Good News – Publishing Agreement with O’Brien Press

I have just returned from the launch of the Brandon imprint which is a new branch of O’Brien Press set up to publish commercial and literary fiction. The launch took place in the National Gallery of Ireland and featured authors Frank McGuinness and Mary Morrissey as well as two wonderful actors who read out extracts from the two books. I was particularly taken with Maria McDermottroe’s reading of a demented nun in McGuinness’s Arimethea, which had the audience laughing out loud. And my name was announced (just at the point where everyone headed off for the bar or something) so I think it’s ok to talk about this now:

A few weeks ago I mentioned I’d signed an important agreement in Paris. This agreement made in the presence of agent and publisher, in a café called Les Editeurs (appropriately enough) was my publishing deal with the O’Brien Press for the novel I pitched in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair back in February. The intervening months had been the long struggle of refining the novel, gaining representation along the way, then submitting the manuscript. But the Novel Fair was crucial in getting me to meet Michael O’Brien from the O’Brien Press as well as the other publishers. I cannot overemphasise how important it has been to my fledgling writing career.

I’m delighted to be on the Brandon imprint, in such distinguished company, and grateful to everyone who helped get me there. I’m looking forward to working with the team from O’Brien; I had the pleasure of meeting many of them this evening. 

More to come about this, but I think I will sign off on that piece of happy news.