Essential Resources for Writers

Irish Publishing News   aggregates links for anybody involved, interested or connected to the Irish publishing world. IPN covers Irish publishing news, events and articles and  aims to have the most up to date news about the issues, authors and companies that affect publishing in Ireland. Irish Publishing News also features thought-provoking columns by informed writers and publishers with a view to shining a light on the Irish publishing world AND the Irish top ten. Editor Eoin Purcell, an ex Mercier comissioning editor, is a publishing inudustry guru, runs Green Lamp Media publishing consultancy, and is one of Ireland's leading experts on digital and self publising.

Irish PEN is the association for professional and aspiring writers affiliated to International PEN. Irish Pen’s president is Brian Friel and they run monthly events at the United Artists Club, 3 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2. The Irish PEN award for Literature is given to a leading Irish writer each Spring at the Annual dinner, attended by many well known writers. Previous winners include Maeve Binchy, Roddy Doyle, Seamus Heaney, John B. Keane and Brendan Kennelly.

Membership of Irish PEN is open to published writers (€40 per year) and unpublished writers (€30) - they welcome new members. PEN's monthly events give unique access to writers and publishing industry professionals plus offering a great opportunity to meet and chat to other writers. Each year the board of of Irish PEN put forward a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Irish PEN are supported by the Arts Council Small Festivals Scheme and Dublin City Arts Office.

To find out more about Irish Pen visit www.irishpen.com

Children's Books Ireland is the national children's book organisation of Ireland. The organisation was formed in 1996 through the merger of the Children's Literature Association of Ireland and the Irish Children's Book Trust.

CBI is involved in many activities and aims to engage young people with books, create greater understanding of the importance of books for young  people and resource everyone with an interest in books for children.

Membership of Children's Books Ireland is open to all and is the easiest way to keep up to date with publications, events and news about Irish and international children's books as well as notifications of upcoming CBI events. Membership of CBI includes four issues of our magazine Inis and copies of Book Fest: The recommended reading guide as well as the Children's Book Festival Event Guide and other publications. Members also receive reduced entry to all our events for adults.

Membership - All Inclusive

• Individual €30/ £20
• Institutional €50/ £35
• Overseas €60/ £40/ $70
• Overseas Institutional €60/ £40/ $70
• Student/Unwaged (Irl only) €20/ £15

Institutional members receive two copies of all CBI publications

Subscription- Inis Magazine only

• Individual €20/ £15
• Institutional €35/ £25
• Overseas €45/ £30/ $50

For more information on CBI email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or visit www.childrensbooksireland.ie 

Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann is the national organisation for poetry in Ireland. We serve all 32 counties and receive support from The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

As an organisation they are dedicated to developing, supporting and promoting poetry through Ireland. Poetry Ireland is committed to creating meaningful encounters with poetry for the public. They are also committed to creating performance and publication opportunities for poets at all stages of their careers. Through four core activities: publications, readings, education and the provision of an information and resource service, we seek to promote access and excellence by embracing and fostering poetry and language as tools for living.

The Poetry Ireland Review distributes the work of both up-and-coming and accomplished poets from Ireland and abroad every three months. The publication seeks to appoint a new editor after every four periodicals ensure the Review is novel, contemporary and stimulating.

The Ted McNulty Prize is bestowed in rememberance of  respected poet Ted McNulty to the best poem published by an Irish poet  or a poet living in Ireland, and published in the Poetry Ireland Review. The other main publication of Poetry Ireland is the Poetry Ireland News, a newsletter distributed every two months. The newsletter functions to inform and update those involved and interested in poetry on what is happening in Ireland and includes national and international competitions, readings and festivals

The Irish Writers Centre  endorses  writers and literature and is a non-profit organization.   The centre located in the heart of Dublin, holds various events and activities for writers, workshops, readings, and seminars.  Successful published writers of various mediums  share thier expertise with creative writing students. Membership of the centre costs €50 contact the centre for details. Members are entitled to free wireless internet, access to the library and work spaces. Tea and coffee is always available to members who wish to use the centre to work on manuscripts .   For more information on events email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Irish Writers Union
Chomhar na Scribhneoiri

The Irish Writers Union (Comhar na Scribhneoiri) offers a model contract for guidance to members, and assists in disputes if, or when, things go wrong.  The union acts as a watchdog, on both contracts, and royalty payments, for members, or for their estate.  It negotiates with the Arts Councils, both north and south, Bord na Leabhar, and Cle (the publishers association), amongst others, on behalf of writers.  Thanks to the union there is now a disputes procedure for writers who feel they have been treated unprofessionally by publishers of their work. 

The union welcomes applications for membership from established authors and beginners alike.  If you are a writer, then you are a writer; established, struggling, or forever hopeful, so join with other writers for the benefit of all.  Two categories of membership exist: full, for published authors, and associate, for as yet unpublished writers.  A programme of meetings and activities takes place throughout the year; and fraternal links are maintained with the European Writers Congress, and similar writers organisations throughout the world. 

A newsletter is published ten times a year. There are both print and email versions of the newsletter available only to the current membership list.  Each member of the Irish Writers Union is entitled to an affinity scheme card which may be used with participating merchants who offer a discount on purchases to card holders.  The IWU membership year runs from January 1 to Deceber 31.  The annual fee (2008) is €50 a year, for full, and €30 for associate members.

The Irish Screenwriters Guild (IPSG) is the organization run by writers for all writers of the stage, radio, digital and screen media. It is located in the heart of Dublin City in Temple Bar. The organization serves writers who have recieved payment for work for the stage and screen and are entitled to full membership, and those that have not, who are entitled to associate membership. There are various advantages to being a member of The Irish Playwright and Screenwriters Guild. Members are entitled to screening of contracts, advice on the industry and careers, reduced rates on software, admission to writers groups, an online newletter every 2 weeks and now a profile page on the website. 

For more information visitwww.script.ie

The Arts Council of Ireland is the national agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland. The Council recognises that the arts have a central and distinctive contribution to make to our evolving society. Established in 1951, to stimulate public interest in and promote the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts, the Council is an autonomous body, which is under the aegis of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Arts organisations, artists, and groups working with the arts can apply for financial support through the Arts Council. 

  For more information on The Arts Council visit www.artscouncil.ie

Established in 2007 Artlinks is a partnership programme between the five Arts Offices of Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wicklow and Wexford. Supported by the Arts Council, it aims to both provide a range of professional services and networking opportunities to all Creative Practitioners, and highlight their creative work to a wider audience. Registration is free and members can upload their Events & Notices to the ArtLinks website Calendars and network using the online Forum, receive Course fee discounts and are eligible to apply for the Annual ArtLinks €5,000 Bursaries.

For more information on Artlinks and registration visit www.artlinks.ie

From 2011, the first €40,000 of income earned by writers, composers, visual artists and sculptors from the sale of their works is exempt from income tax in Ireland in certain circumstances, this is known as Artists Exemption. 

Section 195, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 empowers the Revenue Commissioners to make a determination that certain artistic works are original and creative works generally recognised as having cultural or artistic merit. Earnings derived from such works are exempt from income tax from the year in which the claim was made.

Guidelines have been drawn up by the Arts Council and the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, for determining for the purposes of Section 195 whether a work is an original and creative work and whether it has, or is generally recognised as having, cultural or artistic merit. The Revenue Commissioners may consult with a person or body of persons, such as The Arts Council, which may be of assistance to them in reaching decisions in relation to Artists Exemption.The scheme provides that the Revenue Commissioners can make determinations in respect of artistic works in the following categories only, a book or other writing, a play, a musical composition, a painting or other like picture, or a sculpture.

To apply for the Artists Exemption, contact the Revenue Commissioners. More information is listed here.