Sadbh's eye was caught by an article in the Independent on Sunday by Rebecca Swift, who is the daughter of novelist Margaret Drabble. Swift worked at Virago a decade ago, and became familiar with the bΩte noir of every publishing house - the slush pile. The slush pile is the heap of unsolicited manuscripts that regularly thump on the desk of every publishing house in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, be they a large organisation or a small one.
Very few ever make it into print, and the majority of scripts are presented so poorly that they're doomed to rejection before a page is read. Yet they keep on coming. Swift realised there was an opportunity to act as a bridge (albeit a rope-bridge) between authors of these unsolicited manuscripts and publishers. Many publishing companies now send work back unread, and authors who are desperate for some feedback or guidance are now happy to pay for same.
In 1996, Swift and a friend set up the TLC, The Literary Consultancy - whose acronym also offers Tender Loving Care. They will read manuscripts for a fee, and give honest-to-god feedback on what's been lurking a long time under your bed. And that includes telling you straight out if your work will never be published under any circumstances. It might be a hard thing to have to pay to hear that, but it could save your sanity long-term.
Sadbh knows of no similar service in this country, so she called Rebecca Swift in London to see what kind of prices the consultancy was asking for its services.
"We'll read fiction, non-fiction, memoir and poetry," she told Sadbh. "We charge £90 (sterling) for a synopsis and sample chapter, and £1.20 per page after that, if the whole manuscript is sent."
Their turn-round time is a speedy three to six weeks. You can expect a wait of between three to eight months if you send your manuscript cold to a publishing company.
More information from www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk
When is an ink bottle not an ink bottle? Well, if you're based in Kilkenny, you'll know it both as a charming little gate-lodge building in Piltown of the same name, and as the title of a new collection of writing from the county. Carmel Cummins, Brian Phelan, Edward Power, Mark Roper, and Gillian Somerville-Large are all featured in Ink Bottle: New Writing from Kilkenny, a beautifully produced book published by Kilkenny County Council.
There is a foreword by the established and fine Kilkenny poet, Kerry Hardie. Four of the contributors are poets, and Brian Phelan is a prose writer.
The book's brief was to select writers who were were felt to be heading towards a first collection. It's available locally for £7.99.
They've certainly been busy in Kilkenny, since the same folk have also produced Bad Hair Day and other Poems, which is a collection of poems by young writers from Kilkenny, edited by Tony Hickey. It's also available locally.
Primary-school children throughout the county contributed to this book, which is divided into sections: school; animals; personal thoughts; nature and space; and Hallowe'en and other creepy things. The collection is charming and funny.
Sadbh was particularly taken by eleven-year-old Michelle Hartley's poem, 'Computer Haiku':
Computers are best,
But sometimes they need a rest,
Just like anyone.
Another book which arrived with Sadbh this week was one of the summer's surprise best-sellers, The Glenstal Book of Prayer, which is published by Columba. The Benedictine monks, who are based in Murroe, Co Limerick, are most enterprising; a recording of their Gregorian Chants was in the best-selling charts not long ago. The book is divided into sections, the prayers of which reflect different parts of the calendar: morning and evening; Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter; ritual prayers and blessings. Really memorable prayers can be as potent as poetry, and as finely written. In this book, some of the prayers are poems. 'Prayer in Difficult Times' is by Emily Dickinson:
At least - to pray - is left - is left
Oh Jesus - in the Air
I know not which thy chamber is -
I'm knocking - everywhere -
Thou settest Earthquake in the South -
And Maelstrom, in the Sea -
Say, Jesus Christ of Nazareth -
Hast thou no arm for me?
Summer schools are going on full blast all over the country, celebrating writers and musicians. Well, if the weather insists on being more wintry than summery, being indoors at a summer school with a bit of craic on the cards could be a better prospect than shivering on the beach.
The tenth William Carleton summer school takes place from August 6th to 10th at Clogher in Co Tyrone. Carleton was the author of Traits, a collection of stories, and novels, which include The Black Prophet and The Squanders of Castle Squander. This year's themes are Carleton's literary language; present-day Irish writing; Carleton and Lough Derg; and the bicentenary of the Act of Union. The director of the school is Robin Marsh.
Among those who will be speaking this year are: Maurice Harmon, Owen Dudley Edwards, Brian Donnelly, and Anne Barnett, whose book The Largest Baby in Ireland After the Famine recently won the Kerry Ingredients book of the year at Listowel Writers' Week.
More information from 028-87767259 or killymaddy@nitic.net