Publishing Scotland
'Open to the World'
By Gill Tasker and Marion Sinclair.
Publishing Scotland, now in its 44th year, is the trade, network and development body for the book publishing industry. A membership organisation with over 100 members across Scotland, it represents large companies such as HarperCollins and Canongate to small publishing houses, societies, and freelance workers. Their marketing site, www.booksfromscotland.com features the largest curated collection of Scottish books online.
PS kicks off their Spring/Summer 2018 programme with a dynamic range of initiatives. These include the International Publishing Fellowship, now in its 4th year, which brings leading industry figures from the international publishing scene to Scotland for a week to develop relationships with the Scottish sector; the new catalogue designed to showcase forthcoming books from Scottish publishers and sell rights; and targeted funding for Scottish publishers to participate in key festivals and book fairs overseas, as well as a core programme of training, bookfairs, seminars, pitching events, advocacy, and promotional activities.
Eight senior industry figures will accept Fellowship invitations to visit Scotland in August 2018 to meet key publishers, agents and writers.
Stephen Morrison, Publisher and Vice President of Picador USA, recalls his experience as a 2016 International Fellow:
The Publishing Scotland Fellowship […] will become one of the most sought after invitations for people from around the world working in publishing. Incredibly well organised and warmly hosted by a wonderful team, the Fellowship was a fascinating introduction to Scotland, its authors, agents and publishers, both large and small, and to its lively creative community.
Robert Davidson, Publisher of independent publisher Sandstone Press, echoed his support:
'Once again the International Publishing Fellowship in 2017 was not only a tremendous event in its own right, but also led directly to overseas rights business. My dinner conversation with Jane Palfreyman of Allen and Unwin took Babylon Berlin and The Silent Death, both by Volker Kutscher translated from German, directly into the Australia and New Zealand market.'
In addition to the Fellowship, publishers have received support to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April, BookExpo in the US, and bookfairs in Beijing, Guadalajara, and Gothenburg, among other destinations.
Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland, highlights the importance of internationalisation:
‘It is more important than ever to be outward-facing and open to the world. This range of initiatives is designed to move Scottish publishers into the international arena and be of real, practical help to them in reaching a worldwide audience.’
Hear from Jamie Crawford, Chairman of Publishing Scotland as he discusses Scotland's publishing talent, fictional figures and heritage.
With thanks to Gill Tasker, Marion Sinclair and everyone at Publishing Scotland
www.publishingscotland.org, www.booksfromscotland.com
Create an event with world changing ideas: Conventionscotland.com | legends@visitscotland.com