By David Burke.
I was fortunate to have a book published recently. I won’t personally be much affected by who sells it it but it did spark me thinking about the beleaguered publishing industry in Ireland. It does sterling work promoting diverse, minority and high-quality works. Writing is an Irish speciality.
Reflecting this, thankfully Ireland has more than its fair share of small publishing houses, a fact that reflects well on this country. Unfortunately, even in good times many of them just about managed to scrape by. Without them, the work of many Irish novelists, poets and historians would never see the light of day.
Covid-19 now threatens to crush many of them. While heroic efforts have been made by some small bookshops to set up click and collect facilities and others are able to remain open because they sell other essential items, many have had to shut their doors.
Tragically, Amazon is set to make a killing in their place.
This is a shame because most independent Irish publishers have their own websites which do exactly what Amazon does with one big difference: Jeff Bezos – who doesn’t even know their books exist – grabs an enormous slice of the purchase price for doing very little.
This is a shame because most independent Irish publishers have their own websites which do exactly what Amazon does with one big difference: Jeff Bezos – who doesn’t even know their books exist – grabs an enormous slice of the purchase price for doing very little.
This article is a plea to go directly to the website of an Irish publisher or your local bookshop if open (and many bookshops have their own websites too) if you wish to purchase a homegrown – or any – book instead of visiting Amazon.
There are quite a number of Irish books which were selling well before the latest lockdown. The bestselling example of this – literally – is ‘Champagne Football’ by Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan. In this instance the authors and their publishers have received a well deserved reward for their superb effort and hopefully will continue to do so. But what about the books which have just been launched or are about to come out over the next day or two?
Frank Greaney’s ‘Crowded House, The Definitive Story behind the Gruesome Murder of Patricia O’Connor’ is a perfect example of this. Greaney attended the trial on a daily basis of those accused of both the murder itself and other offences in the aftermath thereof and, in the finest traditions of quality Irish journalism, has produced a riveting book length account of it. He gets to grips with the story behind the tragic death and dismemberment of Patricia O’Connor as well as the lengthy trial that followed the discovery of her remains scattered in the Dublin Mountains. In human terms this is an important book because it sets the record straight about the victim who had, in the course of the evidence which unfurled during a seven-week-long trial been portrayed as a monster.
Greaney’s work tips the scales very much in favour of the deceased to build up a picture of what she was really like: a warm, caring, generous individual, a solid employee – she worked as a caterer in Beaumont Hospital – and decent colleague.
Greaney weaves in the evidence given at trial (particularly that of the forensic anthropologist who dealt with examination of the bones of the dismembered parts, and the pathologist) into a chronological narrative to give the story the feel of a novel.
Patricia O Connor had no voice but Frank Greaney has given her one.
Anyone who followed this trial will also be able to read about many of the events and facts that had to be kept from the jury and therefore were not reported in the media but are now. The book also provides a fascinating insight into how a modern trial is run in our democracy.
Does Jeff Bezos deserve to scoop up the lion’s share of the proceeds from this book and all the others which are about to be published? Greaney’s publishers are Gill. If you or anyone you know is interested in this or any other Irish publication, bypass Amazon and go to the website of the publisher.
