Publishing

Bob Carling is a consummate professional. His all-round publishing skills, attention to detail and client care are the best I have come across. He is a pleasure to work with and provides excellent value for his services. I would recommend Bob to anyone. Simon Barrow, Director, Ekklesia

Setting up a press that published work by members of the Irish Diaspora had been a dream of mine for twenty years. Then suddenly I had two books I could publish – an anthology of essays, interviews, stories, poems by second-generation Irish writers – I Wouldn’t Start From Here – including Ian Duhig, Moy McCrory, and Maude Casey; and a collection of my own short stories, called The King From Over The Water. Through the jigs and the reels I got to meet Bob and found out about the press he’d set up with his wife, Maria McCarthy, Cultured Llama. I asked Bob would he advise me and if possible help me with the technical end of setting up the press. Bob worked closely with me on formatting the two books, designing the book covers, formatting the books as e-books, and explaining to me how to upload and cost the books for world-wide distribution platform, IngramSpark. At all times Bob showed a great deal of patience, a great deal of professional know-how and savvy, gleaned from his own experience with Cultured Llama, and a great deal of professionalism. In addition to the books, Bob also prepared Advanced Information Sheets which I sent out to media outlets like The Irish Times, The Irish Post, and RTE radio, all of whom gave coverage to the books. The press – that dream of mine for twenty years – could not have got off to a better start and I have no hesitation in recommending Bob for all matters to do with publishing, formatting, design, and distribution. John O’Donoghue, co-founder of The Wild Geese Press, and Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Brighton