The Scottish Publishers Association was founded in 1973, by a group of 12 publishers as the Scottish General Publishers Association. The aim of the Association was the collaboration of gathering information, marketing, and of exhibiting at book fairs around the world.

The Scottish Arts Council gave financial support to the Association and the membership grew. At present, membership stands at almost 80 publishers, and the services offered are many and varied.

THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPA
In 2004, the SPA celebrated its' thirtieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, we published a special anniversary volume - 'Thirtieth Anniversary of the Scottish Publishers Association: A Celebration', charting the history of the SPA, Scottish publishing and Scottish literary culture. Witty, pithy, laudatory and thrawn, 'A Celebration' has contributions tributary, acerbic, dry and glowing. It is also, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. We invite readers to dip into, enjoy and experience this chronicle of the past 30 years of the SPA.

Contains a foreword specially written by Alexander McCall Smith, author of the hugely popular 'No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency' series:

Foreword, Alexander McCall Smith:

"Any author who has ever been published in Scotland will find the story of the Scottish Publishers Association a moving, amusing, and inspiring one. But the story of these 30 years of the SPA are more than accounts of individual publishers and their exploits, it is a story of a publishing culture that has refused to lie down and die in the face of a relentless onslaught from homogenising and acquisitive forces. Scottish publishing could have faded completely; the fact that it did not is, in my view, an eloquent testament to the courage of the people whose experiences are recounted in this book.

As an author, I believe that it is immensely important that Scottish publishing continue to be healthy. This is because it is only in having Scottish publishers based in Scotland that new Scottish authors will have a real chance of publication. The cultural consequences of denying a voice to Scottish literature, or of relegating it to adjunct status on the lists of publishers elsewhere, could be very serious. And I believe that there is something well worth preserving in the distinctive voice of the Scottish writer. Without Scottish publishers, even if Scottish literature may not entirely disappear, it will still be gravely compromised.

Thirty years on, then; where now? I must confess that I am very excited about the stage that we are at. There is now a sense of confidence in Scotland that we can compete with the larger countries in this area of activity. We can write the books and we can publish them too. We are now no longer looking at our navel - we are looking outwards to the wider world and speaking to it. Scottish publishers can publish books about other parts of the world just as well as can publishers in London, New York or in any other place. Why not? Publication is now a universal act, and Scotland has a place on that stage just as any other country has.

But the real hard work to ensure this is being done by the publishers and by their Association. As a writer I am on the sidelines, but I applaud your efforts with all my heart. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!"

Used by kind permission of Alexander McCall Smith.

" ... very, very handsome and also very readable... "
Ainslie Thin

Available in limited edition hardback and paperback editions. For further information about the anniversary book click here, or to order a copy contact enquiries@publishingscotland.org.