Little Island Expands with Two Editorial Hires

Little Island Books announce a significant expansion of their in-house team with the addition of two new editorial hires. Órla Carr and Sinéad O’Callaghan will join this summer as Editors, doubling the press’s workforce and boosting its capacity to deliver books of the highest quality for young readers.

Carr joins Little Island from Irish publisher UCD Press, where she has been part of a two-person in-house team since 2022. Carr brings a passion for children’s literature, and her experience includes reviewing children’s books for Inis and Paper Lanterns magazines; bookselling with Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art; internships with The O’Brien Press and Children’s Books Ireland; and founding her own ebook-only small press, Castles in the Air. She holds a publishing master’s from NUI Galway.

O’Callaghan is currently Editor with The Folio Society in London, where she has been responsible for helping to develop the children’s and fiction lists. Previously she worked as Assistant Editor with Granta, as Scouting Assistant with Eccles Fisher Associates, interned at Bloomsbury, and volunteered at Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway. She holds a publishing master’s from University College London and will relocate to her native Ireland to take up her new role.

CEO & Publisher, Matthew Parkinson-Bennett, says:
“By prioritizing the expansion of our editorial capacity we are sending a message about our commitment to developing books of the highest quality for young readers, and to working closely with our community of creators to give them the best possible publishing experience. We were blown away by the standard of applicants we received and delighted to have found two exceptionally talented, motivated and knowledgeable candidates. With Órla and Sinéad taking up their roles over the summer, I look forward to devoting more of my time and energy to our continued growth as a business both in Ireland and internationally.”