Stuart to headline Society of Young Publishers Scotland's conference

The Society of Young Publishers Scotland is to host its first in-person conference since 2019, featuring a virtual appearance by Douglas Stuart, and a keynote speech delivered by Amina Shah, national librarian and c.e.o. of the National Library of Scotland. 

Entitled "Foreword Thinking: Publishing for the Future", it will run on 25th to 26th March as a hybrid conference, with the in-person events taking place at the John McIntyre Conference Centre in Edinburgh on 25th March, with the rest of the schedule online the following day.

A series of panels include "Is the Future Tense?", "Publishers Unite!" and "Trendspotting", an interactive interview workshop with Suzanne Collier of Bookcareers, and a range of speakers online and in person.

In addition to Shah’s keynote, and Stuart’s virtual appearance, the conference will be closed with a digital performance by poet and storyteller Mara Menzies.

All the panels will be captioned, and a summary of blog posts of all events will be uploaded to the website. The panels will be recorded by a videographer on the day, and all events will be made accessible online to ticket holders until 31st May 2022. Delegates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and those whose income has been adversely affected by Covid-19 can apply for a number of free digital tickets.

Exhibition partners can also use a number of physical spaces at the conference to display their works and promotional material, and there will also be a digital space for exhibitors throughout the conference.

The event is sponsored by the Chartered Institute for Editors & Proofreaders, Prepress Projects and The Bookseller, as well as BTO Solicitors, Baillie Gifford, Books Are My Bag, Bell & Bain, Publishing Training Centre, Scottish Book Trust, National Library of Scotland, the Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh University Press and Publishing Scotland. To book a place, visit the event website.