Very proud to be featured in the Ardfield-Rathbarry ARC today - not once, but twice! Thank you, Hugh O'Reilly, you're a legend, sir! For more details, see www.thearc.ie.
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The press releases went out over the last two weeks, and we've had incredible press coverage so far. A huge thank you to authors Amy O'Connor, now living in Cork, and Peg Prendeville, who lives on the Limerick - North Kerry border, for their help in sending out press releases. ![]() An article in the Tipperary Nationalist praised Amy's talents and involvement in 'Lights on the Horizon'. Amy also has a poetry collection called 'A beautiful complexity', which was published in 2019 and is available for purchase here. Limerick-based Peg Prendeville was featured in the Limerick Leader, as well as the Weekly Observer. We were also very grateful to be featured in the Irish Tatler Gift Guide (scroll to #85). This Friday was another busy day, and it turns out Friday 13th wasn't unlucky for us, after all. We had not one but two publications: Jackie Keogh interviewed Niamh in the Southern Star, and Gráinne McGuinness did a feature in The Echo. The Southern Star was kind enough to feature author Louise O'Neill, who kindly supported Lights on the Horizon with a beautiful endorsement: Lights on the Horizon’ is a moving, poignant snapshot of life in the middle of a pandemic. This collection of poems, stories, and photos will be something to treasure when we look back at this time in years to come, wondering how we survived. Further press coverage over the coming weeks will include the Irish Times, interviews on radio, and a mention in the Daily Star Gift guide, which is out on 28th November - the same day 'Lights on the Horizon' will hit bookshops.
If you're a bookshop, or shop of any kind, and want to get involved in selling 'Lights on the Horizon', get in touch: ethentique@gmail.com, or call Niamh (Publisher) on: 083 870 6768. In today's Spotlight, our Editorial Director, Tess Tattersall. She answers our three 'In the Spotlight' questions: Why did you get involved in Lights on the Horizon? One unusual thing about you. One wish for 2021. Take it away, Tess! Just click on the link, or the photo above, to check out Tess' answers, in under 40 seconds. Thank you, Tess!
Introducing...
In the Spotlight, a new feature, to get to know the authors, photographers and other contributors to Lights on the Horizon a little better. We will feature each author in a short 40-second video, just click the link to watch it!
Explore. Believe. Write!
As well as running Ink Wing Academy, Michelle is also a Writer in Residence for Arts Care in the Western Health Trust. With a degree in psychology, Michelle is very passionate about the strong link between writing and wellbeing and its ability to untangle thoughts and feelings.
The eThentique team spent much of the last few days getting over 50 press releases out into the world. Some of you have asked for the press release, and it is available for download below. Just click on the download link underneath the images. ‘This collection of poems, stories, and photos will be something to treasure when we look back at this time in years to come, wondering how we survived.’ Louise O'Neill, September 2020 ‘One of the positive realisations to come out of this plague, is how we all need each other. I hope these stories help us never to forget as we live our future lives.’ Jeremy Irons, July 2020 ![]()
A feature in the Irish Tatler Gift Guide? Sorted!
Happy Sunday y'all! I'm delighted to announce that the fabulous Jo Zebedee, owner of The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus, has joined the ranks of the sellers for 'Lights on the Horizon'. What a brilliant name for a bookshop, it makes me want to travel there and find secret treasures of long forgotten books. Of course many of us can't travel further than the end of our noses at the moment, but hopefully we can hit the road again soon, and experience that unique bookshop feel! However, residents north of the border are lucky as The Secret Bookshelf is still open, so swing by and take a look! Isn't the interior just gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Jo. You can pop into The Secret Bookshop - it's still open! - and you can reach Jo via her Secret Bookshelf Facebook page, or just PM her on Messenger.
Or, like what more and more of us have gone back to doing these days, just pick up the good old phone: 07810647084. When another lockdown was looming a few weeks ago, we knew we had to find a way to sell 'Lights on the Horizon' online. Being a publishing consultant who usually deals with authors, content and general commissioning and publishing tasks, I have never sold anything on a website. One day, determined that I would find a way, I installed Shopify and thought that it would be straightforward enough to integrate into my website. I am not a tecchie, though generally not too bad with figuring things out, but with proofs still ongoing, and last minute panic stations, I didn't have the time to really look into it, so my attempts didn't get very far. When you don't know where to go, ask for help! I like to solve things myself, normally, but time was ticking, and I had to concede that I just didn't have the necessary expertise in the area. And so I contacted the wonderful Nathan Erasmus of Gravy Media who designed this very website for me. He was involved in another project, so wasn't available, but, in turn, put me in touch with the fabulous gentleman that is Andy Smithyman. Enter: The Wizard of BOZ.
But really, I should hand you over to Andy, because he puts it far more eloquently! Take it away, Andy. Andy Smithyman writes books and gives the odd talk. There's a rumour he's also a speech and ghostwriter, but he keeps those projects secret. He has an interest in social justice with a coffee-stained Masters Degree in Narrative Theory. Always seeking imaginative ways to tell stories, in 2018 Andy fell down the rabbit hole, setting up a different kind of publishing company. This 'curiouser and curiouser' venture reimagines bespoke print through the lens of ethical production, distribution and promotion. Andy's latest book is called PARADOX. This Fiction Social Thriller is a re-imagination of 'A Christmas Carol', set between the present day and Victorian Britain. Drawing upon how Dickens blended social commentary with fictional creativity, Paradox refocuses attention onto an inspiring movement of redemptive change happening all around us. But with a twist. When he isn't writing or touring, Andy is a story-telling consultant to business and community ventures - but with a difference. This imaginative approach identifies and builds upon the central storyline running within the organisation. Drawing upon his eclectic years in the creative and business landscapes, Andy crafts a bespoke partnership for the client to achieve their goals. This collaboration could include content strategy and creation, project management, one-day workshops and long-term advisory roles. We're delighted to be partnering with Andy. Take a look at the fantastic page he's designed for our gorgeous charity book, 'Lights on the Horizon'. It beautifully showcases the book, and we look forward to receiving many online sales over the next few weeks. Please swing by and support.
Do you have a hero in your life you always wanted to thank? Give them the gift of 'Lights on the Horizon' this Christmas. And... we're live! We've partnered with the amazing Andy Smithyman of https://www.bozpublications.com/lights-on-the-horizon, who already had a shop front set up on his website, and is kindly selling Lights on the Horizon for us! Yes, he's based in London, but the world's a global village, especially now. This way we can process payment online, and ship worldwide. I will fulfill ALL Irish-based orders from Co. Cork! The books will land on 20th November and we honestly can't wait to show them to you! So, flock on over, 'Lights on the Horizon' is available for pre-sale RIGHT NOW: https://www.bozpublications.com/lights-on-the-horizon. The books arrive on 20th November. In the meantime, please share, share, share, and pre-order copies for all your favourite healthcare workers, grannies, uncles - and your all-time hero you've always wanted to thank. https://www.bozpublications.com/lights-on-the-horizon Thank you, your support means so much. If you tell just one other person about us today, we might just become a best-seller, and raise lots of money for healthcare workers over Christmas. A great Christmas present at €24.95 + P&P - stories, poems, photos from the island of Ireland. A huge thank you also to the amazingly talented Nina Cáit Gilbert @DesignBird for the design of our promotional materials.
Today I received the hardcopy in the post. Of the cover. Now who gets excited about covers, you want to know? Only pernickety publishing people, probably, of which, of course, I am one. And also, perhaps, some normal mortals, who find themselves (in a pre-lockdown-scenario, just roll with it) in a bookshop, choosing the perfect book for their significant other, or their friend, who is a bookworm, like them. Bear with me. Covers can be exciting. Especially when you jump, head first, into a charity project during a pandemic, not knowing what to expect, and it gains momentum, and more and more people jump on board, and then, suddenly, it's this much bigger thing, and you're doing a coffee table book and you need a cover! And you're normally used to dealing with the 'front-end' stuff, like authors and content and design briefs and suchlike, mainly in the educational sphere, and not in what's known as 'trade' publishing. But you want to do it right, and so, you have called in the advice of the experts, to sort through various paper types, thicknesses (120 gsm? 130? 150?) and finishes (matt, silk, chocolate?). And finally you decide on the perfect cover for the very first time, and so, it's a teeny tiny little big deal. What a shame there's no such thing as a chocolate cover. But I can assure you, this is the next best thing! And here it is. It's black and shiny and impossible to photograph, at least if you're not a professional photographer, which, clearly, I am not. I have to say it's better than I'd ever hoped. The paper is good and sturdy, which are, of course, supply chain publishing terms, and don't at all sound like my grandmother's appraisal of my German winter boots when I was 11.
The contrasts and grey scales look perfect. Another step closer to paradise. I will keep you updated, so if you haven't yet, subscribe to my newsletter and every time I blog about the book, you will get an update in your inbox. Right, where's the chocolate? |
AuthorNiamh is a publisher and writer, based in West Cork. Bi-lingual in German and English, she's always finding new ways to play with words. Check this page for updates on exciting initiatives happening in eThentique! Archives
May 2021
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