Successful Seminar Held on the Benefits of Short Run Digital Book Production

A well attended seminar for book publishers - Profit from Digital Short-Run Book Production - was held on Thursday, 24th September at the head office of Xerox Ireland, co-hosted with digital print specialists Gemini International.

In a presentation by David Jones, Business Development Manager at Gemini International he detailed the benefits of digital printing techniques for book publishers. He emphasised that the main role for digital printing was in short run production. It therefore represents a complimentary approach to book publishing which hereto has been dominated by traditional, litho printing.

Digital printing releases publishing decision-making from previous constraints, where economies of scale have a considerable bearing on what kind of books get published. With digital printing short print runs can be accommodated, even encouraged and niche markets supplied.

The seminar produced lively discussion from those in attendance. Among the concerns raised was whether digital printing could produce the same quality as traditional litho printing. It was pointed out that Gemini International became the first, exclusively digital printing agency, to take the main prize at the Irish Print Awards in 2007, indicating that digital printing has well and truly arrived.

The emergence of this exciting new print medium will herald big changes in book production in the years to come. The main beneficiaries of these changes should be the publishers and hopefully authors too.

The organisers have indicated that similar events may be held in future, focusing on the benefits to authors and self-publishers. The Author's Friend will keep you informed of any developments.

If you are interested in learning more about the whole area of digital printing and it's implications for publishing, you might like to check out the slide presentation which was shown at the seminar:

Short Run Digital Book Production

View more presentations from The Author’s Friend.

Copyright © The Author's Friend, 2009

IRISH TRANSLATORS’ AND INTERPRETERS’ ASSOCIATION

CUMANN AISTRITHEOIRÍ AGUS TEANGAIRÍ NA HÉIREANN

International Translation Day, Wednesday, September 30^th2009, 6.30 pm

Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Sq., Dublin 1

All welcome, admission free, wine reception!

Gerry Loose and Peter Manson

Poetry and / in Translation

To celebrate International Translation Day 2009, and to mark the launch of the new issue of Translation Ireland, we invite you to a reading by two Glasgow-based poets Gerry Loose and Peter Manson, both featured in the new issue of the journal. Gerry Loose will read his sequence of haiku translations while Peter will read from his new translation of Mallarmé’s ‘L'après-midi d'un favne’. Both will also read from their own works.

Peter Manson (born 1969) is a contemporary Scottish poet. His books includeBetween Cup and Lip (Miami University Press, 2008). For the Good of Liars (Barque Press 2006), Before and After Mallarmé (Survivors' Press 2005), Two renga (collaborations with the poet Elizabeth James, in the Reality Street Editions 4-pack "Renga+", 2002), Rosebud (Form Books 2002), Birth Windows (Barque Press 1999), me generation (Writers Forum 1997) and iter atur e (Writers Forum 1995). Between 1994 and 1997, he co-edited (with Robin Purves) eight issues of the experimental/modernist poetry journal Object Permanence. In 2001, the imprint was revived as an occasional publisher of pamphlets of innovative poetry, and has so far published work by the poets J. H. Prynne, Keston Sutherland, Fiona Templeton and Andrea Brady. He was the 2005-6 Judith E. Wilson Visiting Fellow in Poetry at Girton College, Cambridge. For more details see http://www.petermanson.com/

Gerry Loose (born 1948): “I’ve lived in England, Ireland, Spain, Morocco (briefly) & now Scotland. A slow-moving nomad. Work has been in agriculture, horticulture & poetry. I also design & make gardens. My poetry is as likely to appear in these (& ungardened landscapes) as on the page.” Gerry has been poet-in-residence at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and is Creative Director of the Peace Garden Project. He has published numerous collections of poetry, the most recent being that person himself (Shearsman, 2009). A collection of new and selected poems, Printed on Water, appeared in 2007. For more details see http://www.gerryloose.com/

Enquiries to John Kearns: kearns@pro.onet.pl

Invitation for Tenders - Graphic Designers, Web Designers, Artists and Illustrators

We are interested in talking to suitably qualified graphic designers, graphic artists, illustrators, web designers, people with e-publishing and e-book conversion experience etc to work with us on a freelance basis.

Candidates should have strong qualifications and/or experience in these areas as high standards of workmanship will be required. Typical jobs might involve design and layout of book covers, posters, fliers, business cards etc; providing illustrations for manuscripts; design of mini websites with e-commerce facility; e-book conversion techniques.

Please provide a brief resumé of your skills, background, training, professional qualifications, contact details etc. As contracts would be offered on a 'per job' basis applicants are also asked to provide a breakdown of their customary rates.

All applications will be acknowledged. We will contact you when suitable opportunities arise and invite you to quote.

Please e-mail all relevant infomation (including contact details) to vacancies at The Author's Friend. You can also contact us on 01 8569566 or 0877604547 for more details.

Copyright © The Author's Friend, 2009

Profit from Digital Short-Run Book Production (Seminar)

SPECIAL SEMINAR ON DIGITAL BOOK PRODUCTION

Theme: Profit from short-run digital book production
Date: Thursday 24th September 2009, Morning.
Venue: Dublin 15

This seminar will be of interest to producers of:

Retail Books, Professional Books, Educational Courseware, School & College Books, Religious Publications, Technical Manuals, Product Specifications, Conference Proceedings, Trade Journals & Newsletters, Catalogues

We welcome interested enquiries from:

• Publishers
• Editors
• Production Managers
• Finance Managers
• Administrative Managers
• Procurement Managers
• Marketing Managers

For further information and invitations to attend please call David Jones.
Tel: 01 8261313 or 086 882 6483
E-mail: davidj@gemini.ie

IMRAM 2009 - Féile Litríochta Gaeilge

IMRAM 2009 IRISH LANGUAGE LITERATURE FESTIVAL

IMRAM

A Voyage of Discovery

FÉILE LITRÍOCHTA GAEILGE – BÍMIS AG IOMRAMH

CEILIÚRADH SA PHRÍOMHCHATHAIR

10 – 29 Meán Fómhair/September 2009

RAVE-RÁ

Nuair a chantar Mr Tambourine Man de chuid Bob Dylan sa Ghaeilge is é Fear an Bhodhráin é agus níl aon rud cearr leis sin. Ní hamháin gur spéis le IMRAM gach gné dár ndúchas; nithe atá lasmuigh dár ndúchas déantar iad a dhúchasú, a ghaelú agus a thabhairt abhaile. Bhí féile thar na bearta againn anuraidh agus na tithe lán gach

oíche. Tá clár uaillmhianach curtha le chéile againn i mbliana a shásóidh gach éinne, tá súil againn: léitheoireachtaí mar is gnáth, díospóireachtaí, ceardlanna, imeachtaí do na scoileanna, scannán, lainseálacha leabhar, coirmeacha ceoil. Beidh sé go diail! I measc na n-imeachtaí móra beidh oíche ómóis do phríomhéigeas na Gaeilge, Máire Mhac an tSaoi; mórfhilí Rúiseacha ón Ré Airgid tiontaithe go Gaeilge agus go Béarla agus, ar ndóigh, an Tionscadal Dylan, amhráin de chuid an Bhaird aistrithe go Gaeilge ag cuid de

mhórfhilí ár linne agus á gcur i láthair ag réaltóga glioscarnacha,

ina measc Liam Ó Maonlaí agus Steve Cooney.

‘Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship’ sings Bob Dylan in Mr Tambourine Man. It’s a lyric that sums up the ethos of IMRAM – to take its audiences on a spellbinding voyage into the realms of modern literature in Irish. Following on the success of IMRAM 2008, which saw full houses at every event, this year’s IMRAM has a

packed programme for all tastes, including readings, debates, workshops, events for schools, book launches and award ceremonies. Festival highlights include a special night in homage to Máire Mhac an tSaoi; the Russian poets of the Silver Age translated into Irish and English; and the Dylan Project, with the Bard’s songs translated by leading poets, and performed by a stellar

line-up including Liam Ó Maonlaí and Steve Cooney.

IMRAM cordially extends an invitation to its audiences to join us once again, to ‘dance beneath the diamond sky’ in celebration of the very best writing in Ireland.

LIAM CARSON

IMRAM 2009 Irish Language Literature Festival Ceiliúradh sa Phríomhchathair 10 – 29 Meán Fómhair/September 2009

Introducing ... The Author's Friend News Service and Blog

Welcome to the News Blog of The Author's Friend, an assisted publishing service for authors, writers and self-publishers looking to turn their manuscripts into printed works.

We will be using this section of the website to update you about the work of The Author's Friend. We will also be using it to inform you about what is going on in writing and publishing circles.

We will serve as a focal point in general, for interaction amongst writers, publishers, literary agents and anyone else active in the community. In time this blog should become an indispensable resource for everyone interested in writing and publishing, whether as a career or just a hobby.

We especially encourage writers' groups, schools, colleges etc to avail of this free service, to advertise and promote events, activities competitions. If you have something that you would like us to feature on this blog please e-mail us.

We also intend to provide a forum for discussion on all matters pertaining to writing and publishing, whatever the genre.

We encourage your active participation and look forward to hearing from you.

Copyright © The Author's Friend, 2009