The Irish Writers Handbook 2025 hits the shelves for Irish Book Week
The Irish Writers Handbook 2025 features new contributors and updated listings — available for pre-order now
Books Ireland is partnering with bookshops across Ireland for Irish Book Week with the publication of The Irish Writers Handbook 2025—’one of the biggest collaborations in Irish writing in years’—RTÉ.
The handbook hits the shelves for Irish Book Week, the nationwide celebration of Irish bookshops, Irish books, publishers, writers, illustrators, and poets, running from 19th October until Saturday, 26th October 2024.
‘At our launch last year Donal Ryan said that the world was a better place for having The Irish Writers Handbook in it—we feel the same way about our fantastic booksellers and bookshops all around the country and are so pleased to be the book for Irish Book Week 2024.’
Featuring advice from the great and the good of the Irish book world such as Donal Ryan, Jan Carson, Claire Hennessy, Una Mannion, Nuala O’Connor, Kevin Power, Aoife Roantree, Kit de Waal and more, the new, expanded and updated edition includes the likes of Jessica Traynor, Sarah Webb, Kevin Curran, Cristín Leach, Anne Tannam, and Gerard Beirne, to mention just a handful.
There are more than 60 different industry experts here to offer advice and tips, as well as updated, comprehensive contacts and listings for all the publishers, writing services, festivals, resources and competitions an Irish writer should know.
The handbook focuses on the practicalities of the writing life—like what a commissioning editor is looking for, how to work with your bookseller, and exactly how the Irish publishing process works. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, illustrate books for children or are an emerging poet, this book will be your reliable guide.
Commenting on the partnership of The Irish Writers Handbook 2025 with Irish Book Week editor Ruth McKee said it was a perfect match.
‘We’re excited to be partnering with our exceptional bookshops around the country, which aren’t only valuable bookstores, but a real lifeline for our communities and an essential part of our cultural lives. Irish Book Week celebrates this with a week packed full of readings and events. It’s a chance for people to come out and support their local bookshop and see what’s happening—or purchase a book online from the many Irish bookshops which offer a personal and quick service to rival the commercial juggernauts.
‘There was such a swell of support for the handbook when it debuted last year, with encouraging reviews from critics and good feedback from readers. We want to build on this annually, so for the 2025 edition we’ve included new areas such as creative non-fiction, the comics scene, studying and teaching creative writing, and the perils of defamation law among other topics we thought were important to tackle.
‘At our launch last year Donal Ryan said that the world was a better place for having The Irish Writers Handbook in it—we feel the same way about our fantastic booksellers and bookshops all around the country and are so pleased to be the book for Irish Book Week 2024.’
The Irish Writers Handbook 2025 is available for pre order and will be in all good bookshops from 19 October 2024, the start of Irish Book Week.
