SYP Scotland Conference – Building Bridges, Breaking Walls

Posted on February 20, 2019 in Uncategorized

Whatever area of publishing you’re most interested in, one thing is undeniable: it’s a people-led industry. As a result, while the overall theme of this year’s SYP Scotland Conference was ‘Building Bridges, Breaking Walls’, it was unsurprising that most of the discussions focused specifically on the importance of collaboration.

The value of international relationships was emphasised early on, during both the opening keynote speech by Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland, and the first panel of the day. Sophie Moxon, Executive Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, spoke about the benefits of creating spaces for writers from different countries to work with each other, as well as the difficulties some visiting authors had experienced with visas. Andrea Joyce, Rights Director at Canongate, highlighted the usefulness of face-to-face contact and getting to know new connections on a personal level. It was agreed that publishers should acquire more titles from other countries although the tendency to focus on a ‘flavour of the decade’ was seen as limiting.

The recent rise of anthologies was also explored, with writer Eris Young pointing out that offering multiple perspectives prevents marginalised groups being presented as a monolith. The practical advantages of the format were discussed too. Both Sha Nazir, Publisher and Art Director at BHP Comics, and Lauren Ace, Group Brand Director at Little Tiger, said the speed at which anthologies can be produced allowed them to react quickly to topical issues. Lauren Nickodemus, co-founder of Monstrous Regiment, explained how crowdfunding acts as a form of publicity as well as a source of money. However, speaking from their own experiences, Eris acknowledged that crowdfunding can be hard work and doesn’t always end in success.

The final panel of the day focused on the lack of diversity in children’s books and within the companies that produce them – both of which the industry has been frustratingly slow to address. The panellists touched on the limits of measures that have been introduced to make hiring practices more inclusive, such as anonymising CVs. They agreed that it isn’t as simple as increasing numbers. Claire Heuchan, also known as blogger Sister Outrider, and Aimée Felone, co-founder of Knights Of, drew attention to the impact a company’s culture can have.

As well as examining wider industry issues, the speakers offered practical advice for working in publishing. Marion emphasised the need to understand finance, while Suzanne Collier, founder of Bookcareers, stressed the importance of being able to fully switch off from work. Perminder Mann, CEO of Bonnier Books UK, encouraged the audience to be resilient and unafraid to ask questions in her closing keynote speech.

We’ll never be able to tell with certainty what the future of publishing. However, the conference made it clear that the key to success is looking outwards. There’s a lot we can learn from our peers, the people that the industry excludes, other sectors and the rest of the world.

Amy Wong

Membership Secretary

@_amywong