Gill Heeley from Canongate Books, Heather McDaid, and Laura Jones, both from 404 Ink, have been named as Rising Stars by The Bookseller; the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize shortlist 2022 includes a title published by Fledgling Press – The Wolf Hunters; Canongate Books' title Mrs Death Misses Death is the Indie Book Awards 2022 Fiction category winner; The Chessmen Thief by Cranachan is the winner of the 5–9 years category of The Young Quills Awards for Historical Fiction; Helena Heald, of Edinburgh University Press, is one of the 2022 Printing Charity Rising Stars; and Canongate's title The Coward is on the The Radio 2 Book Club list with Steve Wright.

Tributes have flooded in for Alan Grant who died on 20 July 2022 at the age of 73. He was a prolific and much respected comics writer whose work included Judge Dredd, Batman, the Bogie Man, Lobo, and Rok of the Reds. He was involved in a huge number of other creative projects large and small from an adaptation of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson celebrating Edinburgh as the first UNESCO City of Literature, to setting up his own comics company, children’s books with his daughter, and a community project for his local village Moniaive. We have collected some of the tributes together here.

The Saltire Society Literary Awards are widely regarded as Scotland’s most prestigious literary awards. They represent the Society’s commitment to celebrate and support literary achievement. They highlight fantastic talent while raising the profile of writers and publishers.

 

Eligible publishers include:

Publishers, imprints (e.g. from major publishing houses) and independent publishers. Please note that there is a limit of two (2) books per imprint per Award category.

Books in English, Scots and Gaelic are accepted. Books must be written by a writer born or currently living in Scotland, deal with the work or life of a Scot, a Scottish question, event or situation and be published between 1 March 2021 and 30 June 2022.

We will be distributing a Christmas catalogue to booksellers across Scotland as part of VisitScotland's Year of Stories. Similar to the Spring/Summer catalogue we sent out earlier this year, the catalogue will be laid out by the themes of Year of Stories, which are:

• Iconic Stories and Storytellers

• New Stories

• Scotland's People and Places

• Local Tales and Legends

• Inspired by Nature

This catalogue will focus on key frontlist titles and backlist that has strong gifting potential. We are looking for you to submit up to 3 titles per theme.

Please use this submission grid for entry and fill in each column.

The deadline to receive submissions and cover images is Friday 29 July 2022.

We will be taking this catalogue to the Gardners Trade Fair in September as part of our stand.

Publishers who produce work in the Scots language are being offered free Marketing and PR training sessions by Scottish Book Trust. The hour-long sessions will run 1st to 4th August 2022.

These sessions, offered in response to requests for advice and support, are for those who would benefit from an introduction to any of the topics below. They are also suitable for anyone who has some experience but who may have had limited access to training or resources. If you need more advanced support contact [email protected]

Each session will be on Zoom and will include chaired discussion with professionals with experience in Press and PR, Bookselling, Festivals and Social Media. There will be time scheduled for questions. You may attend as many or as few as you like and they will be recorded.

Get a taste of Scotland’s new literary voices and the publishers responsible for bringing their stories to the world. Scottish broadcaster and author Sally Magnusson is joined by a fantastic line-up of authors and their publishers for a discussion on the process of bringing fresh literary talent to readers and the importance of seeking out new voices to shape Scotland’s stories.

Featuring a special reading from Glasgow-based poet Anna Cheung, author Trishna Singh OBE alongside her publisher Clare Cain (Fledgling Press), author Charlie Roy alongside her publisher Peter Burnett (Leamington Books) and children’s author and illustrator Corrina Campbell alongside her publisher Alan Windram (Little Door Books).

Monday 22 August 11:00am; in-person. Pay what you can.

A special Creative Conversations event co-hosted by Publishing Scotland and the Creative Writing Programme at University of Glasgow is showcasing the best in new Scottish writing.

Themed around memoirs, this year’s event will feature six of Scotland’s best authors who have published work in 2022. The featured authors are:

Taking place on 25 August at the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, doors will open at 17:30, with the main event running from 17:45 – 19:30pm. Each author will give a reading from their work, as well as taking questions from the event hosts and audience.

The showcase is free with refreshments provided. Each of the authors’ books will be on sale courtesy of John Smith’s bookshop at University of Glasgow.

The new round of digital funding is open for applications from Scottish publishers. Apply by 1 August.

The Go-Digital fund supports Scottish-based book publishers in bringing their books to a new digital audience. It’s administered by Publishing Scotland with the help of funding from Creative Scotland.

The costs that will normally be funded are:

Publishers can claim costs up to a maximum of £1,500 per company.

We are very happy to welcome some new network members:

Offering twenty years’ experience in editing, media and PR, on a wide range of materials in varying genres and on different platforms. Specialising in supporting self-published authors, not only editing and proofreading but also typesetting and producing books for publication.

They have edited fiction and memoirs but also work on articles, reports, press releases, dissertations and essays, both editing and performing extensive rewrites, maintaining both the message and the voice of their client.

A Community Interest Company (CIC) which exists to benefit the Doric speaking community.

Publish books written solely in Doric. They provide an outlet for other Doric authors to sell their books via their website and deliver Doric workshops and events in schools, care homes and other community settings. They work in partnership with local organisations to create new materials in Doric.

A collaborative, library-led initiative, owned and operated by 18 participating HEIs. The project is being co-ordinated through SCURL (Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries). SUP aims to provide a clear and cost-effective route for researchers to make their work freely available to a global audience, meeting the requirements of funders and realising the government ambition to extend the impact of research across society.

University of Stirling Publishing Course's 40th anniversary celebrations – alumni call

The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling will be celebrating its 40th anniversary later in the year. They’d love to hear from any alumni and include you in the celebrations. If you are a graduate of one of their programmes, fill in the form below, so they can keep in touch (and – if you wish – to let them know about some of your memories of the university).

We will be hosting a series of Open Book sessions with Scottish Book Trust specialising in promoting the different opportunities for publishers to collaborate with the organisation. The first of these sessions will focus on the BookBug, SBT’s programme for early readers. To find out more about how you can get involved with BookBug bags and BookBug sessions, sign up for the session by contacting Heather McDaid.

Publishing Scotland is teaming up with the Small Publisher’s Publicity Circle for publicists to meet key media personnel to expand their contacts and to discover best practice in collaboration in promotion. This free online session will give you the opportunity to meet with editors from specialist book magazines, Ed Needham from Strong Words magazine, Ruth Hunter from Book Time magazine and a representative from NB magazine.

Each of them will tell us more about their magazines, particularly their regular features, and will share how they like to receive pitches for features and reviews. There will be time for questions from attendees. We will be hosting this session on Monday 12 September at 2pm. If you would like to sign up to attend this event, get in touch with Heather McDaid at [email protected].

Simon Pollard is the founder and director of the Publishing Consultancy Group, a publishing consultancy service. He specialises in sales enablement, and we will be hosting an online Amazon Masterclass with him on Thursday 15 September at 11.30am. In the Masterclass Simon will discuss:

We will also use the time to tell you more about the Publishing Consultancy Group as following the Masterclass Simon will be offering bespoke Amazon consultancy. You can sign up for the Amazon Masterclass by contacting Heather McDaid

Publishing Scotland will be taking a stand at the Gardners Trade Show on Sunday 18 September 2022. It's the biggest event in the calendar for bookshops, with hundreds of booksellers from across the UK in attendance ahead of the BA conference on 19 September.

Publishers, sales teams, and other retailing organisations curate stands for booksellers to take away catalogues, proof and reading copies, and other sales materials for key titles in the run up to Christmas. If you would like to contribute to Publishing Scotland's stand with catalogues, proof or reading copies and any other sales materials that you are happy to give away to booksellers, please contact Vikki Reilly.

It's an excellent chance to get your books into the hands of keen booksellers from all over the country ahead of the key trading season.

This notice to the members of Publishing Scotland is to try and find a publisher for the Collected Poems of the Scottish bard, William Neill (1922 to 2010) whose centenary was celebrated in February 2021.

Willie joined the RAF at the age of sixteen and rose to the rank of master navigator. On leaving the service he received a grant and studied Celtic and English language and literature at Edinburgh University with an honours degree in Celtic studies in 1971.

Willie wrote in Scots, English and Gaelic, following in the footsteps of George Campbell Hay. He was the editor of two Scottish literary magazines Catalyst and Lallans and was a frequent contributor to most of the others.

He won the bardic crown at the National Mod at Aviemore in 1969 and the Grierson Verse Prize and the Sloan Prize in 1970. He received a Scottish Arts Council bursary in 1984 and a Book Award in 1985 and was sponsored by the Scottish Arts Council and the British Council for readings in Ireland and Germany respectively.

On the revival of the 200 Burns Club in 1992 he was appointed one of the three club bards along with Norman MacCaig and Iain Crichton Smith.

Any publisher interested should email Alisoun Neill: [email protected]

Our training programme starts up again at the end of August with Introduction to Copy-editing online.

September sees a special offer TikTok course from BookMachine (booking will open soon) and Introduction to Proofreading.

If you are looking for training in July and August there are courses from BIC and Scottish Book Trust as well as sessions at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

See Training on the PS website for more details of:

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

BooksfromScotland are enjoying the summer sunshine, and the latest summer book releases. From fabulous fiction, children's picture books and brilliant poetry to engrossing history, delightful cookery books and inspiring memoir, all the books here are guaranteed to keep you thrilled while you try to keep cool.

September – Pause: Books that nourish any of the senses

October – Beyond borders: Books that have an international outlook

November/December – Festive Reading and Gifts

To submit or for any enquiries please contact Vikki Reilly.

Welcome to this week's Top 20 Bestselling Scottish Books in Scotland chart. We have a tussle at the top with the return of The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney, with Sara Sheridan’s The Fair Botanists now at number two.

There is only one new entry this week too, with the new edition of Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time in the chart even before its official launch date! Well done Canongate.

NB. At the moment, these stats are for Publishing Scotland members only, and will only be shared via this bulletin. Please do not circulate.

On 1 August, Helen MacDonald will step down as Managing Director of Prepress Projects, the Perth-based publishing services business. Lucy Harrier will take over as MD.

Lucy is currently Operations Director, and all editing teams and technology services already report to her directly. She has been with the company for 19 years and will become responsible for all areas of the company’s business, serving clients across Europe and, increasingly, further afield.

Publishers and industry figures have welcomed Ingram’s entry into the UK wholesale market, with many independents pointing to the greater competition another company may offer in terms of pricing. The distributor, an arm of Ingram Content Group, the largest book distributor and wholesaler in the United States confirmed its intention to move into the UK space last week. (The Bookseller, 11 July)

Nielsen BookData has been commissioned to repeat an industry-wide survey to investigate the international landscape and perception of book prizes. The research is being supported by the Frankfurt Book Fair, Publishing Perspectives and London Book Fair.

The 2022 survey seeks to help the industry understand which literary prizes make an impact internationally, what factors help them make the most impact, how they can become more effective, and how interest in issues such as digitization, diversity & inclusion, prize profile and promotional tools are changing. They are inviting those working in the publishing, bookselling, literary agency, writing, media and academic sectors in various countries to take part in the survey, which should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Everyone taking part before the deadline of Monday 15 August 2022 will receive a summary of the research findings later this year.

Events and opportunities

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. Round one of 2022/23 is open now for applications until Monday 22 August 2022.

Lighthouse are bringing back Edinburgh's celebrated Book Fringe this August, from Friday 8th to Friday 12th in the Bookshop garden. Delivering a special edition of this annual indie highlight: a more concentrated 8 day, free festival featuring over 30 speakers across 16 events; with an especially strong focus on environmentalism, nature writing, place and belonging, as well as championing writers of colour who explore these themes.

Please see the attached press release for further details and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you need images, quotes or further information.

This series is dedicated to all those interested in the business of the book world, whether an established publishing professional or an avid reader with a curiosity about the book trade. Sharing best practices and expertise, the series includes everything from showcases to discussions on issues facing the industry.

Bloody Scotland wants to offer a platform to shine a spotlight on new crime writing talent during the festival. This year they are inviting new and emerging published crime writers to apply for a slot to read out a short sample of their work before one of the programmed events, physically in Stirling or online. This year, authors are eligible to apply for Crime in the Spotlight if they:

have never appeared on the programme at Bloody Scotland before; are early in their crime writing career (such as on their first or second published book, but no more); are based in the UK.

The closing date for entries is Friday 5 August.

Entries are open until Friday 19 August 2022 for the world’s most valuable literary sports-writing prize.

Apply by 14 September for this award from the Royal Society of Literature for first-time writers of non-fiction through a generous bequest from author and RSL Fellow Giles St Aubyn.

#BookTok has brought together book-lovers from around the world, with nearly 65 billion views to date. The TikTok Book Club will serve as a virtual space for the TikTok community to discuss new titles together and the best thing about the TikTok Book Club is that anyone can join. Each month, a new book will be announced and they are inviting fellow book-lovers to read along and come together in-app to share their experiences. There will also be a #BookClub hub in app, so users can easily find out about the month's title, and start creating and sharing their own reviews, book aesthetics or newest literary crush.

Apply by 2pm on Monday 25 July 2022 for this part-time (3 non-fixed days per week) position in Stockbridge, Edinburgh.

Apply by 5pm on Wednesday 27 July 2022 for this freelance contract (maternity cover)

Submit your application as soon as possible for these temporary vacancies which will be filled on a rolling basis.

Apply by Friday 29 July 2022 for this full-time, permanent position at Octopus (Hachette UK) which can be based in Edinburgh.

Apply by Monday 1 August 2022 for this full-time, 12 month contract.

Apply by 5pm on Wednesday 3 August 2022 for this temporary, freelance position (largely remote working).

Apply by 5pm on Wednesday 3 August 2022 for this full time, temporary position (up to 12 months) in Edinburgh office (with option for days from home).

Apply by Friday 5 August 2022 for this full time, Edinburgh based position. Barrington Stoke is one of Scotland’s leading independent children’s publishers.

Apply as soon as possible for this full-time, temporary position (fixed term until March 2023). It is based in Glasgow.

Apply through Creative Access by Sunday 7 August 2022 for these traineeships within one of Hachette UK’s publishing divisions.