Scotland’s Great Wee Publishers…

… are you attending the Independent Publisher Conference & Awards next month?

Taking place on Tuesday 6 December at Vinopolis SE1, London, this event comprises a half day conference, followed by a lunchtime awards ceremony and celebrates the dynamic contribution of Independents to the publishing industry and the entrepreneurial spirit of smaller publishers. Top industry speakers will share their expertise, illustrating their knowledge with examples and case studies.

Explore the industry as it stands today and debate how it will evolve tomorrow. From  £145 + VAT for PPA members.

www.independentpublisherawards.co.uk
Or tel: Hannah Bray on 020 7404 4166

Scottish Magazine Awards Shortlist 2011

PPA Scotland is pleased to announce the shortlist for the Scottish Magazine Awards. Magazine publishing companies from across Scotland submitted 149 entries for this year’s Scottish Magazine Awards. Submissions spanning the fields of business, entertainment, communication, design, sport, history, politics, young people and medical science were scrutinised by the distinguished panel of independent experts. 96 entries were selected for the final shortlist.

Winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony on Wednesday 30 November at Prestonfield House Hotel, Edinburgh. Email kathy.crawford@ppascotland.co.uk to book your seat at the Scottish magazine publishing industry event of the year.

IoIC Social Media Training Opportunity

IoIC Scotland are holding a Social Media for Internal Communicators training day with Simon Wakeman, on November 23.

This one day practical course looks at social media strategy and implementation in an internal comms envionment, with focuses on social networks, multimedia use and blogging, harnessing employee enthusiasm, and understanding social media communications.

The course will include interactive exercises and a Q&A session, when delegates can bring an example of their own use of social media for constructive critique.

Simon Wakeman is a CIPR and CIM qualified marketing and communications professional, who is head of Comms at Medway Council and writes a leading public sector communications blog.

When: Wednesday 23 November
Where: Edinburgh, venue to be confirmed
How much: £150+VAT for IoIC members, £175+VAT for non-members
For more information about the course, Simon Wakeman and a booking form click here 

Hurry! Scottish Mag Awards Entries by Friday!

The Scottish Magazine Awards entry deadline has been extended to Friday, October 7 – that’s this Friday!! If you haven’t already done so, please download your entry form, guidelines and delivery information via the PPA Scotland website: click here

Good luck to all those who enter. The judging process takes place later this month and award category shortlists will be announced on  October 24. For those of you wishing to take a seat or a table of 10 at this year’s Awards Dinner at the magnificent Prestonfield House Hotel, Edinburgh on St Andrews Night, November 30, please email marketing@ppascotland.co.uk. Thank you.

Independent Minds Meet, Share and Inspire

Around 40 publishing members and guests gathered in Edinburgh on Tuesday 27 September to meet, discuss and share common issues of particular import to independent publishing companies. PPA Scotland hosted the event which included PPA members from Plymouth, Carlisle, St Albans and Grayshott, to Stirling, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Two excellent case studies were presented. Kevin McCormick from Wild Bunch Media introduced his recent launch into the world of independent publishing with two titles aimed at the fitness and running market for both men and women; then Paul McNamee, newly appointed Editor-in-chief of all five regional titles for The Big Issue talked us through the intricate and fascinating world of how The Big Issue operates.

Barry McIlheney, PPA’s Chief Executive provided an overview of key issues for the association that will be tackled in 2012;  Terry Grimwood, Group Publishing Director of Signature Publishing then outlined the remit and role of the newly named Independent Publisher Network, IPN, formerly known as  IPAC; Helenor Gilmour, PPA Scotland ’s Chairman and Head of Brand & Consumer Insight at DC Thomson, covered events and initiatives that will be the focus for members in Scotland.

A networking lunch was followed by a lively discussion on key topics of concern as well as an exchange of information and expertise, highlighting very clearly that small, niche independent magazine publishing is alive and well and thriving both north and south of the border. For more information about the work of PPA Scotland and IPN, please contact us by email: kathy.crawford@ppascotland.co.uk

Digital Publishing News

The Data & Digital Publishing Awards Shortlist has just been revealed. Award categories are: Product Development of the Year, App of the Year,
Outstanding Achievement of the Year, Digital Edition of the Year, Digital Publisher of the Year, Digital Data Service of the Year, Directory of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Publishing Executive of the Year, IT Development Team of the Year, Paid Content Sales Team of the Year, Marketing Team of the Year and Advertising Sales Team of the Year. Good luck to all those who have made it this far. To view the shortlist go to: http://digitalpublishing2011.com/

Is your digital edition published in Scotland or for a Scottish market? This year’s Scottish Magazine Awards include two new categories that recognise the growing presence of digital editions and the importance of having a great digital strategy. For more information about the Scottish Magazine Awards and to download your Entry Form, visit: www.ppascotland.co.uk. Hurry! Entries must be in by 30 September.

Scottish Magazine Awards – enter now!

Please remember to submit your entries for the 2011 Scottish Magazine Awards by 30 September 2011.

This year’s awards will be held at Prestonfield House Hotel, Edinburgh on St Andrew’s Night, 30 November 2011.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to pick up an award at this prestigious and fun event.

Here’s a quick reminder of other forthcoming publishing industry awards and those all important deadlines:

Independent Publisher Awards 2011
PPA’s specialist awards for publishers with a turnover of up to £10m.
ENTRY DEADLINE: September 16
Customer Direct Awards 2011
Dedicated to subscriptions and direct marketing professionals.
ENTRY DEADLINE: September 16
New Talent Awards 2012
Celebrating the future stars in editorial, sales, marketing and circulation.
ENTRY DEADLINE: September 23

For more information about the Scottish Magazine Awards 2011, go to www.ppascotland.co.uk and click on Events/ Scottish Magazine Awards. For all other publishing awards, see www.ppa.co.uk