The Bookseller.com

8th September 2008

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Irish book market is thriving

05.03.08

Industry insiders say that despite reports to the contrary, the market for books in Ireland is thriving, reports the Irish Independent. Speaking ahead of this weekend's Dublin Book Festival, Sean O Cearnaigh, president of the Irish Book Publishing Association, said that the market was alive and well.

"It's certainly in a state of change, but publishers here have around 15% of the market of books that are on sale in shops at the moment.” And the success of the market is all down to the talent of Irish writers, he added. "Irish writers are our secret weapons. We have everything from big writers, to chick-lit authors to sports writers. There is a lot of talent.

"We have a lot of up-andcoming writers coming through as well, writers who have their finger on the pulse. Ireland is changing a lot and it's just a matter of reflecting that, which many of the writers do."

For aspiring writers, Sean said that the festival could provide the key to hitting onto the best-selling idea.

"It's going to be a great place to get ideas. You never know what's going to work out. For instance, before David McWilliams published his books, the idea of an economist writing about economics in Ireland would have been yawninducing, but obviously it's now hugely popular. And if people aren't published, the person next to them is probably a publisher and can help them out. We'll probably head home with about 400 pages of manuscripts in our bags every night – but that's part of the charm."

Irish Independent

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