An Irish book publisher has angered members of the literary community after it introduced a fee of €495 for budding writers who wish to submit works of fiction for consideration.
Authors such as John Boyne, Patricia Scanlon and Sheila O’Flanagan have taken umbrage with the decision of Liberties Press to increase the fee it charges authors by nearly €400.
According to its website, the publisher charges €495 for an author to submit a fiction manuscript and €295 for non-fiction and collections of poetry.
Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, said the fee was “absolutely outrageous” and accused the publisher of “exploiting vulnerable writers”. Scanlan described the practice as “shameful behaviour”. O’Flanagan, author of The Hideaway, the No 1 bestseller, said