small kids!) and having complete control over content, I also knew that the book I was putting together had a very specific audience and as such would be a lot easier to publicise then if say, I'd written a work...

Going It Alone: Self Printing

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 07:12:53 +0100

Writing.ie caught up with Catherine in the United Artists Club in Dublin's elegant Fitzwilliam Street to chat to her about why she decided to self print, and how she went about it. But first let Catherine tell you a bit more about her book Self Printed and some of the myths surrounding self publishing:

"My favourite piece of writing advice has always been “write the book you want to read” but in this case it was more like “write the book you need to read” or “write the book ...

Selling Independently, The Seven Towers Agency

Mon, 30 May 2011 10:42:36 +0100

The vision of the friends founding Seven Towers was that we would create the profile for new, really good writers by featuring them at events and by publishing limited editions of their work. And we decided from the outset that we would be a not-for-profit and would fund ourselves through the sales of our books. Seven Towers publishes small runs of books, organises literary events – for the events themselves and for sales purposes - and represents some texts and some writers as an agent, se...

Bob Byrne - Comic Book Hero

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:38:44 +0100

Bob’s interest in comics started with The Beano, Whizzer and Chips, and his parents' collection of Mad Magazine. "There were always comics in the house. I moved onto 2000 ADwhen I was 11 and then on to American and Japanese comics after that" he recalls. The young Byrne drew non-stop and was always encouraged in his creative pursuits, "All kids are creative really and then for whatever reason they stop or become inhibited." This, however, was not the case for Bob who continues to imagine,...

Fresh Approaches to Publishing with Lissa Oliver

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:30:21 +0100

When I left school, I started on a novel, pen and paper always to hand, whiling away any spare moment – and many moments that weren’t spare, for that matter. Motivation has never been a problem, my problem is being forced away from my writing by starving offspring or smoke detectors, beeping away furiously to announce dinner’s ready. I probably spend at least 2 hours a day writing; although usually it would be more.

As I also have a passion for horseracing, I started to combine the two...

Getting Ready to Publish?

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:59:38 +0100

In order to help decide on your publishing path, take a look at these articles on the different ways to be a self-publisher from Publetariat

The One Stop Self Publishing Conference was a hugely successful event that ran in Dublin in 2011 giving self publishers, an overview of the areas that they should consider when deciding to self publish. Author AJ Healy, described by the Irish Independant as Ireland's answer to JK Rowling, presented one of two keynote speeches this year. His full publishing ...