Liberties Press

Maybe the Irish Arts Council should consider pulling their yearly funding from this publisher as well!

Mr O’Keeffe justified his proposal on the basis that a writer will receive a critical assessment of the manuscript and valuable feedback in return.

Hardly, I don't think any writer subbing was doing so to get a critique! Just wrong!!

There's this little gem from their Twitter account:

Liberties Press ‏@LibertiesPress Oct 7 @WritersMistakes Thanks. More heat, less light. Authors receive considered feedback on their work - which they currently pay agents for.

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So as well as charging a reading fee, they're spreading the myth that (legit) agents charge reading fees.

$100 to submit to their slush pile?

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHhahahahahahahahh heeee....

Thanks, I needed a good laugh today.

Zaffiro said:

There's this little gem from their Twitter account:



So as well as charging a reading fee, they're spreading the myth that (legit) agents charge reading fees.

Click to expand...

Oh dear. They really seem to know nothing about nothing?

The people who fall for them know less than nothing.

Yeah. There's no point in insulting the victims. The fault here is clearly on the predator.

Jo, yes, art council funding of publishers in Canada also here lends a feel of legitimacy. I've found over a number of emails back and forth with the council though, that they don't really care about how Authors are treated by the publishers, their mandate is to spend their budget and obviously receive a larger one the next year. That's all I could surmise from my interaction with them in any case
If it's a very obvious vanity, they don't award the yearly funds, it's hard to convince them of basic wrong doing though. Still hope someone tries with the Irish council.

The Twitter feed is a really strong example in how not to manage a publicity problem on Twitter.

I'd avoid for that alone. I want my publisher to know when not to take the bait on social media.

If the outcry isn't going to result in changes, stop talking about it. There is nothing more to be said. Instead, most of the Liberties Press twitter feed is now justifications for reading fees and other broad and worrying claims about the future of publishing.

And now there's this. They haven't been paying their authors advances/royalties due, and they haven't been paying their staff wages due.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/...press-admits-owing-money-to-authors-1.2830332

And of course the owner is whining that calling him out on his unethical practices is a 'witch-hunt'.

He says he's sorry and is addressing the problem of not paying anyone.... and his solution is to get the money from new writers sending in manuscripts! Awful!!
He will next blame these complaining Authors and employees for KILLING the press. When the funding dries up and disappears and he will turn it around to be the fault of those "greedy" Authors who went public, demanding to be paid. It will never be his fault, as the owner of the business... it just never is! Have seen this play out too many times and they never take responsibility.

Update on price increase - it has now risen to an astronomical €750 (approx $812 in US/£642 in UK) which is a €255-455 increase in 5-6 years (based on previous fees of €295/495 reported here in 2018 when there were seemingly two options; now there is only one) and 7.5 times what it started at when it was €100 less than eight years ago (that works out as an increase of about €100 per year every single year!).

Remember, this is not a vanity press or a fee to publish. This is merely a submission fee (that apparently comes with an unrequested 2-3 page report) - and a very hefty one that is now even heftier. I've been looking into UK publishers and some in Ireland, which led me back to Liberties Press, whom I recall seeing a year or so ago in another search. I believe also that the fee has been at €750 for some time now so they may be planning another hike. As someone who is familiar with Irish (and UK) publishers, this is very unusual to see in my experience.