13 January 2023

Member news and round-ups:

We hope all our members had a super festive break and wish you a productive and successful 2023. We are kicking off the year with plenty activity to engage with, but please get in touch with us (see first newsletter item) to let us know what you would like to see in terms of Publishing Scotland member support this year. Also don't forget to flag any news items, awards, work of note with us so we can feature it here.

Congratulations to DC Thomson illustrator David Sutherland on his OBE, he's been drawing Beano's Bash Street Kids for the last six decades and was regular Dennis artist for almost 30 years; Black & White Publishing Group have been announced in The Bookseller as Bonnier’s new adult trade division.

In this bulletin: (calls to action in red)

• Our future direction - send us your thoughts please
• Submit to Gardners Promotions - by 16 January
• Submit to the BA Indie Book of the Month for April to June 2023 - by 16 January
• Pitching to the Aye Write! Programme for 2023 - sign up for a slot on 23 January
• London Book Fair stand 2023 call-out
• Submit your titles for the London Book Fair International Rights Catalogue by 13 February 2023
• Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group Publishing event - sign up for 24 January
• Publishing Scotland Sales Bootcamp Training Programme - join our Feb & March dates
• Our 2023 International Publishing Fellowship - applications until 31 January
• Translation fund - open for applications now until 23 January
• Top 20 bestselling Scottish books in Scotland chart, w/c 4 January
• Training news
• Scriever - offering translation services
• BooksfromScotland Themes for 2023 - submit your titles
• News and events
• Opportunities
• Jobs

Best wishes,

Lucy

Lucy Feather

Membership Services Manager

Our future direction - your thoughts please

IMPORTANT MEMBER FEEDBACK

We are planning the next two years (2023/4 and 2024/5) where we have core funding from Creative Scotland to support our activities. Much of the publishing business context has changed and some of our activities in a post-covid world are needed less, while others are more in demand. 

With that in mind, we would really appreciate you taking the time - needn’t be long - to email us with your thoughts on what we should be doing over the next two years. (We will send out a member survey too but this is a shortcut to get your ideas quickly to us while they’re fresh in the New Year.)

Can you please email Marion with your thoughts by the end of January? Thanks - we really do need your feedback and steer. 

Some pointers on what we need to know/discuss:

 Financial outlook/pressures - how did 2022 go for you? 

 Skills needed/ people development in the publishing sector

 Ambition levels (creative and business)

 Capacity for innovation and/or growth

 Sector/agency interventions (current and needed) - what would you like to see happen?

Submit to Gardners Promotions - by 16 January 2023

Gardners are looking for submissions for their February 2023 Select promotions.

Their themes for February are Mother’s Day, Graphic Novels, Celebrating Women and Children’s Fiction.

Please submit your Promotional Grid to [email protected] by Friday 16 January 2023.

The promotional period for selected titles will be 1 February - 14 March, and you must only submit titles you're willing to give +5% discount on top of base terms. The discount will be claimed retrospectively after the promotion ends.

Please note, submissions are subject to approval, inclusion will be based on relevance, previous sales performance and availability. If your submissions do not match this criteria, Gardners may not include.

You can download the Gardners Promotional Grid here.

Submit to the BA Indie Book of the Month slots for April to June 2023 - by 16 January

The Bookseller’s Association is calling for submissions for both their Children’s Book of the Month and Fiction Book of the Month slots for April - June 2023 releases. They are particularly keen to keep inclusivity in mind and see more submissions, particularly for fiction, by writers of colour.

Please submit your title submission forms to [email protected] by Friday 16 January 2023.

You can download the children’s submission form here and the fiction submission form here.

Sign up for pitching to the Aye Write! Programme for 2023 - 23 January

We have organised a pitching session for the adult programme for this year’s Aye Write Festival with Bob McDevitt. The pitching session with Bob will be held on Monday 23 January from 9.30am - 4.30pm.

This pitching session will be hosted in person in the Publishing Scotland office and via Zoom. Each pitching slot will last 20 minutes.

To sign up for a pitching slot with Bob, get in touch with Patrick Jamieson at [email protected]

Please also send Patrick the AIs for the titles you will be pitching as we will be putting together a package for Bob after the session is over.

If you would like to pitch books for Wee Write, the children’s programme, then please get in touch with Margaret Houston at [email protected]

London Book Fair stand 2023 call-out

Are you interested in attending the London Book Fair this year? We host a Scottish collective stand for members looking to buy and sell rights at the fair. We offer a pass, a meeting table, marketing and our annual drinks reception.

The fair runs from 18-20 April. For more information on costs and availability contact Lucy Feather.

Submit your titles for the London Book Fair International Rights Catalogue - 13 February 2023

We will be producing another catalogue package in time for this year’s London Book Fair in April.

Please use this Submission Form to submit books that have been or will be published between January 2023 to September 2023. If you don't have a finished cover by the deadline date, we will add our own 'coming soon' illustration. 

This is a key marketing tool in promoting Scottish books around the world, and an opportunity to present your key titles to an international marketplace. Please select up to FIVE of your KEY frontlist titles for inclusion in the catalogue. Please keep the UK-Wide and International markets in mind with your book submissions.

Send your completed forms and cover images and to Vikki Reilly. The deadline for submitting your titles is Monday 13 February 2023.

Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group Publishing event - 24 January, online

The next meeting of the Culture Counts Cross Party Group on Creative Economy will focus on Scotland’s Publishing Sector. The purpose of the Creative Economy Group is to exchange ideas and learning around the development and support of the future creative economy. The group will consider support for creative economy in Scotland, exploring barriers to success and highlighting any potential solutions. More.

Speakers:

Gillian Macrosson is Managing Director at Witherby Publishing Group. Based in Livingston, Witherbys publishes operational guidance and technical standards for the shipping industry. They are one of Scotland’s largest publishing companies, as well as the oldest independent publisher in the English speaking world, celebrating their 280th birthday in 2020.

John MacPherson is a Director of Bright Red Publishing, an independent educational publisher based in Fife. Twice winners of the UK Educational Publisher of the Year, Bright Red produces a broad range of resources for Scottish teachers and students. As well as managing the business generally, his main focus is the commissioning and development of print and digital publications.

Katy Lockwood-Holmes has been Publisher & Chief Executive of Floris Books since 2011. Before that she worked in marketing for Edinburgh University Press, T&T Clark Edinburgh and Continuum in New York. In the last decade she has overseen three-fold growth at Floris, making it Scotland’s largest children’s publisher, and winning the Saltire Society publisher of the year in 2016.

There will be an opportunity for group members, guests and MSPs to ask our presenters questions and we will also have time for a general discussion.

Register your attendance here.

Publishing Scotland Sales Bootcamp Training Programme, Feb & March dates 

We are facing uncertain times in the publishing landscape, and while the appetite for new stories remains undiminished it is vital for all publishing companies large, small, and micropress, to face the challenges armed with sales and business fundamentals in place to give your books the best possible chance in the marketplace.

Publishing Scotland has created a free sales training programme for our members, which we will host in hybrid and online events across early 2022. These sessions will cover best practice for working with the trade so that you build lasting and effective relationships.

Successful Pitching and Presenting in Publishing, Thu 9 and 16 Feb, 11.00 - 12.30 (online)

Creating a Sales Strategy for Publishers, Tue 14 Feb, 11.00 - 12.30 (hybrid)

Understanding Profit and Loss, Tue 21 Feb, 11.30 - 12.30 (online)

How to Work with a Sales Team, Tue 28 Feb, 11.30 - 12.30 (hybrid)

Sell More Books with Metadata, Tue 14 March, 11.30 - 12.30 (hybrid)

How to Sell eBooks, Tue 28 March, 11.30 - 12.30 (online)

These sessions will suit member publishers who have been in business for 7 years or less and for new members of staff in sales & marketing who have been working with more established publishers.

Updating Waterstones on Production and Publicity News

It is always best practice to keep your key accounts updated with production changes that affect publication dates and with publicity and marketing news that could mean top up orders. Waterstones have two weekly spreadsheets they like to receive to keep them on top of these updates. They like to receive these updates on WEDNESDAYS before midday.

You can find the pub date change spreadsheet here and the publicity updates spreadsheet here.

Send production and publicity updates to [email protected]

Please find below some general pointers on filling out the grid - collation is quite a lengthy task thanks to all the exciting publicity that titles receive, so if you could please adhere to the below when filling it out, it would streamline this task even further:

• When inserting ISBNs into the spreadsheet, please insert them without any hyphens between the numbers. 

• When specifying dates, please use the dd/mm/yyyy format (‘Short Date’ on Excel). If the exact date of the publicity is unknown but the publicity has been confirmed, please specify the month and write TBC (eg. ‘June TBC, July TBC’).

• Please include upcoming publicity only. You can include publicity from the previous week if it has come to your attention since the previous update. We keep records of previous publicity that titles have received, so don’t worry about including publicity from previous months/years.

• Please ensure every row in the grid is filled in. If one title is receiving multiple pieces of publicity, please still fill out the date, title, ISBN, and category/genre for every row.

• Please ensure you select the appropriate dropdown where required. 

You do not have to send grids every week, only if you have changes that you’ve not highlighted before. If you have presented titles to Angie Crawford too, please update her with changes too.

2023 International Publishing Fellowship Programme - open for applications until 31 January 2023

Publishing Scotland’s 2023 International Publishing Fellowship Programme is now open for applications.

Since its inaugural launch in 2015, the Programme has brought together 54 publishers from 19 countries worldwide.

The Fellowship takes place during a week in August to coincide with the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. All travel and accommodation costs are paid.

Part-funded by Creative Scotland, the Fellowship Programme aims to broaden the reach and influence of books coming out of Scotland, through developing relationships between the international publishing community and the Scottish sector.

Sarah Cantin, Executive Editor at St. Martin’s Press and 2022 Fellow, said: ‘Robust, diverse, committed, innovative, creative, collaborative – I felt a clear sense of collegiality between agents, publishers, and authors. I came away from the Fellowship with a clear idea of what the Scottish literary sensibility is, and a more nuanced picture of what original and inspiring publishing is occurring within Scotland.’

Publishing Scotland invites applications from interested international publishers until Tuesday 31 January 2023. Please share with your international counterparts.

More.

Translation fund - round two open for applications until 23 January

This fund is administered by Publishing Scotland on behalf of Creative Scotland. The purpose of the fund is to support publishers based outside the United Kingdom with the payment of translation fees to translate Scottish writers. Funding will be offered in the form of a grant and it is for translation costs only. 

The next round is open with a deadline of 23 January 2023, please share this with your international counterparts.

More.

Top 20 bestselling Scottish books in Scotland chart

Welcome to the first Top 20 Bestselling Scottish Books in Scotland catch up for 2023. We have the last run up to Christmas charts as well as the first chart for the New Year. Oor Wullie continued his stay at the top spot until this week with a new number one by Peter May. Interestingly Runaway, though it has a pub date of Dec 2022, was first published in 2015, so this is a new re-jacketed edition.

And talking of backlist titles roaring back into the chart – a new entry this week is Ian Rankin’s The Falls, with the paperback first published in 2008, but, judging by its average selling price is in price promotion. This is the case with a lot of the titles in the chart this week. Other new entries are The Homes by J. B. Mylet, which is Waterstones’ Scottish Book of the Month, and The Hotel on the Riviera by Carol Kirkwood. The TV adaptation of Andrew O’ Hagan’s Mayflies means it is having healthy January sales too so far.

NB. At the moment, these spreadsheets are for Publishing Scotland members only, and will only be shared via this bulletin. Please do not circulate. You can, however, use the information in them for marketing purposes.

Chart Criteria Reminder: Publishing Scotland receive the Top 250 bestselling titles across Scotland. We then curate the chart to feature Scottish interest books by Scottish authors, or authors based in Scotland, books of Scottish setting and/or subject, and books published by publishers based in Scotland.

See chart w/c 4th January.

Training news

You can find details of Publishing Scotland’s courses (including the Sales Bootcamp Programme), Harper Macleod webinars, and BIC courses on the Publishing Scotland website.

The first free Harper Macleod webinar of 2023 is Option Arrangements on Tuesday 24 January. Key to “making the most” of what you publish are the arrangements you can enter into to have your books made into film, TV or radio adaptations. This webinar will look at the key elements one should cover off in option agreements, commercial decisions and considerations as regards content, and what happens after signature. Register on Harper Macleod’s website.

The remaining free webinars in this series are also open for booking:

• Recruitment law: Tuesday 21 February
• Equality, diversity and inclusion: Tuesday 21 March
• Intellectual property in publishing: Tuesday 25 April
• Data protection: Tuesday 23 May

The massively discounted BookMachine course Meta Advertising Essentials for Publishers is on 25 January and 1 February. It’s only £35+VAT. Covering Facebook and Instagram, this course will demystify the advertising capabilities within Meta by taking you through the set-up processes, and empowering you to create structured campaigns with confidence. Book your place on Ticket Tailor as soon as possible to be sent the pre-course questionnaires that will help tailor the course to your needs.

There’s still time to get early booking rates – book by Monday 16 January – on Introduction to Proofreading (30 January and 6 February). The early booking date is 13 February for Introduction to Copy-editing (27 February and 6 March).

You can also book for:

• Finding your ideal clients: a marketing course for freelance editors (13 and 16 March)
• Editing for better communications (24 and 27 April)
• Further Copy-editing (15 June in person in Edinburgh)
• Further Proofreading (22 June in person in Glasgow)

BIC’s training programme for 2023 is also open for booking. Publishing Scotland members can attend at Friends of BIC rates. Courses include:

• BIC Thema: Essentials half-day training course (1 February)
• BIC’s Pre Press for Publishing Course (8 March)
• BIC’s An Introduction to Production Training Course (14 and 15 March)
• BIC ONIX: Essentials Plus training course (21–23 March)

For details of all our courses, see the Publishing Scotland website. See also Events.

Scriever - translation services

We recently met with Scriever based in Edinburgh. Scriever are Jan McNeillie and Anna Stevenson, with a wide reach when it comes to trusted and like-minded translators.

Would you like to make your list more accessible to an international audience or target potential partners in other countries? Scriever can help you turn your content into any number of languages. Whether it’s newsletters, catalogues, promotional material, press kits or full PowerPoint decks, they can work with you to make sure you connect with people in their own language.

Jan and Anna have decades of experience in foreign-language publishing and translation and have delivered hundreds of print and digital projects, so they have what it takes to take on the most complex of tasks. Yet they’re small enough to offer the human touch: all their services are tailored to each client, and they personally oversee every project.

[email protected] // www.wearescriever.com

BooksfromScotland Themes for 2023

January submissions are now closed, look ahead to the rest of the year for themes you can submit titles to.

• January issue: The Myth Makers – covering books that feature iconic moments, iconic stories, new writers, motivation, self-creation
• February issue: Letting Go – covering books that feature starting again, celebration, good health, brightness, lightness
• March issue: Courage – covering books that feature bold thinking, bravery, achievement, strength, vulnerability
• April issue: Open Up – covering books that feature imagination, new ideas, regeneration, rejuvenation
• May issue: Bloom – covering books that feature nature, adventure, success, wellbeing, comfort
• June issue: Press Play – covering books that feature joy, hobbies, food, music, love, dance, games
• Summer issue: Let the Sun Shine – covering books that feature summer reading, travel, outdoors, climate
• September issue: Shake it Up – covering books that feature sport, history, politics, inspiration, experiment
• October issue: Do You Believe in Magic? – covering books that feature magic, surprise, tricks, mystery, supernatural
• Festive issue: Revel, Revel – covering books that feature festive gifts, party, indulgence, friendship

To submit email Vikki Reilly.

News

Number of independent bookshops in UK and Ireland at a 10-year high

Indie bookshop numbers rise for sixth year running despite challenging high street backdrop, BA finds.

More.

Manuscript of Rob Roy to go on display for first time at National Library of Scotland

For the first time in at least a century, the public can see the manuscript of ‘Rob Roy’. Written in the hand of Sir Walter Scott, the manuscript will go on display at the Library’s ‘Treasures’ exhibition from March this year. ‘Rob Roy’ was published in the early 19th century. One of Scott’s most popular novels, it has never been out of print in the 200 plus years since it was first published.

More.

Opportunity to nominate your favourite international writers.

The Royal Society of Literature is going to be honouring writers from all over the world and hope you will submit your suggestions of writers to share in this celebration of literature.

More.

Amazon to close Gourock plant with loss of 300 jobs

The sprawling facility - which opened back in 2004 and remains one of the largest employers in the district - could close as early as March 19, in what is a major blow for the area.

Amazon say that all staff will have the chance to relocate to other sites, but bosses have also admitted there will be 'limited opportunities' available in Scotland.

More.

Events

Twitter is changing - what could that mean for arts and culture? 30 January, online

Online webinar for arts organisations/artists who are interested in the impact recent changes at Twitter could have on them. What it might mean for connecting with your existing audience? What it might mean for reaching new people? How might a sector with such a fluid, freelance community communicate in the future?

More.

Creative Freelancing - 17 February 2023 - Glasgow

How do you operate as a creative freelancer? What are your rights, and how do you protect them? What happens when things go wrong, like late payment or a dispute with an employer? How do you do your taxes?

Join Heather Parry, the co-creator of the Illustrated Freelancer’s Guide, for a practical and supportive workshop on navigating your career in the creative arts as a sole trader. With a focus on easily understandable help and simple guidance, this workshop will cover:

1) the basics of operating as a creative freelancer

2) maintaining your sanity + advocating for your rights

3) a Q&A to discuss anything at all

More.

Granite Noir returns for 2023 with suspenseful crime, gothic horror and murderous music, 23-26 February

Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s crime writing festival, returns next month with a packed programme highlighting Aberdeen’s history, atmosphere and strong sense of place and celebrating the very best crime writing. With a particular focus on the Gothic this year there will be music, storytelling and lots of chilling talks.

More.

Opportunities

Submissions open for the 21st Sports Book Awards

Calling all publishers - submissions for the 21st annual Sports Book Award are open. Apply by 30 January.

More.

The Booker Prize 2023 - submit by 30 January

Submissions for the Booker Prize 2023 are now open with 30 January 2023 being the first of the staggered deadlines.

More.

The British Book Awards 2023, apply for the Nibbies - by 3 February

Apply by Friday 3 February to be considered for The British Book Awards 2023. 

More.

StAnza – Scotland’s International Poetry Festival – in partnership with the Edwin Morgan Trust – is holding an open-call for two poets-in-residence for the 2023 festival.

The aim of these residencies is to support and promote marginalized voices in poetry: the residencies are open to poets of any level of experience who identify as being from a demographic that is currently under-represented in the literature sector. This includes but is not limited to: people from global majority backgrounds; those who identify as LGBTQIA+; who are disabled (we follow the social model of disability); those from migrant and refugee backgrounds and those who are care experienced.

Two positions are available:

1. The Open Award – open to poets who are Scottish by birth or current residence

2. The Translation Award – open to poets who write in a language other than English (including Gaelic & Scots), from any country.

Deadline 27 January.

More.

London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards - apply by 30 January

Applications are now open for this year’s Trailblazer Awards. Created to celebrate the next generation of the UK publishing industry, those blazing a trail, you can now enter or nominate someone.

More.

Indie Book Awards 2023

Submissions for the Indie Book Awards 2023 are now open. The deadline for entries is 13 February 2023. The Indie Book Awards comprise four categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s Fiction and Picture Book. Publishers can submit up to three titles per imprint, per category. Independent booksellers across the UK and Ireland will vote on the submitted titles to create the shortlist. A panel of judges will decide on the four winners. The Indie Book Awards shortlist and winners are promoted to and by all bookshops participating in Independent Bookshop Week.

More.

Author International Travel Fund - applications ongoing

There is no deadline, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis while there is an available budget for the quarter. With support from Creative Scotland, this fund has been established by Scottish Books International to support writers who have been invited overseas to promote their work.

Visit our opportunities page for more.

Jobs

Culture Counts: Director

Apply by 12pm on Monday 23 January 2023 for this part-time fixed-term position.

Black & White Publishing: Commissioning Editor (non-fiction)

Apply as soon as possible for this full-time, permanent position based in Edinburgh. 

Lex Academic: Chief Copy Editor

Apply by 31 January 2023 for this remote part-time role.

Barrington Stoke - part-time press officer role, based in Edinburgh.

Flexible on hours, with a minimum of 3 days per week, preferably based at the Edinburgh offices but other UK locations will be considered.  Apply by 27 January.

Visit our jobs page for more.