Immediate Release
Issued by Publishing Ireland
IRISH PUBLISHERS CELEBRATE SUCCESS AT FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR
"technology will open new markets for book publishers"
Publishing Ireland, the association of Irish book publishers, today celebrated the signing of a number of international rights agreements at the Frankfurt Book Fair between its members and international publishing houses.
Jean Harrington, President of Publishing Ireland, said that the ten Irish publishers represented had a very successful few days at the world's largest book trade fair: “Last year's mood of austerity is apparently in the past, with Irish published titles generating much excitement,” said Ms Harrington.
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the worlds most important trade event for books; an estimated 300,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists visited this year’s fair between 6 and 10 October at the Messe Frankfurt. Representatives from book publishing and multimedia companies from all over the world come to the fair to showcase their work and sell international publishing rights.
Irish publisher Maverick House has acquired the rights to two international titles and sold the rights to Innocent, a memoir by Audrey Delaney. A number of other deals will be confirmed in the coming days.
Ms Harrington said that a sharp decline in the number of books sold in Ireland means that domestic publishing houses have to look beyond their traditional markets: “Reading is undergoing a gradual revolution and the success of the iPad and other ebook readers means that small Irish publishing houses can now reach international audiences without a large capital outlay. eBooks are still a novelty in Ireland, but it is already big business in the US and UK where technology and publishing companies are increasingly reliant on each other. Irish publishers have to prepare themselves for this brave new world,” said Ms Harrington.
Publishing Ireland marked its 40th anniversary at a special reception on Friday (8 October) that was attended by Martin Mansergh, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Arts and the Irish Ambassador in Berlin, His Excellency Mr Dan Mulhall.
Publishing Ireland (formerly CLÉ) was founded at the Fair in 1970 to address the need for a coordinated approach to promoting Irish published books. It currently represents 70 of Ireland’s publishing houses.
The ten Irish publishing houses represented at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair were: Brandon, Cló Iar-Chonnacht, Futa Fata, Gill & Macmillan, Liberties Press, Maverick House, Mercier Press, Oak Tree Press, O'Brien Press and Veritas. The stand is supported by Culture Ireland.
Note to Editors:
Photographs are available.
Jean Harrington, President of Publishing Ireland is available for interview. Contact Gert Ackermann on 086 176 9287, or email gert.ackermann@gmail.com too arrange.
Publishing Ireland is the association for book publishers in Ireland. It provides information and representation in the areas of networking, marketing and lobbying as well as industry specific training and research. www.publishingireland.com
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