Sir, – Dave O'Sullivan (Letters, November 8th) is not alone in looking forward to the day when the currency of celebrity is no longer a prerequisite enabler of book publishing and promotion in Ireland.
Right across the national media, but particularly in relation to our national broadcaster, RTÉ, the challenge new authors and self-publishers face in trying to promote their work is daunting as they compete with an array of household names, supported by multinational publishers, agents and PR consultants, who take to the airwaves in a steady stream.
However, the challenges small book publishers in Ireland encounter today extends beyond the power of celebrity.
The problem is heavily compounded by the difficulties small publishers face in trying to persuade the country’s leading bookstore chains and independent distributors to list their titles. In light of this unfortunate Catch-22, more and more first-time authors and small publishers may decide to avoid the hassle and cost of print and reluctantly turn to Amazon to help them sell their books online, with minimum financial input and risk.
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– Yours, etc,
MICHAEL CULLEN,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.