Market insights for the Scottish publishing market

Frankfurt Book Fair

Visitors arrive at the Books from Scotland stand for a meeting on day one of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019.
International Fellows at the London Showcase

The London Showcase held at Scotland House in 2019 (before the London Book Fair) was attended by key figures from the book trade and a large cohort of international publishers who have participated in the Publishing Scotland Fellowship over the years. The 10 publishers chosen for the fifth International Fellowship were announced and we were delighted that some of them were able to attend the event in person along with some Fellows from previous years. Picture by Kevin Lake.
Scottish Book Trade Conference

The delegates at the 2019 Scottish Book Trade Conference warmly welcomed Scotland's book-loving First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who talked passionately about why books and reading matter and what they mean to her. The joint Publishing Scotland and Booksellers Association Scottish Book Trade Conference takes place annually and is the biggest get-together of publishers and booksellers in Scotland. Photos by Sandy Young of Sandy Young Photography.

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Rights catalogues

Here is a selection of members' rights catalogues/who to contact:

Second Nature

Produced by Publishing Scotland to mark the start of the 2020 Frankfurt Book Fair, Second Nature is an 18-minute documentary film featuring five award-winning writers talking on the subject of nature and nature writing today. BooksfromScotland.com highlights these writers and many more in a special nature writing feature.

BooksfromScotland.com

BooksfromScotland.com is the largest online collection of Scottish books, showcasing the best of Scottish writing and publishing. Readers can stay updated through its fortnightly newsletter and social media channels.

Overview of publishing in Scotland

Scotland is home to over one hundred active publishers, varying greatly in both size and focus. Structurally, our publishing reflects global industry trends: a large number of small independents, all established in the past five decades, operate alongside offices of larger conglomerates. 'Small,' however, should not be confused with 'insignificant' - Scotland has a thriving book trade, with our publishers and authors regularly receiving prestigious awards and international acclaim.

Scottish publishers have an increasingly global outlook, both in exporting their products and in welcoming writing from all over the world. Canongate Books, one of our largest trade publishers, is known for amplifying vital international voices, from Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors to Guantanamo detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi. Sandstone Press, an independent based in the Scottish Highlands, has recently won the Man Booker International Prize for Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, and was named Publisher of the Year in 2019. Edinburgh-based Charco Press is scooping up awards and nominations for its brilliant work in uncovering the best of contemporary Latin American literature; Glasgow indie, Vagabond Voices, is committed to new Scottish writing as well as to translated fiction from other languages, calling itself 'both Scottish and fervently European in its aims' and Gresham/Waverley have been exporting reference books and gift titles all over the world for years.

While increasingly looking outside of Scotland, our publishers are fundamental to sustaining and promoting our literary and linguistic heritage. Independent companies like Acair, Luath Press and Itchy Coo (imprint of Black & White Publishing) publish acclaimed Scottish authors and celebrate the national languages, Gaelic and Scots, advocating for their inclusion in the Scottish curriculum. These (and many other) companies make an enormous contribution to Scotland's understanding of itself and its past, ensuring that our distinct culture is recognised and represented.

Scotland is also known for its award-winning children's publishing. Edinburgh company Floris Books offers an array of titles for all ages, from the classics of Scottish literature to new authors discovered through its annual Kelpies Prize. Barrington Stoke produces accessible, dyslexia-friendly books that encourage every child to be a reader - it has recently won the UK's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, for Lark by Anthony McGowan. Newly-established companies such as Little Door Books or Cranachan Publishing have been going from strength to strength, establishing themselves as some of the most creative and exciting children's publishers on the market.

Of course, Scottish publishing is not all trade - our specialist and academic companies, such as Witherby Publishing Group or Edinburgh University Press, are amongst the largest and most successful publishers in the country. Bright Red Publishing, the only independent educational publisher in Scotland, has been producing excellent resources for secondary students and teachers for over a decade. And Scottish publishing is not all independent - conglomerates like HarperCollins and Hachette have their offices in Scotland, making an important contribution to the health and diversity of our industry, while the trading arms of the national cultural institutions such as the National Galleries of Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland, and the Glasgow Museums all have lively publishing programmes.

Despite the obvious challenges of 2020, Scottish publishers remain as active as ever - selling and promoting their books online, organising virtual events, and coming up with creative ways to tackle the crisis. Follow the Publishing Scotland website and Twitter account @PublishScotland to keep up with the latest trade news.

Our publisher members

Find out about our publisher members.

Showcase magazine and annual report

Scotland in London showcase magazine 2019

Annual report (2018-19)

Publishing Scotland International Fellowship

Every year we invite 10 international publishers to join us in Scotland for a Fellowship Programme. Find out more about our programme and previous Fellows in our Fellowship Brochure (PDF) or in more detail at our Fellowship pages.

Scottish Books International

Scottish Books International is a new service dedicated to the international promotion of books, writers, festivals and organisations.

Publishing Scotland Translation Fund

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. See our translation pages for more information.

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