Well, it’s happened, The ship that sailed some time ago when I sat down to write the story of the Irish ‘children of independence’ has passed the statue of liberty and arrived in port. The book is now officially on sale in America (and virtually worldwide) thanks to Amazon. Love them or hate them, these titanic multinational companies have certainly changed our lives.
Mind you, the last time I had a book published in America (when I was a psychologist) it didn’t go well. After publicising the book by speaking at two international conferences, the publisher was hit by one of the first financial crises just as the book came out. There was a small print run in the US but distribution became difficult and it proved very difficult to get hold of, especially in Europe. So I spent some time apologising over the phone to irritated professors from various European cities. It then took several years to get the rights back from the publisher – he had relocated to Florida, and eventually filed for bankruptcy. No, I’m not making this up. And second hand copies are offered at a crazy price on amazon because of their rarity…
Times are very different now. One or two copies of the UK edition had already found their way across, presumably bought by tourists who had crossed the water and taken it home, then put reviews on the US site. Thanks to those wonderful people, whoever you are.
ScribblingIan 