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News
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Ireland book sales are up
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credit card Ireland was second only to Australia in increased book sales in 2009, according to BookScan, the world’s largest market measurement and analysis service. While Ireland saw an increase in volume sales from 13.9 million copies to 14.5 million copies and a rise of 4.4 per cent, the UK saw a fall of half a per cent from 236.8 million copies to 235.6 million. more

Recent News

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Enjoying a book
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World Book Day celebrates its 13th year on March 4, 2010. World Book Day is the biggest annual event promoting the enjoyment of books and reading in Ireland and the UK. BookCrossing is a new partner this year. BookCrossing is a community of more than people who pass on books they have read for free to anyone who cares to pick them up. more

Children’s writer Jacqueline Wilson features in the top lists of both borrowed authors and the bestselling lists, as does thriller writer James Patterson. James Patterson tops the current list of top 12 authors for library borrowings in the UK. more

boy plane Ireland may soon have its own Children’s Laureate. The position will be awarded to an established and dynamic children's writer or illustrator and the position will be held for a period of two years, according to the promoters.
The laureate, in partnership with a steering committee, will develop the focus of their two-year term. more

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No word on Google Book Settlement
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books The revised Google Book Settlement argument rambled on this week when the judge hearing the case in a New York court told a February 18, 2010, oral hearing that he would not rule at that day’s hearing. Manhattan federal court Judge Denny Chin did not specify when he would issue a ruling. Instead he told those speaking for and against the settlement and appearing before him that there is just too much to digest for an early ruling. more

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Now you see it now you don’t
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caller Library users in Surrey have been given an option of downloading books to their ereaders without going near a branch library. The books are available in an electronic format from an online library of titles straight to home computers, laptops or portable readers. Audio books will also be available to borrow from the virtual library. more

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No money for Irish Writers Centre
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The Irish Writers’ Centre has been denied funding for 2010 by the Arts Council in a decision described by the Centre’s Board as myopic. Until 2009, the IWC received an annual grant to enable it function as an organisation providing a venue and a service to writers and the public, but the grant was withheld last year. more

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High Seas info
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sinking ship Writers seeking information on those who sailed the high seas in the 19th and 20th centuries can now do so online. The National Archives in Britain has joined with a search partner BMDregisters.co.uk to allow for online searching for more than 150,000 individuals who were passengers at sea between 1854 and 1908. Previously only available on microfilm at The National Archives the records are now online. more

moonlit The Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) has announced the creation of The RNA's Pure Passion Awards, in celebration of the golden anniversary of the founding of the association. The 50th Anniversary celebrations will include the presentation of the Romantic Novel of the Year and Love Story of the Year awards. Introduced this year are the new awards of The People's Choice Award, The Rom Com Award, and the Romantic Film of the Year. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
13feb10 350
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BBC reporters to become more social
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Social media has received the imprimatur of the BBC.
The new director of BBC Global News Peter Horrocks, last week told the Corporation’s news journalists to use social media as a primary source of information. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
13feb10 350
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Google says it won’t hurt competition
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Google Inc has asked a federal judge to accept a $125 million settlement that would allow it to distribute digital books. The agreement won’t hurt competition in the growing digital books market, the company said in a filing with a U.S. district court. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
13feb10 350
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Older News

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US Justice has problems with revised Google Settlement
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google The troubled Google Book Settlement has received another setback. This time from the United States Department of Justice. The Department has advised the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that class certification, copyright and antitrust issues remain, despite the substantial progress reflected in a proposed amended settlement agreement in The Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
06feb10 349
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PLR rate announced
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Payments to authors continue for the public borrowings of their books under the new Irish PLR system. The Rate Per Loan for PLR Year 2009 is 13.93 cent. Authors who chose Euro cheque will receive a cheque and a statement in the post in February 2010. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
06feb10 349
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electronic book royalties engage writers
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calculator Writers have opened debate with publishers over electronic royalties. Writers currently receive royalties of 25 per cent for electronic versions of their books against some 8-10 per cent royalty on hard versions of the work. The Society of Authors, says the norm should be 50 per cent. The Irish Writers’ Union concurs on behalf of Irish writers. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
30jan10 348
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City-pick Dublin and Carry a poem
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TCD Specially published to celebrate Dublin becoming a UNESCO World City of Literature in 2010 City-pick Dublin will be available from March 11, 2010. City-pick Dublin is the latest title in the city-pick series which already includes Paris, London and Berlin More than 60 writers and more than 100 extracts bring to life an extraordinary city. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
16jan10 346
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PLR arrives in Ireland
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The first PLR payments under Irish PLR began arriving in writers’ letterboxes on January 31, 2009, in respect of borrowings for 2009. Payments are made to applicants who have registered titles which have recorded sufficient borrowing from public libraries to receive a payment. Payments are not made to publishers as they do not qualify under the terms of the PLR scheme. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
02jan09 345
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BBC offers training for nothing
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mic man The BBC intends to make the BBC College of Journalism's website freely available in the UK. Access to the site will be available by subscription outside the UK. Craft skills and ethics and values are covered. There are hundreds of video and audio examples alongside interactive modules where a visitor can conduct a personal test. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
19dec09 344
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Digital PLR in the UK
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PLR The British government’s Digital Economy Bill, introduced to Parliament in November, may not be passed before the present government passes out of office, according to PLR the public lending right organisation. The bill includes proposals to extend the existing PLR scheme to include loans from public libraries of audio- and some categories of e-books. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
19dec09 344
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Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award
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pantless man A plaster foot was presented by award-winning actor Charles Dance as a first prize in the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award 2009. The Kindly Ones has sold more than a million copies in Europe. It will sell more following this award, which conversely is seen by publishers as a good award to win. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
05dec09 342
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Pulitzer prize changes
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reader A change in eligibility rules for the Pulitzer Prizes will open the door to more web-only publications. The revised rule will provide more flexibility as the board focuses Magazines and broadcast media, and their respective websites, are still not eligible. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
05dec09 342
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No more UFOs
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man Writers on the world of unidentified flying objects may have a field day following the UK’s Ministry of Defence announcement that it would no longer be investigating UFO sightings. The department dealt with more than 12,000 reports over a 60-year period. But it said no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
05dec09 342
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How to pass a test
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Most borrowed item in Irish public libraries in October 2009 was not a sizzling novel nor a hair raising non-fictional account of derring-do but the Official Driver Theory Test. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
28Nov09 341
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Johnston wants online payment
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guardian Johnston Press, Britain's biggest publisher of regional newspapers, is to begin charging for the online content of some of its titles. The company has extensive interests in Ireland. Paywalls beyond which content viewers will be charged for sight of the material are to be erected on six of its weekly newspaper websites from November 30, as part of a trial to assess market impact of charging for online content, according to Press Gazette reports. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
28Nov09 341
mo

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Dubliner wins America’s National Book Award for fiction
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Novelist Colum McCann won the 2009 National Book Award for fiction for his novel Let the Great World Spin. McCann is the first Irish person to win this prestigious literary award. It was also the first time the winner was voted for by public vote. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
21Nov09 340
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No advance for writers trouserless online
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A digital-only subsidiary of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd intends to publish with no advance payable to the authors. Instead, authors will receive higher royalty rates, according to the new imprint Carina Press. On offer will be 30 per cent of the original cover price on direct sales, 15 per cent on third party distribution. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
14Nov09 339
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First World War ancestors
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boots Writers researching the First World War period can now seek their ancestor online on a British National Archives website. The site: www. Ancestry.co.uk has put the last batch of surviving First World War army service and pension records online. First World War medal index cards can be just as important as service records for an ancestor search, said the Archive. more

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14Nov09 339
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New Irish literary agency opens books
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A new literary agency has opened for business in Dublin.
Prizeman and Kinsella the Literary Agents will focus on non-fiction and fiction, said the agency in a statement. Writers have already been signed up by the agency; but the partners said it could take up to eight weeks to respond to new applications for representation. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
14Nov09 339
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Writing is not a luxury sport
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If cuts are made to the Arts Council’s budget there is a danger that the inspirational role of the arts will be lost in Ireland the Oireachtas Committee on the Arts was told by Pat Moylan chairman of the Arts Council. Instead, the arts should be embraced and its job creation potential exploited at a time of major unemployment, she said. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
17Oct09 335
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Public money spent on better sex guide
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happy man An illustrated 47-page booklet produced by Manchester council on improving the love life of the over-50s has been criticised as a waste of public money.
The £8,000 booklet offered tips to spice up a marriage or love after divorce. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
03Oct09 333
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Publishing scams exposed
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The Writer Beware program is to be co-sponsored by Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The program exposes publishing scams and maintains a massive database of questionable literary agents, publishers, editorial services, and literary contests.more

Supreme Court rules in favour of press freedom

Four Courts The Supreme Court in Dublin has upheld the principle of protection of journalistic sources. The Irish Times appealed a High Court order requiring its editor Geraldine Kennedy and journalist Colm Keena to answer questions that could reveal the source of a story.The decision of the five-judge court was unanimous. more

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Journalists should charge £285 per day
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Freelance journalists should invoice media clients £285 for a day's work to achieve comparability with a staff journalist earning £25,000, according to the publisher of the Freelance Ready Reckoner. The reckoner has been updated for the fourth year in a row. more

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Press Complaints Commission guidance on media use of Facebook pictures
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PCC The Press Complaints Commission in the UK has ruled against the Scottish Sunday Express in a decision on the use by journalists of images taken without permission from social networking sites like Facebook. The case concerned a complaint by three parents that that an article headlined Anniversary shame of Dunblane survivors, published in the Scottish Sunday Express on 8 March 2009, intruded into their sons’ private lives. more

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Press freedom affirmed in Belfast
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Journalist Suzanne Breen won the right to withhold material relating to the Real IRA from the state, in a landmark ruling on press freedom on June 18, 2009 in a Belfast court. At Belfast Recorders Court, Judge Thomas Burgess ruled Breen's life would be at risk if she handed over interview notes and other information connected to an interview she conducted with the Real IRA after it killed two British soldiers in March, 2009. more

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Telling Tales on air
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thinker A new programme for writers and writing aired on West Dublin Access Radio on May 9. Telling Tales uses the resources of writingclub.org and askaboutwriting.net to broadcast news of writing and opportunities for writers and storytellers on the community station. The show includes interviews with storytellers, or writers in the news, each week. more

© www.askaboutwriting.net
18apr09 309
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Working safely with children
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ghost The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon has posted some guidelines for sole practitioners on its website, in response to requests from the arts sector. The code of practice aims to provide support and guidance to artists working with children and young people in a solo capacity as practitioners, facilitators or tutors. more

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