Elizabeth Rose Murray

Speakers: Twenty Major, Sarah Rees Brennan, Fiona McPhilips, Ivan O´Brien, Mags Walsh.

What perfect timing for a talk on books and blogging to have come my way. Now, I’m new to Dublin and new to Ireland and can (I’ve decided) be forgiven for only knowing 40% of the people on the panel beforehand. Whatever I expected, my expectations were met and more. It was like the audience was as cherry picked as the speakers – something beautifully endemic in Irish culture, I’m finding.

What struck me was that the audience led the event and had as much knowledge to share as the panel. The ladies from beaut.ie and a blogger for the Irish Times were as well received by the panel and the audience as the guest speakers themselves. The passion that is such an integral part of both blogging and literature was buzzing around the room, bullshit free.

Some of the major points were:

* Once you’ve got a book deal, the impact of a blog is accumulative. Keeping loyal blog readers breeds loyalty and makes you more marketable, keeping you fresh in people’s minds. An online presence can definitely helps sales. Fiona´s book sales sold 10/20x more than other authors because of her online presence and direct sales opportunities.

* The intention of a blog should be to blog – not to be published. The passion behind a blog comes through. Yes, it can showcase writing, but it shouldn’t be the aim. There should be a distinctive voice. This is especially notable when it comes to the younger generations – they’re more cynical as they’re more tech savvy.

* The link between author and reader is provocation. A blog makes a connection where readers can impact with the author. Writers who are open to marketing and can market themselves are an asset to publishing companies. However this isn’t enough, the writing has to be impressive.

* Comments play an integral role. Creating the community aspect is something that cannot be faked or created by a publisher (if in doubt, look into the Sunday Times vs Twenty Major saga).

* No one knows what impact the recession will have on book deals/blogs. Inevitably, with the rise of tech savvy generations, books themselves will be affected. Maybe blogs will become higher profile? Maybe they’re just phase? The market is not yet saturated but it is young and unpredictable.

* Blog writers need to have a niche. Those that are very successful were doing it first and doing it well. Now there are lots of copycat sites. Is there enough room for the blogging market to expand and provide the same opportunities? Where is the next Twenty Major?

Some particular words I loved: “As a nation we write a lot and we write well.” Correct. And although Irish blogs are behind what’s happening in the US for instance, the passion and rawness and honest make them in many ways more advanced.

As always with any other events I’ve attended in Dublin, there was the feeling of being able to create something very special, as though it was all there waiting to be grabbed. And so I shall. But the evening left me thinking…

1. Does the passion show through on my blog enough? (I’ll ask Twenty Major)

2. What about people living in Ireland who aren’t Irish? Where do they fit in the expanding world of Irish blogging and Irish literature?

Important note to finish on: They provided Wispas.

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