Tag Archives: lit

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Consternation has broken out in the Irish literary community with news breaking last night of Dublin independent publishing house Liberties Press instituting a €100 reading fee for authors’ manuscripts.

Liberties boss Seán O’Keeffe plays it off as covering costs and maintaining standards in this piece in the Irish Times.

“They are, of course, free not to send material our way. However, we have a hard-earned reputation as an innovative and successful publisher, and we believe that in a few years, this will be standard practice among publishers.

We receive hundreds of unsolicited submissions every year, and if this policy results in the number declining, that will be no bad thing.

We hope it will encourage authors to think carefully before submitting material to us, and to value the work we do.”

Irish lit Twitter is, of course, apoplectic. Writer and founder of Gorse.ie, Susan Tomaselli has been vocal since the story broke last night.

Writer Thomas Morris, currently of Faber Books, has his carefully-measured thoughts on the matter:

FIGHT!

Publisher takes Liberties (Irish Times)