With the Irish economy falling faster and farther than most, Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen TD is pinning the nation's future on the smart economy. Irish computer ingenuity is seen as the key to Ireland's hopes of extracting itself from over-reliance on foreign multinationals, whose bottom line is cost.
However, Gary Byrnes, a new Irish author, believes that Ireland can marry tech savvy to the legendary Irish literary skills.
He said: "With Amazon.com's CreateSpace initiative, any competent writer can write, design and upload their work. The book is then made for sale on Amazon.com, the world's most successful Internet retailer. When somebody, anywhere in the world, orders the book, it is printed one at a time, then mailed to the buyer. The writer earns a royalty from every book sold.
"This is a remarkable opportunity for all Irish writers to get their work out to an international audience. Witch Grannies, with its uniquely Irish settings and characters, is a perfect example of how a book with potential mass appeal can be easily delivered globally. And there's the added bonus of using the most environmentally-
"What the world needs now are stories, escapism, hope. Fiction is more important than ever. So I call on all Irish writers whose work is yet unpublished to explore this unique opportunity. Your country needs you! The world needs you!"
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