Little Island expands with two editorial hires
Editors Órla Carr and Sinéad O’Callaghan are joining the team at Little Island Books this summer, marking a significant expansion of the publisher.
Little Island was highly commended in their category for Small Press of the Year in the British Book Awards 2024, and was the first Irish publisher to ever be shortlisted for The Yoto Carnegie Medal in 2023 with Louise Finch’s The Eternal Return of Clara Hart, which was also the first Irish published book to be on the finalists’ list for the Kirkus Prize in the US.
Carr joins Little Island from Irish publisher UCD Press, where she has been part of a two-person in-house team since 2022, bringing with her a passion for children’s literature, and reviewing experience with Inis and Paper Lanterns magazines. She has worked as a bookseller at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and has interned with The O’Brien Press and Children’s Books Ireland. She is the founder of ebook-only small press, Castles in the Air, and has a publishing master’s from NUI Galway.
O’Callaghan is currently Editor with The Folio Society in London, where she has been responsible for helping to develop the children’s and fiction lists. Previously she worked as Assistant Editor with Granta, and as Scouting Assistant with Eccles Fisher Associates. She has interned at Bloomsbury, volunteered at Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway, and has a publishing master’s from University College London.
CEO Matthew Parkinson-Bennett said prioritising the expansion of Little Island’s editorial capacity sends a message about the publisher’s commitment to developing books of the highest quality for young readers, and to working closely with their community of creators to offer an excellent publishing experience.
“We were blown away by the standard of applicants we received and delighted to have found two exceptionally talented, motivated and knowledgeable candidates. With Órla and Sinéad taking up their roles over the summer, I look forward to devoting more of my time and energy to our continued growth as a business both in Ireland and internationally.”
