Betimes Books is the first not-for-profit literary press founded in Dublin, a UNESCO City of Literature. We endeavour to support visionary literary writing and the struggle that is the making of great literature. In today’s world, books and writers are increasingly reduced to their marketplace value, and profitability trumps artistic worth. By choosing a not-for-profit publishing model, we strive to act as custodians of great works of literature, in the same way as museums curate, preserve and make available artifacts for their intrinsic and cultural value, regardless of their commercial value. Literary philanthropy has always sought to make modernity hospitable for writers and nurture original literary talent without overbearing financial pressure, thus challenging free-market fundamentalism. While not seeking profits for the press, we are dedicated to helping our authors succeed and creating conditions in which they can continue to create, protected from the vagaries of the marketplace. One of the aims in the Strategic Plan for Dublin UNESCO City of Literature is to “advocate strongly on the power of words and the role of reading, writing and storytelling”. By publishing diverse and innovative literary fiction, offering quality over quantity, and championing writers regardless of sales, we carry the torch that has produced great works of arts in the past under “patronage” or similar models: from William Shakespeare to James Joyce and many other major literary voices.
