Short story writers have produced some of the most valuable writing of all time. An intriguing and fascinating genre it has produced some brilliant writers, James Joyce not least amongst them! Short Story writing allows the writer to explore ideas and writing, and for the reader it can be a wonderful journey through the mind of the writer.

This online half-day workshop, facilitated by editor Siobhán Prendergast of Dingle Publishing, full member of AFEPI Ireland and Advanced Professional Member of CIEP, will begin on Saturday 22th May, 9.30–12.30pm, as part of the Irish Writers Centre professional courses for writers.

Tickets cost just €43 for IWC members or €48 for non-members.

Early booking is advised as places are limited.

Course Outline:
Have you been writing short stories and now would like to publish a collection or at least have an idea of what options are there for you to do with your stories? If you have, then this workshop will provide you with information, guidance and excellent advice as to your next steps, from an award-winning publishing professional.

Many authors now choose to self-publish and this workshop is designed to introduce self-publishing to the independent author. This series of workshops will explain how publishing works and how self-publishing can work for you. It will outline how to avoid the common pitfalls and will guide you on the path to becoming a successful, published independent author. 

Each Saturday during the month of May, Siobhán will concentrate on a particular genre: Local History, Memoirs, Short Stories and Poetry.

Course Outcome:
The aim of the course is to provide the independent author with tools and information to enable informed decisions on how to self-publish. 75-85% of the time will be taken up with teaching, while the other 15-25% will be used for discussion, answering your questions and the workshopping of your project as time allows.

Siobhán Prendergast, BA, MA, AFEPI, CIEP, has over over two decades’ experience in publishing and now runs Dingle Publishing, which she set up in 2014 to help independent authors to self-publish their books to the highest professional publishing standards. In 2020 Siobhán was shortlisted for an International Excellence Award by the Association for Publishing Education for her research on self-publishing and invited to speak at the London Book Fair. Devoted to the Arts, she is a Director and founding member of Dingle Literary Festival and a committee member of Féile na Bealtaine.

During her career Siobhán has worked with some of the most prestigious publishing houses including Harvill Press, Brandon Books, Irish Academic Press, Collins Press, Currach Press, Columba and Edco and some of the most dynamic writers including Booker Prize winner Anita Brookner, Noble Prize winner José Saramago, W.G. Sebald, former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, award-winning crime writers Ken Bruen and Peter Høeg; prominent politicians Gerry Adams and David Ervine; and captivating authors such as Alice Taylor, William Wall and Timothy O’Grady.

Siobhán has a Master of Arts with Distinction in Publishing, a PGDip in Publishing and Book Production and an honours degree in English and German. She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and is a Full Member of the Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers of Ireland (AFEPI Ireland). Siobhán has facilitated publishing workshops for many years to both English and Irish-language writers. She has been a guest speaker at the University of Plymouth.

Reviews of Siobhán’s Self-Publishing Workshops

‘Siobhán was fantastic. So organised and clear. The workshop flew by and there was no fluffing out of information. Best workshop I’ve been at in a long time!!’

 ‘An excellent workshop…Siobhán presented it in a relaxed and professional manner and seemed to have made a perfect judgement on how much to present and at what pace to present it.’ Dr Gráinne Treanor, AFEPI

‘Ceardlann iontach…so organised and clear.’ Dr Aoife Granville, UCC

‘Thanks so much for your self-publishing workshop. It was just terrific, so thorough and just what I needed. I always feared that self-publishing (and I know it can) would lead to a sub standard book full of errors, impact etc. Now I know it can be done to a professional standard.’ William Burns

‘Thanks for such a comprehensive and enlightening session on Saturday.’ Jim Simpson

‘Absolutely terrific workshop, thoroughly enjoyed it – thank you!’ Jane Buckley

‘Very informative and valuable workshop on self-publishing. Excellent delivery!’ Julitta Clancy, Indexer, AFEPI

‘Thank you very much for hosting the IWC self-publishing workshops, providing us with so much valuable information and graciously dealing with questions and comments. I learned a lot from you and also not a little from other participants.’ Pat Talbot

‘Thank you so much for the wonderfully presented, informative and interesting workshop. I feel I have gained a very comprehensive insight into self-publishing,
indeed into aspects that  heretofore I hadn’t even considered. I am delighted that I took your course.’ Brendan Griffin

‘Your course was wonderful.’ Irene Duffy Lynch

‘Thanks for a great workshop the last two weekends. It was informative and very helpful.’ Kerri Bordet O’Keeffe

‘Thank you for such an informative workshop.’ Maura O’Neill

‘Many thanks for your interesting talks. They gave a clear picture of the pros and cons of self-publishing.’ Elizabeth McCollum