Membership news from Publishing Scotland
5 August 2022
Member news:

Children’s publisher Itchy Coo, part of Black & White Publishing, is celebrating 20 years of publishing books in Scots; Nicola Ramsey, the CEO of Edinburgh University Press has joined the board of the Independent Publisher’s Guild; congratulations to Luna Press Publishing who have 4 nods at the British Fantasy Society Awards: Best Non-Fiction: Worlds Apart: Worldbuilding in Fantasy and Science Fiction, Best Newcomer: This Is Our Undoing, Best Novel: This Is Our Undoing and also Best Independent Press; the 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize shortlist features 3 Canongate titles - The Instant, Time on Rock and The Biggest Footprint; the shortlist for the Gordon Burn Prize 2022 includes Case Study published by Saraband and finally the longlist for the Booker Prize 2022 also includes Case Study, Graeme Macrae Burnett from Saraband. Great news!
In this bulletin: (calls to action in red)

  • Michael O'Brien
  • International Fellowship Programme - sign up for pitching opportunities
  • Year of Stories event with EIBF: our New Voices Showcase, book now for 22 August
  • The Business of Books events at Edinburgh International Book Festival
  • Creative Conversations, our Scottish Author Showcase 2022, book now for 25 August
  • Open Book Session - Scottish Book Trust and Bookbug, sign up for 6 September
  • Small Publisher’s Publicity Circle, meet the editors event, sign up for 12 September
  • How to sell more on Amazon, sign up for our free Amazon Masterclass, 15 September
  • Enrich your metadata this summer - 30% off the Nielsen BookData Enhanced Service 
  • Call for catalogues and reading copies for the Gardners Trade Show, send to Vikki
  • Publishing Scotland Translation Fund for international publishers, deadline 22 August
  • Training news
  • BooksfromScotland - In the Summertime and submit for the next issues
  • Events & Opportunities
  • Jobs


Best wishes,

Lucy


Lucy Feather
Membership Services Manager
Michael O'Brien

We are immensely saddened to learn of Michael O’Brien’s death at the age of 81. An inspirational Irish publisher, force of nature, and friend, Michael was also a fervent supporter of independent Scottish publishing and will be greatly missed. Through his close friendship with past and current Scottish publishers and staff of Publishing Scotland, Michael was always hugely interested in what was happening in publishing here. He attended our conferences and receptions at home and book fairs abroad where his infectious humour, great energy and knowledge was appreciated and loved.

Michael O’Brien started O’Brien Press with his father in 1974. His son, Ivan, later become the publisher’s Managing Director. A leading Irish publisher of both adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction, O’Brien Press published authors including Eoin Colfer, Brendan Behan, and Marita Conlon-McKenna, author of the Under the Hawthorne Tree trilogy.

Speaking about his father, Ivan O’Brien said: “His bravery and willingness to take real risks and follow his instincts was always so impressive. He built a fantastic team of creative and highly-skilled people at O’Brien Press – predominantly women from its earliest beginnings – which was a testament to his unwavering belief that talent will deliver. Michael believed in telling great stories, in equality and tolerance and in Ireland’s place in the world. He challenged everything, but also built so many things and committed his time and energy to national and international organisations because it was the right thing to do. We will take this legacy and do our best to maintain and build on it.”

Michael is survived by his wife Svetlana, four children and six grandchildren, as well as his three sisters, two brothers and extended family. Our thoughts are with them at this sad time.

Tributes have flooded in since the news was announced, some of which you can read here.
International Fellowship Programme - last chance to sign up for pitching sessions


We are very much looking forward to meeting our 2022 International Fellows later this month. This is your last chance to sign up for the publisher pitching sessions, as part of the International Fellowship Programme, from August 22 - 28.

The Fellows are as follows: 

•       Dr. Cordelia Borchardt, S. Fischer Verlage, Germany

•       Sarah Cantin, St. Martin’s Press, USA

•       Nicolás Rodríguez Galvis, Éditions Métailié, France

•       Esther Hendriks, De Arbeiderspers/Singel Publishers, The Netherlands

•       Peter Joseph, Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins, USA

•       Talia Marcos, Keter Books, Israel

•       Jean Mattern, Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, France

•       Andrea Stratilová, Albatros media, Czechia

•       Mark Tauber, The Watermark Agency, USA


We are offering members the chance to meet the Fellows and to showcase titles at a networking event. Dates and locations:
 
Edinburgh: Tuesday 23 August, 9.30am – 4.30pm (networking breakfast and lunch)

Glasgow: Thursday 25 August, 12.30pm - 5pm (networking lunch provided)

Inverness: Friday 26 August, 3pm - 4.30pm (refreshments provided)

Each session will begin with a short presentation from the Fellows. There will then be opportunities for individual meetings and networking. The events are an opportunity for you to present your company and list, rather than focusing on pitching individual titles.

There will be other networking opportunities arranged throughout the week, including our annual summer reception in Edinburgh on Tuesday 23 August, so please come along and make the most of the chance to meet the Fellows in an informal setting.

If you are interested, contact Patrick with details of the Fellows you would like to meet, and in which location.
Year of Stories at Edinburgh International Book Festival: New Voices Showcase

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.
The Business of Books Edinburgh International Book Festival

We have worked with the festival to help curate some of these sessions; a series 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 sessions include everything from showcases to discussions on issues facing the industry.

Beneath the Covers: Best Marketing Strategies, 15 August
A glimpse into the world of creative book marketing with some of the industry professionals shortlisted for the British Book Award. It’s one thing to write a great book. It’s a different challenge to get people to buy it. Join founders of Edinburgh indie publisher 404 Ink, Heather McDaid and Laura Jones, to discuss their Inklings series, alongside Faber’s Jess Kim and Niriksha Bharadia, the marketers behind Sally Rooney’s latest hit. Chaired by Jenny Fry, Associate Publisher & Commercial Director at Canongate. More.

Shaping Scotland’s Stories: New Voices Showcase: 22 August
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. More.

Call my agent! The Role of the Literary Agent: 24 August
What does a literary agent’s day look like? Discover the intricacies of the role with Heather Parry, co-founder of Extra Teeth literary magazine and the Society of Authors’ Senior Policy and Liaison Manager for Scotland with a line-up of experienced agents. More.

In addtion to these sessions the Business of Books also includes:

  • An Introduction to Writing Children’s Books: 25 August
  • Celebrating Inclusion: 25 August
  • The Evolution of Young Adult Literature: 26 August
  • Writing for Children: Diversity and Inclusion: 28 August

Creative Conversations Scottish Author Showcase, join us in Glasgow on 25 August

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:

  • Cynthia Rogerson (Wah! Things I Never Told My Mother, Sandstone Press)
  • Carrie Marshall (Carrie Kills a Man, 404 Ink)
  • Mark Woolhouse (The Year The World Went Mad, Sandstone Press)
  • Chitra Ramaswamy (Homelands, The History of a Friendship, Canongate)
  • Trishna Singh (A Silent Voice Speaks, Fledgling Press)
  • Malachy Tallack (Illuminated by Water, Doubleday)

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.
Open Book Session – Scottish Book Trust and Bookbug, sign up for Tuesday 6 September

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.
Meet the magazine editors – Publicity Circle Event on 12 September

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.
How to sell more books on Amazon – sign up for our free Amazon Masterclass on 15 September

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:

  • How to make the best use of your Advantage account through analytics, page layout, merchandising and advertising offers
  • Best practice for metadata to make your Amazon product pages as enticing to readers as possible
  • Marketing of content for online retail channels
  • More top tips for optimising your sales through Amazon

We will also use the time to tell you more about the Publishing Consultancy Group; following the Masterclass Simon will be offering bespoke Amazon consultancy.

You can sign up for the Amazon Masterclass by contacting Heather McDaid
Enrich your metadata this summer with 30% off the Nielsen BookData Enhanced Service 

With over 500 books being published a day, high quality enriched metadata has never been so important with book buyers basing their purchasing decisions on the information you provide. 

The Nielsen BookData Enhanced Service enables you to add enriched content to your standard metadata listing including descriptive text, author biographies, reviews and Table of contents. All these elements help increase the chances of your books being discovered over the summer period when people are looking for their perfect holiday read!

Special Offer for Publishing Scotland members: 

This summer make your titles stand out from the rest with 30% off our Enhanced Service*, simply visit: https://www.nielsenisbnstore.com/Home/EnhancedServices and quote the code SUMEnh30 

If you have more than 50 active ISBNs in your list email for a no obligation FREE quote: sales.book@nielseniq.com  
Call out for catalogues, proofs and reading copies for the Gardners Trade Show

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.

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, contact Vikki Reilly.

It's an excellent chance to get your books into the hands of booksellers from all over the country ahead of the key trading season.
Publishing Scotland Translation Fund for international publishers, apply by 22 August

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 for applications until Monday 22 August 2022.
Training news

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 August there are courses from BIC and Scottish Book Trust as well as the sessions at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

See Training on the PS website for more details of:

  • Introduction to Copy-editing (30 August, 1, 6 and 8 September)
  • A Publisher’s Guide to TikTok (7 and 14 September). BookMachine for Publishing Scotland.
  • Introduction to Proofreading (19, 22, 26 and 29 September)
  • BIC Brunch Thema Session: Children and Education (free to PS members): 28 July
  • BIC ONIX Essentials (14 and 15 September)
  • BIC Brunch Thema Session: Non-fiction Popular (free to PS members): 29 September

For details of all our courses, see the Publishing Scotland website. See also Events.
BooksfromScotland In the Summertime and submit for the next issues

BooksfromScotland are enjoying the summer sunshine, and the latest summer book releases. Thank you for your submissions; all these titles are included on the BFS website and in regular newsletters to subscribers.


Submit for future Issues:

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.
Events and opportunities

Lighthouse Book Fringe, 8-12 August
Lighthouse Book Fringe this August, 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.

Paisley Book Festival - 2023 writer in residence call
Submissions are open for an experienced writer to creatively engage with the Paisley Book Festival by being the 2023 Writer-in-Residence. Apply by 31 Aug 2022.
The Writer in Residence at the Paisley Book Festival presents an opportunity for a mid-career writer to engage creatively with the festivals’ remit, programme and themes, and to use their skills and experience to support the work and passions of local reading and writing groups. One of the main aims of this role is to work with local communities and help reach wider audiences.

Jobs

Editorial Director - Orion
Are you passionate about Science Fiction & Fantasy publishing? Want to commission future bestsellers and push boundaries to reach new readers? Then join Orion as Editorial Director.
Can be based in Edinburgh, full-time, with flexible working.
More
Publishing Scotland is part funded by Creative Scotland