Sir, – After more than 40 years of continued support, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has stopped its core funding of Blackstaff Press.
During their long relationship with Blackstaff, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland saw its role as benignly supporting a seedbed for Northern writing, resulting in a glittering list including books by Ciarán Carson, Paul Durcan, John Hewitt, Michael and Edna Longley, Sam Hanna Bell as well as David McKittrick and Jonathan Bardon.
Last year the company received £82,000 (€112,000). This year, nothing.
Blackstaff is instead invited to seek support on a title-by-title basis – a more “efficient” method according to the council. This is the same approach as adopted by the Arts Council in Dublin last year to the O’Brien Press.
At least the invitation to apply for support for individual titles tacitly concedes the principle and desirability of support. But this is no way to treat experienced publishers who have spent their careers nurturing authors, building lists and honing editorial and other skills. – Yours, etc, TONY FARMAR Former president Irish Book Publishers’ Association, Ranelagh, Dublin 6