Books Ireland Trade News—a monthly catch up on what’s happening in the industry
This month’s Trade News is supported by Westchester Education UK & International
The Nero Book Awards
Caffè Nero has launched a major new book award, split across four categories, to celebrate the best writing from across the UK and Ireland with an overall prize of £30,000.
The news is very welcome after the demise of several literary awards, including the long-running Costa Book Awards. The Nero Book Awards will give prizes to outstanding books across fiction, non-fiction, début fiction, and children’s fiction, and is delivered through partnership with Caffè Nero, The Booksellers Association, Brunel University London and Right To Dream.
As is the case for many awards of its kind, poetry doesn’t feature on the lists—but the organisers say the chosen categories reflect the main genres readers are most likely to see when they visit a bookshop or online retailer. However, they point out that as the awards become established it’s possible other categories could be added.
Judges will include booksellers, authors, and media professionals. Submissions open on June 19, 2023, with the shortlist of 16 books announced in November, followed by the four category winners in January 2024.
The overall winner will be revealed at an awards ceremony in February next year, with each category winner receiving £5,000 each, and the winner of the Book of the Year receiving an additional £30,000.
Dublin Literary Award
Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp, translated from the original German by Jo Heinrich is the winner of the Dublin Literary Award 2023, the world’s most valuable annual award for a single work of fiction with a prize of €100,000.
Caroline Conroy, Lord Mayor of Dublin said that the novel is “a warm, witty and moving portrait of older residents in Berlin, which offers the reader an insight into a community often overlooked.”
Copies of the winning title are available to borrow from Dublin City Libraries and from public libraries throughout Ireland.
You can read more about the winning book and the award here.
Leopold O’Shea wins 2023 Stinging Fly/FBA Fiction Prize
Leopold O’Shea has won the 2023 Stinging Fly/FBA Fiction Prize for The Afterlife’, his first published story which appeared in The Stinging Fly’s Winter 2022 All New Writers Issue.
Established in 2022, the €2000 prize, sponsored by Felicity Bryan Associates, is awarded annually to an emerging fiction writer published in The Stinging Fly during the previous year.
You can read the story here.
Ruth Concannon appointed new Publications Officer with CBI
Ruth Concannon takes up the post of Publications Officer with Children’s Books Ireland.
Children’s Books Ireland is the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading.
Ruth Concannon has previously worked as a children’s bookseller and buyer, and founded Stuck For Books, which is aimed at parents, librarians, teachers, booksellers and book enthusiasts who have a young reader in their life.
Ruth will take on the editorial of Inis magazine, the annual reading guide, along with regular reviews and reading lists, and is delighted with the new role.
“Having previously worked with the organisation for nine years on a freelance basis as a Book Doctor, I’m thrilled to now be a permanent member of staff.”
Merrion Press seeks Marketing Manager
Merrion Press specialises in current affairs, true crime, memoirs, biographies, history, art, and photography.
The publisher is looking for a creative marketer to join the Merrion Press team on a full-time fixed-term basis as Marketing Manager. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving sales and building author profiles through strategic and high-profile marketing campaigns across print, digital, and social media channels for the company’s annual output of 25 titles.
For further details see here.
Festival in a Van appoints Elizabeth Mohen as new Director
Festival in a Van is delighted to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Mohen as its new Director. Elizabeth is taking the wheel after eight years working with Poetry Ireland.
Festival in a Van is a mobile arts event, bringing live performance around the country.
Supported by Creative Ireland, and by The Arts Council, and led by a team of theatre professionals, Festival in a Van is is available to festivals, community groups, schools, and Local Authorities.
Anne Tannam new Poet in Residence with Poetry Ireland
Poetry Ireland has announced award winning poet Anne Tannam as its new Poet in Residence.
Appointed to the post for a two-year period, Tannam will enable Poetry Ireland to forge new creative relationships in the North East Inner City, taking in the DCU campus itself as well as nearby cultural organisations and numerous communities on the Northside.
This role is funded by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Fund of the Sidney E Frank Foundation, Dublin City University and the Arts Council of Ireland.
Anne has published three poetry collections and has over 35 years experience coaching, facilitating and mentoring.
4th Estate to publish debut novel, Hagstone, by Sinéad Gleeson
4th Estate won a multi-publisher auction for the debut novel by writer and editor Sinéad Gleeson, author of the Folio Prize shortlisted memoir, Constellations.
Kishani Widyaratna, 4th Estate Publishing Director, acquired British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in physical, ebook and audio to Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson from Peter Straus at RCW.
Gleeson’s novel takes in the darker side of human nature, the mysteries of faith, and the power of natural world, and will publish in spring 2024.
Kishani Widyaratna said that Hagstone is a beautifully written, eerily haunting and provocative novel:
“Hagstone is a searing debut that masterfully summons both the mysterious power of the imagined island on which it is set and the restless characters who live in isolation there. Sinéad Gleeson is one of our most loved writers and literary advocates, and everyone at 4th Estate is over the moon to welcome her to the list. Hagstone will thrill fans old and new and we can’t wait to share it with readers.”
