The publishing industry in Ireland is like Canada's in many ways. There are multinationals, small presses, a dominant market just beyond the border, and Amazon.
Like Vancouver, Dublin is a hotbed for technology companies. Google, Amazon, Kobo and Hubspot all have offices here. But unlike Vancouver, there are still independent booksellers throughout the city.
My Irish contacts feel that they are 5 years behind North America in terms of cultural shifts and technology but, from my perspective, they have a greater appreciation of books, more media coverage, and lots of interesting online content. I'm interested in seeing whether this country holds on to its independent booksellers.
In addition to a ton of literary festivals that have taken place in the last few months, the city celebrated Bloomsday, a celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce. Below is a photo of my favourite coffee mates at Nick's Coffee, a snap of a One City, One Book promotion, and an ongoing Penguin UK promotion on Instagram, #PackAPenguin.
Bloomsday celebrations
QR codes promoting One City, One Book
Instagram promo #PackAPenguin
Any requests? Things you want to know or see from a Dublin perspective?
