Limited Edition

A celebration of Scottish magazine publishing

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How it started – 270 years ago Outstanding magazines today Where do we go next?

What we’re all about The Limited Edition Publishing Team Creative Director: Eric Campbell Design: Helen Berry, Islay Brown, Jenny Proudfoot & Adam Wilson Editorial: Fraser Allen, Charlotte McNeill, Nicola More & Nikki Bailey Non-Executive Director: Stuart McPherson White Light Media. 0131 555 6494 www.whitelightmedia.co.uk Visit the Limited Edition website All the articles in the magazine and more can be viewed at the Limited Edition website created by Primitive Media.

You can also post your comments and watch the debate unfold. www.ltdedition.org Big thanks Big thanks are due to all of the following, who have provided their services free of charge: • Pensord (www.pensord.co.uk).

Pensord printed Limited Edition and have been a pleasure to work with.

Please see their advertisement opposite.

• Primitive Media. Nick Haworth and Ben Dawson have created a Limited Edition website (www.ltdedition.org).

• The team at White Light Media, who have squeezed this work around the day job with great flair, humour and application.

• The contributors, who have all given freely of their time and expertise to write some great features.

• And finally a huge thank you to Kathy Crawford, Business Manager of PPA Scotland, who has brought her usual energy, enthusiasm and wisdom to this project.

The small print Limited Edition is a not-for-profit magazine published on behalf of Scottish magazine publishers by White Light Media. The views contained in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of White Light Media. Permission may be granted for the reproduction of some articles in this magazine. Please contact White Light Media (0131 555 6494) for details.

rom business to the Bash Street Kids, from golf to dolphins, from floral art to vampires. You name it, you can find a magazine about it in Scotland. (And yes, there really is a magazine about vampires – it’s called Bite Me.) The number of titles published in Scotland is astonishing – there are more than 700. But more importantly, we’re also an innovative, entrepreneurial bunch and we know how to change with the times. In short, we’re just the sort of people the Scottish economy needs – now more than ever.

The only problem is, we’ve been so busy publishing our own magazines that we sometimes forget to tell the world what we’re up to and what’s on our minds.

That’s why we’ve created this special oneoff publication. We want to celebrate the positive impact that Scottish magazine publishing has had on the nation’s economy and culture for more than 270 years. But we also want to talk about the future and pick out issues of concern that should be discussed at government level.

For that reason, we’re delighted that this magazine is being launched at the Scottish Parliament, and very grateful for the time being given to us by a number of MSPs, including Jim Mather, Minister

for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

Jim may be interested to note that this magazine is a good example of what enterprising people can achieve when they get together and roll their sleeves up.

Moreover, the magazine has been published with zero budget – everyone has donated their services for free (particular thanks to Pensord, the printers).

The world of Scottish magazine publishing is a fascinating one, peopled by interesting, creative professionals with challenging views. This is your chance to read all about it. I very much hope you enjoy it – and that you will also visit www.ltdedition.org to follow the debate and post your views.

Best wishes,

Fraser Allen managing director white light media chairman ppa scotland

Contents

04 06 10 12 14 16 19

Punching above our weight From The Scots Magazine to Clash What makes a winner?

Snapshots of high-achieving titles How to make a magazine 10 steps to publishing success Support our shelves How homegrown mags are held back Know your target Why niche magazines work Danger: red tape When legislation hurts business

22 24 26 30 32 34

Green reality The environmental challenge The letter of the law How lawyers can help...

Where next for the printed word?

The online journey starts here Step forward the next generation The publishers of tomorrow Trust me, I’m a journalist Confessions from Holyrood If we could make one wish...

What publishers dream of

Level playing field – or lottery?

The dangers of procurement

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British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) and Printing World Excellence Awards Company of the Year 2008*

Using our strength

to help make Scottish publishing stronger As leading UK magazine printers, we have a huge responsibility to our Scottish customers in these testing times. They look to us for the support they need to get their titles from ‘file to market’ as cost effectively as possible.

It’s a duty of care that we do not take lightly. In fact, we believe our support should extend even further to the Scottish publishing sector as a whole.

Our business relies on a strong, vibrant publishing sector and we do everything we can to help the PPA in Scotland, as they carry out their admirable work in supporting publishers – large and small.

We are privileged to be the Independent Publishers Advisory Council’s (IPAC) strategic sponsors and associate members of the PPA. And that’s why we’re so proud to help promote the publishing sector in Scotland by supporting this excellent PPA publication.

We’re here to help make a difference.

Pensord people make a difference 01495 223 721 sales@pensord.co.uk www.pensord.co.uk *For companies with more than 100 employees.

Darren Coxon, Commercial Director

Magazine publishing is good for Scotland.

Fraser Allen charts its positive impact on society and the economy – and explains why it can play a valuable role in pulling this nation from recession

t

he date is 9 February 1739 and something extraordinary is happening in Edinburgh. A publication has just been launched. It costs sixpence, runs to 48 pages and is billed as a monthly.

One day it will become the world’s oldest surviving consumer magazine. It’s called The Scots Magazine.

Admittedly, the launch issue is very different to the publication now owned by DC Thomson. The magazine’s original content focused on lengthy reports into domestic news, foreign affairs and parliamentary debates. To get around the ban on reporting on parliamentary procedures, all speakers quoted were given fictitious names. There are those at Holyrood who might welcome a return to this arrangement today.

Fast forward 270 years to 2009. Something interesting is happening at a large newsagent’s in London. And I am watching it. A fashionable young couple come striding through the doors. They walk to the music and culture magazines. Without pause, they grab a copy of a magazine called Clash and head for the till.

So where is Clash, this cutting-edge title, published? Islington? Soho? Covent Garden?

Er… not exactly. Dundee.

Clash has not only taken on London’s magazine publishers and given them food for thought – it has also shown how to make magazine publishing as interesting and successful online as it can be in print. No wonder it was Magazine of the Year 2008 at PPA Scotland’s Scottish Magazine Awards.

Scottish magazine publishers were pioneers in 1739, we are today – and we will continue to be in the future.

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712 regular

195 publishers

£157m value of the industry

in Scotland

magazines

Punching above our weight t

The last time anyone counted (a Scotinform survey in 2005), there were no less than 195 publishers in Scotland producing 712 regular magazines. As of April 2006, the Scottish magazine publishing industry was valued at £157m.That is similar to some higher-profile revenue generators – such as Edinburgh’s summer festivals, business tourism in the capital and the Scottish cashmere industry.

But Scottish magazine publishing punches above its weight in several other ways too. Here are four examples: We nourish Scottish culture Everyone living in Scotland knows the frustrations that can occur at the hands of the UK’s London-based media. For instance, you may remember that Britain was brought to a standstill by snow in February 2009. Which is strange because, from our office window, we only noticed a light dusting. Whatever happens in London tends to dictate the UK news agenda. It’s nothing new and it will probably never change.

Similarly, Scotland often seems to slip off the radar in the minds of UK magazine publishers. That’s why Scottish magazines perform such a valuable role in terms of covering issues in a way that is genuinely relevant to the people who live here.

For instance, business magazines in Scotland understand that this country has its own legal system and legislature based at Holyrood – a fairly important point.

Also, whether it’s golf, cooking or homes and interiors, our homegrown publications add value to a nation still adjusting to the fresh responsibilities of devolution.

We have the drive and we have the innovation, so please help us make our contribution to the social and economic future of the nation” We provide entrepreneurial role models Given Scotland’s poor history of business start-ups, our magazine publishers represent a refreshing example of entrepreneurial flair. Many PPA Scotland member businesses were started up by one or two people with a good idea, a blank sheet of paper and a lot of hard work. Magazine publishing businesses provide good role models for the business start-ups of the future – the economy needs people like us more than ever.

We encourage literacy and communication Ask anyone in publishing and they are likely to agree that the quality of spelling and grammar amongst school and universityleavers applying for jobs is increasingly poor.

Maybe it’s the rise of ‘texting’ culture, maybe it points to a decline in the quality of basic education. But whatever the reason, thank goodness that people still want to buy and read great magazines, and revel in the power of the written word. Magazines are good for literacy, they’re good for communication and they get people reading, writing and discussing.

We offer economic hope The collapse of Scotland’s famous banking industry means that we need new champions to regenerate our economy. The

creative services sector – spanning publishing, the arts and marketing – is one of those potential champions.

In the future, we are likely to see increasing diversification as the boundaries between print and online – and between magazine, book and newspaper publishing – become blurred. Traditional models for distribution and revenue generation will also be challenged.

The brightest innovators across all creative service sectors should therefore be encouraged to talk to each other (and to the Scottish Government) to leverage the value of the industry to the economy.

Take Edinburgh alone.Within a few square miles, we have trailblazers such as Canongate (books), Rockstar North (digital games), Bigmouth Media (search engine optimisation), the Leith Agency (advertising) and The List (consumer magazine publishing).

A conversation between people like these and the relevant culture and/or enterprise teams at the Scottish Parliament would be interesting – and useful.

By the way, if there appears to be an Edinburgh bias to this piece, it’s only because that is where this particular correspondent is based. There are big magazine publishing scenes in Glasgow and Dundee. There are thriving PPA Scotland companies based in less obvious media locations such as Aberfeldy, Forfar and Kippen. And there are hundreds of other companies from Dumfries to Shetland.

Scottish magazine publishing really does punch above its weight. We have the drive and we have the innovation, so please help us make our contribution to the social and economic future of the nation. n

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What makes a winner?

Limited Edition dips into some of the many publishing success stories of PPA Scotland members The art of flowers Alison and Denis Bradley recognised a gap in the market – no contemporary floral design magazine was being produced in the UK. Two years of research later, the first subscriptionbased issue was launched in 2001, followed by www.fusionflowers.com.

Fusion Flowers quickly attained a loyal following and back issues sold for a small fortune on eBay. The magazine can now also be purchased at specialist outlets and, in 2006, Fusion Flowers – Weddings magazine was launched too.

But what makes Fusion Flowers a success? “Single-minded determination and the ability to fight against the odds,” says Alison. “Plus the use of international contributors, a friendly and helpful

approach and some of the most spectacular, specialised photography available.”

Scottish Magazine Awards: Best Magazine (small company) 2005, 2006 & 2008 Putting the case to Parliament East Kilbride-based KAV Publicity doesn’t just publish great magazines – it also keeps an eye on influencing government legislation on behalf of its readers. Here’s just one example.

Transport News magazine came up with a campaign for an increase to the 50 mph speed limit for HGVs on the A9 (Perth to Inverness). In May 2008, features editor John Henderson spent two days driving the route in a 7.5 tonner. On day one he limited himself to 40mph on the single carriage-

An ever-present menace 2008 was the Year of the Menace. The Beano, home of Dennis, celebrated its 70th birthday on 30 July – issue number 3443, no less – and DC Thomson invited everyone to the party.

The company also introduced two innovative sales initiatives: The Beano – 70 Years of Fun – Special Collector’s Edition was a premium one-shot magazine aimed at mature readers, while The Beano Birthday Issue targeted the core readers. Nick Park guest edited and Lorraine Kelly launched a Gnashional Menace Day charity appeal. In short, the nation couldn’t forget it was the Beano’s big 7-Oh! Scottish Magazine Awards: Sales Initiative of the Year 2008

ways. On day two he raised his speed on these sections to 50mph.

The result was 55 less minutes at the wheel and significantly less overtaking by other drivers, indicating that 50mph gave the truck a safer, more predictable presence on this dangerous road. The upshot? The increase to a 50-mph speed limit will now happen following the Scottish Government’s decision to dual-carriage the route.

•KAV Publicity also publishes the highly successful Yachting Life.

Something To Shout About!

Laura Brown, Editor of Shout writes…

“In May 2005, teen magazine Shout had a megastar makeover. We shrank to handbag size, added a glossy polybag, adorned ourselves with a must-have covermount every issue and emerged ready to face the challenging teen sector with forwardthinking content.

Shout’s continued success is thanks to the brave editorial decision to give readers exactly what they want every fortnight.

Regular focus groups and DC Thomson’s Youth Insight Programme give us countless opportunities to listen to the people who really matter – our readers. We respond with an ever-evolving publication.

Shout is a girl’s best friend in magazine form. We’re glam and gossipy, but we’re not afraid to tackle the hard-hitting issues affecting today’s teens. It’s this potent mix that keeps our readers wanting more, helps us buck downward sales trends and has also led to numerous awards.”

Scottish Magazine Awards: Magazine of theYear 2007

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High achievers The top gongs Each year in the Scottish Magazine Awards, one winner is selected from across the award categories as the overall Magazine of the Year. Six titles have claimed this honour since the awards began in 2003: Fly Fishing & Fly Tying, The Scottish Farmer, Homes & Interiors Scotland, Scottish Field, Shout and, most recently, Clash.

A match for anyone For three years running, Scottish Wedding Directory dominated the best online presence category in the Scottish Magazine Awards, winning from 2004 to 2006.

Stars of Holyrood The Scottish Magazine Awards recognise individuals too and Holyrood Magazine has performed particularly well with Katie McIntosh, Rory Cahill, Mandy Rhodes and Robert McNeill all collecting awards for their feature writing. Mandy has also won the Editor of the Year award.

On the Fly Recognised as one of the leading experts in the word of fly fishing, Mark Bowler has married his angling expertise to a flair for publishing through Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine. He’s also shown that you don’t need to work in the big city to be a publisher – he and his team at Rolling River Publications are based in Aberfeldy, yet sell their magazine in 50 countries worldwide.

A global reach on surgery One of the most widely circulated of all Scottish titles is Surgeons’ News. It is distributed in more than 90 countries to surgeons who trained at Edinburgh’s Royal College of Surgeons.

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Trust them CMYK has produced Scotland in Trust on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland for over seven years – and seen the circulation of the magazine (and consequently the membership of NTS) grow from 150,000 to 180,000 in that time. “We are hard-wired into what the Trust’s aims and ideals are, and by having a direct input into the editorial content of the magazine, we create a readable publication, that over 97% of members actually read and retain,” says Director Neil Braidwood. “Our advertising manager works hand-in-hand with the editorial department – an unusual occurrence – but this works extremely well, as revenue continues to climb, even in these uncertain times.”

Scottish Magazine Awards: Customer Magazine of the Year 2003 & 2005 Bang the drum Architecture, law and creative services are the three specialist areas of Glasgow’s Carnyx Group.

The Drum is the leading UK magazine to serve the creative industries outside of London. The brand comprises a fortnightly 36,000-circulation magazine, a popular website (www.thedrum.co.uk) and numerous events including the Scottish Advertising Awards.

The Firm, meanwhile, is Scotland’s leading independent legal magazine, and tackles key issues from the threat to civil liberties from the anti-terrorism campaign, to concerns about the lack of independence of the Procurator Fiscal Service. The maga-

The Planet Ink story Despite the strengths of the Scottish publishing industry, the current climate is tough for new businesses. Planet Ink is one young publishing company for whom the credit crunch proved too much

zine also organises the prestigious Law Awards of Scotland.

The third flagship title is Prospect, the leading journal for the built environment (see www.architecturescotland.co.uk). The publication is particularly well known for The Carbuncles, its annual quest to identify the most dismal place in Scotland!

However, it also places an emphasis on identifying planning and architectural success. It not only runs the Scottish Design Awards, but through its Architecture Scotland Annual, lists the best new buildings in Scotland every year.

Scottish Magazine Awards: Prospect – Best Online Presence 2007, Best Design B2B 2004 The Farmer’s Bible Alasdair Fletcher, Editor of The Scottish Farmer writes…

“Since 1893, The Scottish Farmer has been at the heart of the farming community, sharing the highs and lows of Scotland’s most essential industry.

Regarded by many as ‘the farmer’s bible’, its authoritative reports, photography and advertising continue to be as valuable to the industry today as they were 116 years ago.

As Scottish agriculture has evolved from the horse-drawn plough, to satellitecontrolled precision farming, The Scottish Farmer has evolved too. It continues to build multi-media content – hand in hand with its printed edition – supporting a digital edition and fully interactive website, which will be relaunched later this year to continue providing readers and advertisers with a ‘best in class’ service.”

Scottish Magazine Awards: Business and Professional Magazine of the Year, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007. Magazine of the Year 2004 n

“Three years ago Gerry cassidy and and myself gave up working for Trinity Mirror’s national newspaper division and struck out on our own.

Combining our tabloid reporting and production experience we gave birth to Planet Ink Ltd and set about trying to change the way people perceived publishing. We introduced page-turn digital magazines to sit alongside the traditional printed products, offering users and clients added value.

Our chief beneficiary was ScottishPower, who headhunted us to re-design their staff newspaper ScottishPower News. We reduced its size to tabloid, giving it an edgier, readerfriendly feel and switched from bi-monthly to monthly.

Changes in subbing style, retouching processes and organisation meant the

High achievers Alive and working For over 129 years, Life & Work, the independent voice of the Church of Scotland, has offered its extensive customer base of over 45,000 readers, provocative and thoughtful articles. It was also winner of the inaugural Scottish Magazine Awards Member Magazine of the Year category in 2004.

Historically speaking History is one Scotland’s selling points, and History Scotland, published by Knowledge Media, takes a scholarly approach to teasing out fascinating tales from the past – everything from ‘the ‘real’ Lucia di Lammermoor to the ‘fake’ Walter Scott.

The Big Issue Surely one of Scotland’s most admirable magazines is The Big Issue In Scotland – a charity dedicated to promoting practical solutions to eradicating poverty whilst offering employment to homeless and vulnerably housed people. It has a sense of humour too – witness the ‘Jimification’ of Barack Obama. Visit the website at www.bigissuescotland.com.

printed edition was delivered at the same time as the digital version, reducing carbon footprint while expanding its audience.

Three issues in and we were shortlisted in four categories for the 2007 Scottish Magazine Awards, winning Staff Magazine of the Year for ScottishPower News. We were shortlisted again last year with Setanta Sports. But as great as awards are, they don’t pay bills and, in the eye of the worldwide credit storm, our fledgling company foundered and went bust in February.

It’s a shame. The team worked so hard to make it happen, the quality of work spoke for itself. And while voted winners in the eyes of our peers, in these tough times, there were none when we shut the doors.

• Shaun Milne, Co-Owner/Director, Planet Ink Ltd [Jan 2006 – Feb 2009]

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10 steps to making a great magazine

Ever wondered what goes into that publication you pick off the newsagent’s shelf? Justin Chater is your guide

justin Chater director pinpoint scotland

1

Is the magazine viable?

You may have an idea that you’re full of enthusiasm for, but is it a sound business proposition? Begin by asking yourself some questions: • Is there a demand for this magazine?

• Are there enough advertisers in your market place to support the magazine?

• Is there enough editorial to sustain your magazine?

• Who is your audience and how will you reach them?

• Can this magazine be profitable?

• Do you have the cashflow to manage start-up costs?

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2

Know your costs

Your main costs are likely to be staff, print and distribution. Add them together over one issue and it will give you an idea of how many pages you can afford to run to and make a profit at the same time. Next, add up all the editorial you have planned, including set pieces that will occur in each issue.

Then add up your advertising. If you combine these figures it gives you a maximum number of pages you can print. The number of pages a magazine runs to should be divisible by four and preferably by 16. Being divisible by 16 means there are fewer sections to print. You will probably find a 48-page magazine cheaper to print than a 44-page publication.

3

The sales pitch

A sales person’s job is to generate income for the magazine. This can be achieved through adverts, classified or inserts including CDs, stick-ons, belly wraps, promotions etc. In reality all a good sales person needs is a contact list and a telephone. The sales pitch will do the rest.

It is essential, however, that the sales person knows their product.

They must understand their audience, what the editorial will be, who the competition is. It’s a good idea to make a list of why a company should advertise in your magazine. At the same time, make a list of reasons why people have said ‘no’ to advertising.

And always close the call making sure you have explored every different type of advertising available to a client. If you don’t know the answer to a client’s question say so – and make sure you get back to them with an answer.

Adverts come in a variety of formats and, these days, many are sent in via email in pdf format. In some cases, however, an advert will arrive by post with just a compliment slip as the logo and some editorial scribbled in biro. In these cases, the production department has to use its design skills to create an advert which is then sent back to the client for approval.

4

Get the words right

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Your editor will source the editorial for your magazine. You may need an inhouse team of writers or you may choose to source the copy from freelancers. All copy will need to be sub-edited to fit the house style and eliminate errors. The final pages will also need to be carefully proofread to ensure that no mistakes slip through.

Remember that the editorial is the core element of your product. It’s important to invest time and money in good copy – otherwise nobody will read it!

5

How do you get the magazine out to your target audience? These are the most common ways:

Create impact

Good magazine design makes a huge difference to publications. It helps the reader find their way about the magazine, ensures that the copy is easy to read and creates impact. Many successful magazines have editors and designers working closely together to optimum effect.

However, some magazines, particularly business and niche titles, adopt a more streamlined template approach which saves on cost and time.

In this case the copy may be flowed in by the production team, or even by the sub-editors working on the copy.

6

Get the magazine out there

Draw up a flatplan

The flatplan is a sheet showing what content will appear on what page.

It’s usually drawn up by the editor in consultation with the advertising and production managers. The editor will know roughly how many words are required to fill each page and so will commission on the basis of the flatplan.

Similarly, the flatplan sets a target for the ads team in terms of how many pages they have to fill – and they will have a ‘yield’ (profit) that they aim to make on each one. It is not uncommon for the flatplan to change – for instance, there may be a need to drop a story, or add in some extra ad pages.

7

Free distribution You simply distribute the magazine in public areas or post them to people.

This is relatively simple but puts all the pressure on the ads team to make the revenue required.

Manage the print

A good understanding of the print process is a key skill for any publisher.

The production manager will prepare the magazine files in the format required by the printers, and then monitor the process to ensure the magazine is printed to specification – sometimes visiting the printers to pass the publication on press.

8

Do you have the software?

The two main software packages used by magazine publishers are InDesign (Adobe) and Xpress (Quark).

InDesign is a newer kid on the block, giving the more established QuarkXpress a good run for its money. It’s also easier to pick up and work with if you already use other Adobe products. Pagemaker, InDesign’s predecessor, is also still used by some publishers.

V ’s

Retail To make your magazine available through newsagents and supermarkets, you will probably use a distribution company such as Menzies Distribution.

Generally, a percentage of your cover price is taken by both the distributor and retail outlet.

Subscriptions A subscriber will pay you a yearly subscription in advance and it will be up to the publisher to maintain this information electronically and mail the subscriber’s copy after each issue is published. There are specialist companies who will do this for the publisher. This is the most costeffective method of distribution as it automatically controls your print run and there is very little wastage.

10

Explore online opportunities

Could you create a website to complement your magazine? For many magazine publishers, the ‘threat’ of the internet has simply offered a great opportunity to publish in a different medium. n

11

Tom Lovering highlights the battle for newsstand prominence currently being fought by Scottish publishers

12 Limited Edition

Support our Shelves y ou may think magazine distribution is a simple process and, in theory, it is. You print the magazine, send it to the distribution company, they get it to the shops and, hey presto, someone buys it and everyone’s happy.

If only the reality was that straightforward.

In the current retail climate, it is proving very difficult for independent Scottish publishers to stake a claim to a space on a shop shelf in Scotland.

Why? Simple: some of the big retail multiples do not think of Scotland as a country but, instead, as a region.

As a result, most retailers’ shelves are dominated by major London-based publishers, who are able to supply all the stores in the UK and have the big budgets required to support and increase sales.

This, obviously, poses a number of problems for Scottish-based publishers as, not only is growth within the industry stifled, employment is also impacted. More importantly, so is our social Scottish message.

But answer me this: why should Scottish magazine readers be restricted to a selection of titles that have nothing particularly Scottish about them? As they have little choice, customers in Scotland are more likely to pick up a magazine that is English or American and which has little or no elevance to our country.

Take sport, for example. Scotland’s leading fishing title struggles to get a place on the

Why should Scottish magazine readers be restricted to a selection of titles that have nothing particularly Scottish about them?

shelves, but the English version doesn’t – and, ironically, it promotes a style of fishing that cannot even be practised in Scotland!

The same can be said for other sports, including football, shooting and golf. Indeed, in Tom the case of the latter, Lovering our First Minister, Alex Commercial Salmond, was promotDirector psp publishing ing golf in Scotland recently, and he drew attention to how it could generate an additional £15m for the local economy (on top of the £300m it already raises) in this, the officially designated year of Homecoming.

Great. But is Mr Salmond aware that our shops are full of England-based golf magazines, which champion courses south of the border and encourage golfers to travel to exotic destinations near and far but very seldom Scotland, whilst the only true Scottish golf magazine, which highlights all of our wonderful courses and helps promote tourism within Scotland, struggles for shelf-space? If Mr Salmond could look at redressing this balance, perhaps his £15m estimation could be bolstered.

But it’s not just golf and fishing that are struggling to compete. The same goes for every other Scottish publication out there right now. No matter whether they produce lifestyle, sport, music or entertainment titles, every Scottish publisher is fighting the same battle.

Magazine publishing in Scotland is something we should all be proud of. However, as you can see, the issue of distribution is not quite so straightforward and many great, independent Scottish publishers are finding it extremely difficult to flourish. Indeed, the phrase “one hand tied behind your back” immediately springs to mind. But when it starts affecting jobs, tourism and ultimately our economy, especially in today’s fragile business climate, it becomes a political problem. And that means it needs political intervention, sooner rather than later. n

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know your target Specialist magazines can prove more resilient in tough economic times – both in terms of ad sales and circulation. Steve Craven explains why s the recession bites, we can be sure the email inboxes of advertising executives across the land will be inundated with enthusiastic compositions from troubled publishers trying desperately to impart a straightforward and timely piece of information – advertising should be maintained, dare they say increased, during these tough times.

The tales of Kellogg, Nike, Apple Corp and countless others which stole market share during leaner days will no longer be the advertising tales of yore, but distilled instead into a modern elixir, a failsafe plan to guide brands through the confusion of the marketplace – and straight onto the pages of the newspapers and magazines that these very same publishers produce.

Much of the information will be entirely accurate and verifiable. Historically, recession has indeed been a time when the boldest of companies have been able to gain significant advantage over their competitors.

It’s a sound method, but – given the scale of this economic downturn, as well as a rapidly evolving marketplace – is this enough now?

Since our last meaningful foray into a fiscal squeeze, advertising methodology has become much more sophisticated in its approach. It’s had to. The explosion in media platforms over the past decade – the ‘data noise’ that has grown to permeate most of our waking lives – has given rise to an increas-

14 Limited Edition

ingly ‘media savvy’ audience that demands more and more on its own terms. Many of you who position your brands online may well appreciate the bleeding edge of this phenomenon more than most.

At the same time, it has Steve been some while since Craven any serious business managing director has classified advercraven publishing (vice-chairman, tising as a luxury and, ppa scotland) although budgets will no doubt be cut by some more conservative businesses, it is doubtful that we will return to the landscape of old, where consumers are ripe for the picking by clever advertising execs who merely increase their clients visibility whilst all others recede from view. we must find smarter ways of Positioning brands in the marketplace It would be easy to dismiss the fall in global advertising spend in ‘big media’ as purely driven by the tight economic climate. That’s at play, of course, but there is also a shift away from the scattergun approach that’s been employed for so long. (Internet advertising has also taken a slice for sure, and continues to grow rapidly, although it is outwith the scope of this article

to discuss how people are finding or losing their feet there.)

What many advertisers are discovering is that specialist publications are offering the best of both worlds – a traditional advertising vehicle that can put their brand across to a prime, targeted audience. This shift to narrowcasting (as opposed to broadcasting) seems inevitable.

Robert Price, Chief Executive of Future UK, is quoted as saying: “Specialist magazines remain much more resilient than generalist titles to what is happening in the broader economy. People don’t give up their hobbies and passions easily, even in a downturn.

They stick to what they know and love.”

Smaller advertisers, who are far more sensitive to the return on their investment, have known for some time that niche titles have provided good ROI, whilst other, more general advertising approaches have failed.

The massive growth in this sector implies that even larger players in the industry are beginning to catch on.

To illustrate my point let me briefly explain one of my own titles, Able magazine.

Able is the most widely distributed disability lifestyle magazine in the UK, with an ABC verified circulation of slightly less that 32,000. That’s small beer by most national titles’ standards, but when we delve a little deeper we find some interesting facts.

Firstly, our readers are almost exclusively disabled themselves or care for a disabled

family member, friend or neighbour. Able obviously offers advertisers in this market unparalleled access to their core audience.

Secondly, over and above our strong (and growing) subscriber base, our controlled distribution network targets purely the disability sector. Shopmobility schemes, disability organisations, wheelchair service centres, disabled living centres, disabled resource centres, MS therapy centres, occupation therapy departments, spinal units, limb fitting centres, independent living centres and disability offices throughout the Jobcentre Plus network all receive copies.This offers our advertisers a focused market penetration that simply cannot be matched by the general media, or indeed a local branch of WHSmith.

If you have a product or service you want to take to the disability marketplace you would be hard pressed to find another platform as relevant or influential.

Advertising executives who continue to be tied to the ‘price per readership thousand’ that has traditionally dominated the industry are therefore running the risk of falling behind their competitors when it comes to capitalising on this market penetration.

Where once executives and agencies saw just smaller print runs and narrower distribution, they should now see minimal wastage, loyal subscribers and focused delivery.Where they see cost per reader they should ask: “What’s the quality of those readers?”

I have a vested interest in all this, of course,

What many advertisers are discovering is that specialist publications offer the best of both worlds but a quick glance at the state of the global industry and the way that specialist magazines are bucking the trend certainly seems to confirm my beliefs. At a time when most advertising markets are seeing a marked contraction in their sales, niche publications are growing faster than ever.

This is not my attempt to furnish you with a recession-busting plan. I believe that longer-term shifts in the marketplace will develop in the coming months and years, recession or not, and that these will require new ways of thinking. What the current economic downturn shares with its predecessors though, is that if you fail to embrace the opportunities it brings, others may well come along and steal your market share from right under your nose. n

15

Dange red tape Does the Government really understand the needs and concerns of publishing businesses? Paul Begley takes a look at recent legislation‌ and fears not 16 Limited Edition

a

s a small business-to-business publisher, 55 North faces the same challenges that a lot of small employers in Scotland face on a daily basis. They are not specific to the publishing industry and similar concerns have been raised by many business organisations ranging from the CBI to the FSB in the past.

In recent years, there has been a marked shift in the Government’s position regarding business, from largely laissez-faire and selfregulation, to a more intrusive, hands-on approach. Whilst this may been necessary in some areas, it appears recently to have become all-consuming.

At a UK level this can be seen in the introduction and then regular increases in the national minimum wage. Also, the introduction of child tax credit, working tax credit, student loans etc., all of which are now collected via the PAYE system, are an extra administrative burden on small companies who are now effectively doing the work of the Department of Work & Pensions among others.

Other legislation, well-intended as it may have been, has proven to be completely inadequate when it comes to helping small business. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act (1998) was intended to help companies to be paid more promptly. In our experience, it has had little or no effect as it requires the supplier (us) to levy and then attempt to recover these charges (as we are entitled to do) from late paying customers. It is obvious to all concerned that the person who drafted this piece of legislation had little understanding of the commercial

er realities of a company with a turnover of approximately £1m trying to charge interest and a late payment fee to a FTSE 100 monolith.

This is exacerbated by these multi-national companies arbitrarily demanding variations Paul Begley to our standard Terms and Conditions of BusiCommercial Director ness which includes 55 north 30-days payment. This happened yet again recently when a FTSE 100 company – whose last set of accounts showed turnover in excess of £10bn and operating profits of over £2bn – wrote to us demanding that we accept 60 days payment terms – effectively ‘take it or leave it’!

cashflow crises We cannot afford to fall foul of these organisations so we simply have to acquiesce and accept their terms. The net effect is further pressure on our credit facilities as we effectively finance their cashflow. When this is added to the rising defaults and failures caused by the ‘credit crunch’, it is putting an intolerable strain on small businesses. As a lot of small firms are unable to obtain further credit due to the banking crisis, the inevitable outcome of all of this is small business failures on a large scale. What then for the health of the economy?

Leaving aside the UK national issues, our business and its success is inexorably linked to the health of the business sectors that our publications serve: local retailing,

licensed trade, electrical contracting and direct marketing. Approximately 70% of the 26,000 magazines we mail each month go directly to small businesses, so if they suffer, so do we. tough times for pubs One of the sectors that has been hardest hit is the Scottish licensed trade. I don’t think that I am exaggerating when I say that the birth of the Scottish Parliament has been nothing short of disastrous for this sector.

Since devolution, Scotland’s licensed trade has changed shape dramatically and irreversibly, and pubs which once thrived are now struggling to make ends meet, with an average net loss of three pubs per week in the second half of 2008. The infamous ban on smoking in public places has led to the closure of many businesses, no matter the commendable reasons for its introduction.

Many pubs have struggled since 26 March 2006, and were dealt a further blow with the

We cannot afford to fall foul of these organisations so we simply have to have to acquiesce and accept their terms

introduction of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Currently the country’s licensed trade is coming to the end of a transition period which has seen every licensed premise in Scotland having to apply for a new licence to trade.What was supposed to simplify legislative matters for the trade has made them far more complex and the prohibitive expense of entering the new system has been a major factor in 18% of premises failing to meet their own deadline for application. By forcing licensees to spend thousands of pounds on architect and solicitor bills, on top of the costs of the application fee – which itself caused condemnation from all quarters of the industry – the Scottish Government has left one of the country’s most recognised and lauded industries permanently scarred.

But it has not rested on its laurels. A recently published consultation document could see the introduction of a Social Responsibility Fee – something that would see many licensed premises paying the price for cleaning up streets and policing costs following anti-social behaviour, with no proof of where the culprits became intoxicated.This Fee has yet to be confirmed, but with the SNP administration’s treatment of the pub trade since it came to power, many industry experts see it as a foregone conclusion.

As a proud Scot who was largely prodevolution, I sincerely hope that the Scottish Government is ultimately proven to have been beneficial to Scotland, the Scottish economy and small Scottish businesses like 55 North. However, until we stop drafting ill-conceived legislation as a means of justifying Holyrood’s existence, small businesses should be on their guard. n

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Level playing field ...or lottery?

Scotland’s public sector publishes hundreds of magazines. But how effective are the procurement processes used to choose the agencies? Three leading publishers discuss

o

ne media sector that appears well placed to ride out the recession is customer magazine publishing. A report published by Mintel in January 2009, predicted that the industry across the UK will grow by 15% to ÂŁ1.1bn by 2012. Much of this success is down to the compelling evidence that magazines can make far more cost-effective marketing tools than advertising or direct mail.

However, the predominance of public sector organisations in Scotland means that most publishing contracts here are awarded via open tenders organised by procurement departments.

But do these procurement methods really ensure that the client secures best value? And if not, how could the process be improved? Alan Ramsay and John Innes discuss, whilst Fraser Allen explores the power of magazines as marketing tools.

19

Alan Ramsay dep. managing director connect communications

Always challenge the process

Quite simply, Connect Communications wouldn’t have enjoyed the growth it has in 10 years without winning contracts from the public sector – the backbone of our business. So, we’re gluttons for tenders.

Well, maybe that’s taking it to the extreme, but we view public sector tenders not only as a great opportunity to grow our business and take our award-winning publications to wider audiences, but to keep us on our toes creatively.

After all, contracts tend to come around every two to three years and, where we’re the incumbent, it’s the opportunity to evolve the products and develop the relationship even further.

For example, we’ve now worked with the City of Edinburgh Council for nine years, most recently winning a third tender in 2008. Even in the public sector you cannot underestimate the power of a strong client/agency relationship.

But for every contract we are awarded there are plenty more opportunities out there that: • We are not aware of • We’re occasionally precluded from on the basis of not satisfying a particular term or condition • Have errors in them or are not aimed at our sector.

Let me tackle each point Firstly, awareness. I commend the Scottish Government’s move to market all opportunities via one portal (www.publiccontractsscotland.

gov.uk). While it’s early days, it does seem to be doing its job well.

A number of opportunities have already been aimed at our industry, especially contract publishing.

Let’s have more where that came from please.

Secondly – preclusion. We fully support any initiative that protects the environment. But being precluded because your business doesn’t have a formal EMS (Environment Management Standard), even somewhere in the supply chain, doesn’t stack up.

We have our own specific environment policy that not only outlines what we do day to day to reduce our carbon footprint, but also promotes the work we do with our clients to lessen their footprints too.

It appears that this may not be good enough. Many SMEs, especially those in our industry, don’t invest in such initiatives. We cannot legislate for this and nor should we be punished for it.

Finally – errors. The bureaucratic process of tendering can sometimes frustrate, especially when invitation to tender documents (ITTs) contain clauses that have no real relevance to our industry. Because of the wider move to standardise ITTs, we also come across errors from time to time. On both fronts, we took heart from a recent procurement event where a speaker from the public sector told the audience to “always challenge the tender documents you get as we recognise that not all are appropriate to your specific sector”.

An honest and fair point and one we as an industry should heed!

We wouldn’t have enjoyed the growth we have without winning contracts from the public sector 20

Limited Edition

Intelligent Design In ten years, Think has grown from a small publishing operation with one magazine, to become one of the 15 largest agencies in the UK, with offices in London and Glasgow.

Over that time we have participated in tenders on pretty much a weekly basis. We’ve seen them work well, broadening our clients’ pool of suppliers and improving value for money, but we’ve also seen instances where they fail spectacularly, resulting in poor work and needlessly high price tags.

Last year we were invited to

d

on’t you just love magazines? You know you do. You’re reading this for a start. Magazines make great companions.

They entertain, they tell you stuff you’re interested in – and they fit in your bag. Bingo!

But could you say the same for advertising? For instance, do people look forward to and enjoy reading poster ads? No – of course not. Not unless they’re mad, or work in advertising.

Ads work, but on a different level. And the same applies to other marketing media. Do people rush home to spend an evening reading eagerly anticipated direct mail? Unlikely.

It is this compelling attraction that people have towards magazines that has enabled them to develop into hugely popular and effective marketing tools. Organisations of all shapes and sizes, in the private, public and voluntary sectors, have realised that they can capture the attention of their target audience much better if they provide them with a genuinely interesting magazine.

Need evidence? Outside the internet, customer magazine publishing is the only major form of marketing that is continuing to grow. Despite the recession, ABC figures released in February 2009 show that circulation figures for customer magazines rose by 16% in the previous six months.

Research from Mintel now values the UK customer magazine publishing industry at £904m, and predicts it will

participate in a tender by a Londonbased governmental organisation.

The project was designed to appoint a supplier to produce a monthly publication for the civil servants working within an industrial sector. The tender process was run through an online system, which called for potential applicants to answer questions on a range of financial and organisational topics.

However, with a system designed for the purchase of widgets and sprockets it was almost completely unsuited to describing the job in hand or allowing participants to demonstrate a creative approach to the project. Unable to describe either our costs or creative ideas satisfactorily, we took the decision to withdraw from participation.

Without a doubt, the tenders

Fraser ALLEN

that work best in the private sector are the ones that start with the purchaser choosing a selection of companies they like the look of, and then embarking on a process of questions, costings and presentations. The purchaser is able to mould the process to their specific requirements and the agencies can respond in a thoughtful, tailored manner to the task in hand.

Ultimately the purchaser is then able to choose not only the company that they think can produce the best work, but also the one that has demonstrated an understanding and affinity with the target audience.

Of course, we understand the considerations that influence governmental organisations in their tendering requirements, and appreciate that all supplier contracts

john innes managing director think publishing scotland

Why is customer magazine publishing such a growth area?

Fraser Allen reports

managing director white light media

grow to £1.1bn by 2012. In a difficult economy, this represents an area in which the Scottish publishing sector can achieve genuine growth. The biggest magazine publishing agencies are based in London, but within PPA Scotland we have highly capable agencies such as CMYK, Connect Communications and Think Publishing Scotland. My own company, White Light Media, was ranked the second fastest-growing magazine publishing agency anywhere in the UK in last year’s Marketing magazine.

So what do customer magazines achieve? Well, typical objectives might include: • Winning new customers • Promoting products • Up-selling and cross-selling • Building a brand • Capturing data • Catering for customers with special needs • Keeping customers informed

Read all about it

must start with a level playing field.

But too often, a one-size-fits-all approach leads to poor value for money, and the appointment of companies who look good on paper but are incapable of producing paper that looks good. Tenders that receive over 500 entries are in no one’s interest. Potential suppliers are wasting time developing ideas, and purchasing departments are devoting precious resources to assessing an avalanche of responses.

While subjectivity is a thorny issue in any tender process, in an industry where we are experts in motivating readers, grabbing the attention of the public, and communicating clearly, a little subjectivity can go a long way and in the end might just produce the best results.

Similar outcomes can be achieved for other target audiences, such as staff, alumni or stakeholders. And the magazine can be integrated very effectively with other marketing activity – particularly websites.

When these magazines are done well, everybody is a winner.The recipient receives something free that they enjoy and find useful. The publishing agency makes a living. And the client benefits significantly from the positive response that the magazine generates.

But to gain maximum value from customer magazines, clients do need a basic understanding of how they work and how they differ from other forms of design services.

As Alan and John have pointed out, that means developing more intelligent public sector procurement processes that have less of an emphasis on blindly minimising cost and risk, and more of an emphasis on securing return on investment.

Similarly, the fact that there is not one magazine publishing agency on the Scottish Government’s current design roster says more about the inherent shortcomings of that initiative than it does about the publishing expertise available.

People love magazines. And true marketing professionals understand how to take advantage of that. n • For more information, see the Association of Publishing Agencies website at www.apa.co.uk

21

Paint it

green Magazine publishers are making their contribution to good environmental practice. Charlotte McNeill sifts through the key issues – and debunks a few myths in the process

t

here’s nothing quite like getting something for nothing. That’s why even a paperback you know you’ll never read or a compilation CD can suddenly offer a strange appeal when fixed to the front cover of a glossy magazine. Free gifts can help boost sales of magazines and offer the customer a sense of added value.There is no harm in that, right? Not so, says John Sanderson, Director of Environmental Affairs for UK, UPM – one of the world’s leading forest industry groups and the leading producer of printing papers.

“The industry needs to ensure that it does not create barriers to the recyclability of magazines. Poly bagging, varnishes and some cover mounts can all jeopordise the sustainability of a magazine as the mix of materials used can make cost-effective recycling difficult and hamper the environmental sustainability of the paper cycle,” says John. “With the magazine industry, we have a basic product that is produced from a natural, renewable and recyclable material – what more could you want?”

Collaboration is key Pressure on publishers to fully realise their green potential has never been higher and, quite rightly, shows no signs of abating. UPM is not only witnessing an incremental rise in demand for environmentally responsible paper each year, but also for the scope of that responsibility to widen and for the interconnectedness of the issues surrounding sustainability to be recognised. “A decade ago, the main concern was about how paper was produced, bleaching methods and chemicals. Then it was what fibre was used. Now, carbon footprint is a hot topic,” says John. “To develop a sustainable paper and publishing industry, all aspects of paper production, print, distribution and how the customer uses the magazine must be considered.We need to look at all the issues together and collaborate with all industry stakeholders.”

Laudable advances have been made in sourcing raw material fibres from sustainable sources – from recycled fibre or virgin fibre from sustainably-managed forests – and some industry players are doing great work looking into the carbon footprint of the magazine production and consumption cycle. In fact, 56% of waste is recycled by the printing, publishing and recording industry.

“We participate in regulatory consultations, stakeholder groups for certification standards and direct dialogue with NGOs,” says John. “What both parties are trying to ensure is that wood products only originate from well-managed sources. Forests, and the raw material that can be harvested from them, are the very basis of our industry. If that resource is not managed sustainably, we don’t have a future.”

mental sustainability of digital magazines varies widely depending on how the reader uses the magazine. “A printed magazine has a set carbon footprint, which does not increase each time you open a page or pick it up to read someCharlotte thing. With an online McNeill, magazine, however, Editor white light media the carbon footprint increases each time you turn on your PC to download a page and – even more so if you print it off,” says John.

So what more could be done? The use of recycled paper remains relatively low in magazine production, so more research into improving recycling technology to increase the proportion of recycled paper that meets the grade for magazine production is crucial.

“Obtaining a quality stock with modern fibre recycling technology is possible, but the cost of doing so, on a large scale, is prohibitive owing to the additional costs of segregating the right quality of paper from the recov-

ered paper collection stream. The degree to which recovered fibre would have to be cleaned in order to reach the required quality also increases costs,” says John. “However, what is perhaps a more important goal is for all magazines to be recycled after use. We have to understand that the paper cycle is not sustainable without a continual input of virgin fibre from sustainable sources, and this fresh fibre has to enter the cycle somewhere.”

Don’t break the chain While the onus is on magazine publishers to ensure the environmental sustainability of the industry, some responsibility falls on the shoulders of magazine consumers. If a magazine isn't recycled after use, then the cycle is broken, and currently only around 30% of magazine readers do so. Publishers can help by making advice on recycling clearer. Indeed, avoiding the temptation to hide these details in tiny type could encourage a rise in the frequency of recycling among magazine readers. One thing is now certain: the environment is no longer an issue that any of us can choose to ignore. n

Case study: A green success London-based Haymarket became the first major UK publisher to obtain the ISO 14001 environmental standard in 2005. Can Scottish magazine publishers learn from their experience? Chris King, Haymarket’s Group Production Director, tells their story...

“Achieving ISO 14001 helped us to measure our environmental sustainability and set targets to reduce our carbon footprint. And winning the PPA Environmental Performance Award in 2006 recognised us for setting a precedent for other publishers. So far, 90% of our suppliers have also obtained ISO 14001 certification.

We have Chain of Custody, which means that all our paper is sourced from sustainable forests. Currently, two of our magazines are printed on recycled paper and we’re talking to our paper suppliers to build on this. We’re also striving to cut down on cover mounts. For instance, one of our titles is looking into removing its

cover-mounted CD and making it available as a free download instead.

Haymarket is calculating the carbon footprint of all its magazines and carbon consumption levels will be displayed on them. This is in line with the green commitment of retailers such as Tesco, who have started to carbon label products. We also plan to measure the carbon usage of our website and events, and reduce it every year.

Looking ahead, we hope to investigate the use of water-based cover varnishes, vegetable inks and more environmentally friendly glues. We’re also considering introducing green allowances for members of staff and magazines.

The environmental body of the PPA is working with a third party supplier to produce a carbon footprint calculator, which will be available to members this spring.

Access to tools like this, and the wealth of experience shared at its meetings, is a great starting point for anyone’s green journey and I recommend that all publishers take the time to avail themselves of it.”

Are pixels the future?

Going digital cuts out any adverse environmental impacts from paper production, print and distribution. However, the environ-

23

The letter of the law Economic pressures can exacerbate a fear of free speech amongst magazine publishers.

But Campbell Deane explains why the Law can help as well as hinder

24 Limited Edition

At a time when most business sectors are suffering from the economic downturn, the last thing that a publisher wants is to put his hand in his pocket over a stupid mistake. Whether it is publishing something defamatory, a breach of copyright or falling foul of the growing trend in privacy actions, the end result is normally at best a hefty legal bill. At worst, it can involve a sizeable payment in damages. Global recession isn’t a defence when it comes to the court’s assessment of damages.

There is always a tendency during downturn for publishers to become risk-averse.

What previously may have involved a view being taken as to the likelihood of being sued over a particular article, is now consigned to the philosophy of ‘it’s just not worth the risk’. It’s what is known as the chilling effect on freedom of expression. But that approach has its downside. The bottom line for some publications is simply that if they become more mundane, then they will no longer be attractive to their current readership. Sales are likely to fall. They certainly won’t increase.

In practical terms there is no need to adopt such a policy. One of the slogans used by my firm is: ‘Any fool can say that it is too risky to publish. The skill is to show the client how to make it possible.’ And it is possible.

There is very little that can’t be published provided appropriate checks are made.

These include contacting individuals for comment; considering the seriousness of the allegation; weighing up the public inter-

‘Any fool can say that it is too risky to publish. The skill is to show the client how to make it possible.’

And it is possible.

est; the source of the information; the steps to verify the information; the urgency of the matter and the tone of the article. Even if you publish something defamatory, the law still affords defences where correct journalistic practices were followed.

There are occasions where defamatory material is published. Getting advice on how to best extract oneself from that situation is vital.

It used to be that the courts considered the primary place of publication to be the vital ingredient when it came to jurisdiction. In other words, if you published in Edinburgh to a UK readership then you would be sued in Edinburgh.

That has all changed with the internet.

Any publisher with an online presence can be sued where the article is downloaded.

That can even be in a different continent. In most cases it tends to be in London, where libel damages tend to be higher.

Not only that, but unlike their Scottish counterparts, English solicitors can offer Conditional Fee Arrangements. By doing this they are able to recover from the publisher double their costs by way of uplift in the event of success. That tends to equate to £800 per hour.

The law does allow the publisher to correct its error provided it is prepared to apologise early and pay costs. By proceeding down what is known as the ‘offer of amends’ route, the publisher is entitled to a discount in relation to any compensation that requires to be paid. In some cases, discounts of up to 50% have been granted by the courts.

The same discounts do not apply to the developing law of privacy. But thankfully to date the courts have not let awards run wild. There is little doubt that this will prove a growing field for litigation in Scotland.

Privacy involves a two-fold test. Was there a reasonable expectation of privacy? If there was, then did the public interest outweigh it?

Each case is dependent on its own merits.

To date there has been no case in Scotland that has gone the distance so far as the assessment of damages is concerned, but in all likelihood comparison can be made with English cases, where with the exception of the highly publicised Max Moseley case, damages have tended to be set by the

court at no greater than £10,000.

There are times when errors in what is published can be beyond a publisher’s control. The author may simply have got some facts wrong. But there is one important Campbell resource over which Deane any employer retains Head of Media Law bannatyne kirkwood control - its employees. france & co.

There are many who will argue that your most important resources are your employees.

However, in any downturn of business, redundancies do become an issue.

The problem is that if experienced members of staff leave, then it is vital to seek protection from that employee using contacts in any future job that they may take – particularly in advertising. It is therefore essential to have in place employment contracts, and indeed restrictive covenants contained within employment contracts that deal with this situation.

Of course, restrictive covenants need to be valid. A publisher can’t stop a former employee from working in their industry, but they can stop them from picking up the phone to those people who they were dealing with when they were in their previous job, to solicit the same business. The problem is that if the restrictive covenant clause is badly drafted, the courts will simply not enforce it.

One clever mechanism employed is to put a clause in the employment contract that forces the employee to show the restrictive covenant to their new employer. By doing that, it allows for legal action to be taken against not only the former employee for breaching the covenant but also their new employer, (who will almost certainly be a competitor), if they choose to publish material which has been obtained in breach of the covenant.

Times may be tough for the industry but there is no reason why publishers should cut back for fear of legal reprisals.

Being fully informed of the law before publication remains best practice. n

25

Thank you to Allander Print for use of location.

Photography: David Anderson

where next for the printed word?

Robin Hodge pioneered listings magazines in Scotland by founding The List in 1985. Two decades on, the innovation continues as his team develops the magazine online.

Charlotte McNeill asks for his take on the future Is the Scottish magazine publishing industry in good shape?

It certainly is and I feel that there is a RH strong future ahead. The newspaper industry is being squeezed by the growth of the internet but print magazines have the advantage of co-existing more happily alongside the internet and digital publishing since they are more of a relaxed, leisure read than a newspaper, which is focused on delivering the latest news on a daily basis.

LE

How will the rise of digital media impact traditional print magazines?

I think that there will continue to be RH many circumstances where people will prefer to sit down and read something in print. People still enjoy looking at photos and well-illustrated articles, which will always work best in print. For instance, we launched an art magazine called Map a few years ago, which is currently on its 17th issue and performing well. It focuses on contemporary art from Scotland and across the world, and is a prime example of the benefit of a tangible product. Map just doesn’t work as well online as much of the visual impact is lost. We also recently launched The Midgie – a magazine for independent travellers in Scotland. It has a level of accessibility and engagement that only magazines can provide. Increasingly, print and digital media will work alongside each other.

What are your plans to develop the magazine online?

We see our entertainment listing activRH ities as having a very bright future in digital publishing, so as well as investing in maintaining and developing The List in print, and launching new titles, we have brought together a talented team to develop digital publishing for an increasing range of events, attractions and restaurants etc. for both the resident and visitor. This is proving very successful and we now receive around 450,000 unique monthly visitors to our main site. To an extent, The List in print will become more of a distillation – increasingly emphasising the key highlights, whilst the core information service will more and more be available online.

How do print and digital media complement one another?

It’s interesting because print and digiRH tal media both serve two different audiences and serve the same audience in two different ways.The key point is that print publications and digital services will co-exist

How does the magazine work in tandem with www.list.co.uk?

There are many examples. One where RH they work very well together is, when the magazine profiles a new band, we can provide a link to our website where readers can hear a clip and book gig tickets.

LE

robin hodge PUBLISHER the list

in the same way that print has continued alongside the growth of TV and radio for many decades. When well organised and approached correctly, they can complement and support one another in all sorts of interesting ways. The great thing about digital publishing is that there’s always capacity.

When we’re putting together The List in print, there is always more of interest to write about and more going on than there is page space. Digitally we have many more opportunities to cover more events, profile more bands, break more stories and deliver them in new ways.

LE

LE

LE

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Connecting in simple ways like this offers readers a fully integrated experience. The clever bit is linking it all together!

What changes have you witnessed in publishing in your career so far?

Opportunities have opened up steadily RH year-by-year over the past 20 years that I have worked in publishing. At the start of my career, big publishing groups tended to control the industry and they dominated both their local markets and the international market. Now, more and more opportunities are arising for innovative, new operations.This is partly owing to the advent of desktop publishing and new printing technology but, more recently, the big difference is due to the advent of digital publishing.

I also think that the importance of the media and culture in people’s lives has increased. For instance, in Edinburgh the Fringe has grown incredibly in the last 20 years and the number of festivals that take place across the country keeps rising every year.

The media is playing a big role in communicating and shaping that culture as evidenced by the growing number of media studies courses available in Scottish colleges and universities.

It has been really exciting witnessing how quickly the world has moved from traditional print to add websites, then blogs, and now social tools like Facebook and, most recently, Twitter. They have contributed enormously to how we communicate.

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Does Scotland have the expertise to succeed at digital publishing?

The magazine experience, editorial RH skill and expertise to research information, compile it and present words and pictures creatively to the reader is ideally suited to digital publishing and gives a head start to any organisation launching a digital operation. Scotland is lucky to have a wide range of creative talent among its writers, designers, photographers and great technological innovators. It is leading the way in many new technologies and the media is very active here. Companies like Rockstar North and Django Films are major players in the game and animation industries for instance.

As with anything else in life, to succeed in any branch of publishing you need to have lots of good ideas, plus talent, expertise and determination. If you have all of those and a little luck along the way, chances are you’ll go far.

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What magazines stand out from the competition right now?

On an international level, relaRH tively new print publications like Monocle are very ambitious, imaginative and

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successful. Its creative approach to reporting on international affairs, business, culture and design across the globe is a prime example of what can be achieved with enough talent and vision.

Here in Scotland, a lot of exciting things are also happening. Clash magazine has a really innovative approach and the high quality of its design and editorial is well matched with its publishing flair. Despite their other problems, the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Sense magazine has one of the highest circulations of all UK customer magazines and sets a great example to others in this market.

What challenges are publishers currently facing?

Environmental concerns are rising on RH everyone’s agenda, and, quite rightly, wastage and inefficiencies in the industry are being attacked. We’re keen to increase the use of recycled paper in our publications and I think that the market for recycled paper still has a long way to go. Further research in this area would be welcomed.

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Trendsetters Monocle

Launched in February 2007, Monocle serves an international readership interested in current affairs, business, culture and design.

Headquartered in London with offices in Tokyo, Sydney, Zürich and New York, Monocle is published 10 times a year in print and is updated constantly at monocle.com. Monocle is both highly portable and collectable thanks to its compact and robust design. Writers and photographers are dispatched to over 50 countries to research every issue.

If you could change one thing in the industry for the better, what would it be?

I have two things to change! Firstly, it is RH a question of the strength of local media and local businesses being recognised.We enjoy great relationships with many of our retailers but it can sometimes be difficult getting larger retail chains to appreciate the need to stock local titles and give them prominence on their displays.

Similarly, there is a need for London agencies to recognise the role local titles play. The most powerful way to reach the Scottish market is via a Scottish publication.

And secondly, I would like the public sector in Scotland to find more ways to work with Scottish publishers and make the most of our expertise. We can help communicate effectively to a large audience.

Shortlist

What’s the general outlook moving forward?

There are many pressures on the media RH world at the moment and the eventual stabilisation of the economy will be a great relief to everyone as uncertainty is shaking people’s confidence. But I can see a bright future. I think that digital publishing houses currently still in infancy will grow strongly alongside traditional print.

Ongoing technological change keeps the industry exciting. Lots of opportunities remain for new print publications and there are also very great opportunities for digital publishing, and to expand via all channels of the media. There are many opportunities out there to be explored for those with vision and flair, and we have a team here at The List already well underway. n

Total Film

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When it first hit the streets of the UK in September 2007, Shortlist became an instant success.

Now, the free weekly men’s magazine is outperforming its paid-for competitors with a 28% slice of the men’s magazine market. A clever mix of entertainment, news, style, gadgets and humour sees an average of 505,970 copies of the magazine snapped up every week, making it a hit among premium advertisers such as Clinique, BMW and O2.

The Bath-based magazine, Total Film celebrated its 150th issue in style in December 2008. Its cover star, the iconic Terminator robot, was selected to promote the upcoming release of Terminator Salvation in May 2009. Complete with two flashing red LED lights, the eyes of the Terminator light up with its familiar red stare – a prime example of how print magazines incorporate new technology.

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the next generation?

If you had any doubts about the passion and talent young people have for magazines, think again.

The Scottish School Magazine Competition shows the potential.

Kathy Crawford reports

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hat better way to bring on the next generation of editors, designers and feature writers than by offering them an opportunity to showcase their creative talents? Why? Because we believe it is important to capture the interest and enthusiasm of young people before they take decisions about college and university courses. It makes sense that PPA, the association for the magazine publishing industry, should be at the helm of a project to nurture new publishing talent.

And so a competition, aimed specifically at Scottish secondary school pupils, was launched in 2006 by PPA Scotland. Through this competition, young people are given the opportunity to discover the thrill and satisfaction of seeing their work in print, regardless of how simple or flamboyant the end result is.We help pupils gain an insight into the exciting world of publishing and encourage schoolleavers to consider the magazine industry as a career choice.The aims and objectives of the competition are to: • Improve literacy, design and business skills • Promote collaboration between departments within schools • Raise awareness and understanding of the skills required by the magazine industry • Provide work experience opportunities • Reward the winning entries and acknowledge their achievements Are we achieving our objectives? Absolutely. During the first three years of the competition, 170 schools registered to enter.

Participating schools clearly understand the link between school work in the classroom and the skills required for future business opportunities. Many entries display innovative commercial awareness and all of them work hard to create publications of a very high standard. Publishers and industry suppliers have wholeheartedly embraced the competition. Determined to Succeed, the Scottish Government’s strategy for enterprise in education, has supported the competition from the outset.

Sponsorship and endorsement has come from Times Educational Supplement Scotland, Quark Systems, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, Menzies Distribution, Matthew Ball Design and Trader Media Print Group. Leading Scottish magazine publishers such as DC Thomson, Pinpoint Scotland, White Light Media, Craven Publishing, The List, Clash Music and Holyrood Communications are major sponsors. Many members of PPA Scotland, including Newsquest (Herald & Times) and Fusion Flowers, have provided mentoring, talks and presentations, work experience, factory visits and photo-shoot

opportunities. The 2007 and 2008 award ceremonies took place in the inspirational surroundings of The Scottish Parliament with the Minister for Schools and Skills as guest of honour on both occasions.

Representatives from kathy the overall winning crawford schools attended the ppa scotland business manager annual Scottish Magazine Awards as guests of PPA Scotland. For the 2009 event, a new Magazine Morning & Exhibition has been set up prior to the award ceremony, bringing together publishers and industry suppliers to provide information about the ‘next step’ for pupils.

So the publishing and printing community is lending its weight to the success of the competition – but what happens after that? Where do students go to learn more?

Where are the courses in magazine publishing within further and higher education in Scotland? They are hard to find.

This country’s future depends on young people with positive attitudes and good core skills Magazines are part and parcel of our private and public lives. There are thousands of them – yet it would appear that learning how to write and create a commercially sound publication, which is successfully marketed and distributed, is left to chance. In order for the next generation to take their place in the magazine world, we need to work together to provide a stimulating and relevant environment for them to flourish and much of that will fall on the shoulders of further education establishments.

There are superb journalism, creative and media courses available – and the word ‘journalist’ is liberally scattered throughout the prospectuses of a dozen or so further education establishments in Scotland. But who is providing an holistic approach to the teaching of magazine publishing? There are no Scottish universities or colleges running Periodicals Training Council (PTC) accredited courses but there are around 12

universities in England which are. Clearly this is a situation that needs to be addressed and two of Scotland’s leading universities, Stirling and Edinburgh Napier, which do run courses in journalism and publishing, are evaluating how changes might be made to include more magazine modules. Both universities are very supportive of the school magazine project.

Jenny McKay, Director of Stirling University’s undergraduate Journalism Programme is a regular judge of the school competition and has long been a champion of magazine journalism and publishing in higher education throughout the UK. She outlined the problem in an article called ‘The Invisible Journalists’ for Media Education Journal.

“More journalists work for magazines than newspapers in the UK. Career prospects are good, career development and training much more systematic and professional than in many, if not most, newspaper organisations, and salaries, particularly at the entry and middle level, considerably better. Why is it, then, that magazine journalism and the magazine industry attract so little attention from outside?

“Universities, colleges and even schools now regularly teach courses which include journalism whether as a training in how to do journalism, for those who want careers as journalists, or as a field of study and intellectual inquiry in its own right. Yet newspapers and broadcast news are invariably the focus of attention. It’s almost as if magazines didn’t exist in the eyes of academic and journalist media commentators. Even more surprisingly, those who train journalists in colleges and universities tend to ignore the periodicals sector too.”

Magazines are an important part of communication for all of us, bringing information, entertainment and points of view and encouraging contact and action concerning the things that matter around us. The magazine industry in Scotland is thriving, contributing around £157m to the Scottish economy so we need to work harder at raising its profile and supporting it – and we need to create the right courses for students to learn those ‘next steps’.

This country’s future depends on young people with positive attitudes and good core skills; who understand about business and entrepreneurship; who are eager to benefit from lifelong learning which starts in the classroom.

As we gear up to launch an even bigger and better competition for 2010, we invite you to get involved. Why not work with us to put something back into the community, engage with secondary school pupils about careers and opportunities and take some practical steps to build corporate responsibility into the way we work? n

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trust me I’m a journalist

Mandy Rhodes peeks into a Holyrood bar to explore the complex relationship between politicians and journalists t a recent party political conference I overheard a prominent political journalist bemoan the fact that there were no political magazines in Scotland. I found this surprising for two reasons. For one, I obviously edit one – and secondly, he was speaking at a fringe event that my esteemed organ was sponsoring, had its branding everywhere and had supplied the drink for.

And perhaps that’s where the problem lies; when you add alcohol into the heady mix of media and politics, fact and fiction sometimes blur. Look around the bars and restaurants that surround the Scottish Parliament and invariably you will find MSPs and journalists supping from the same trough.

Journalists and politicians make natural but intrinsically wrong bedfellows. Both are obsessed with the world, politics and themselves – and each feed from each other.

In general, they enjoy each other’s company because it’s a mutually fulfilling relationship based on a symbiotic need to tell tales and boost egos. But ask David McLetchie whether he would go for a drink again with the reporter that exposed the little mistake in his taxi claims and you may find the response surprising.

Holyrood is a bit too cosy and that’s why when that relationship splinters, people feel abused and hurt.

When I wrote an interview up with Wendy Alexander that failed to hide my impatience with the fact that she had told me one thing and then done another, I was called a ‘bitch’ by one of her appartchiks. She on the other hand was told not to read the offending piece in case it hurt her.

Tell me, which one of these sentences do you believe? Trust me, I’m a journalist or trust me, I’m a politician? The chances are that you will answer in the negative to both and yet the reality is that there are many good politicians and many fine journalists, but they are operating in a world where not

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only do they have to cosy up but also one where they can’t really trust each other.

As a result, life can be confusing for both and problems occur when the relationship gets too close, a line is crossed mandy rhodes about impartiality and the tail begins to wag the holyrood magazine dog. I can’t tell you the editor number of times MSPs will ask me how I think their party is performing or how I think they should vote on a particular issue or whether I think they did the right thing.

The Scottish Parliament is still a relatively new institution. Ten years isn’t such a long time and within that decade we have had a sea-change in terms of governance, we have witnessed a building fraught with scandal about soaring costs, the death of a First Minister, the resignation of another, a whole plethora of changes at the top, particularly in the Labour Party, the odd expenses scandal and then a veritable shift of political power as the SNP was elected to lead a minority

Look around the bars that surround the Parliament and invariably you will find MSPs and journalists supping from the same trough

Government. Amid all of this shifting sand the political hack pack has had to forge relationships and remain impartial.

The currency of a journalist is the value of his or her sources. Those sources, whether they are politicians, researchers or more often the waitress in the private member’s restaurant, have to be fed, watered and nurtured and have to be absolutely reliable. One of the assets and problems of the People’s Parliament for journalists is its openness and accessibility. People are too close, relationships too incestuous and people can see who is talking to whom and sidle over to listen in.

Maybe that’s why there have been no great stories to come out of Holyrood, nothing to rock the world or bring down a Government.

Surely it can’t be that Scottish politicians are more honourable than others, or our system whiter than white?

Yes, there have been minor expenses misdemeanours but in the greater scheme of things they could be seen as a muddle rather than a fiddle. If the biggest scandal to come out of Holyrood is the fact that politicians may bend the truth a little, then surely nobody is going to make a headline out of that. Oh, they already have!

So yes, we do have a political magazine in Scotland that reports what goes on rather than expose what does not. I recently interviewed the lovely Alex Fergusson, the Presiding Officer, and was anxious to know whether or not he had liked the resulting article. He ‘ummed’ and ‘ahed’ a bit and said he wasn’t sure because he hadn’t expected me to quote so much of him verbatim.

Although disappointed not to be showered in praise for my reporting skills, I took it as a back handed compliment that if the only complaint from a politician is the amount of accuracy you bring to the table, then perhaps we are getting relations just right. n

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We asked people across Scotland’s magazine publishing industry for a wishlist of things they would like to see changed to help their businesses make an even more positive contribution to the Scottish economy.

Here are just some of their ideas…

If we could make

one wish...

Retail distribution “It is very difficult for independent Scottish publishers to stake a claim to space on shop shelves in Scotland because some of the big retail multiples do not think of Scotland as a country but as a region. In today’s fragile business climate, that becomes a political problem – and one that needs intervention, sooner rather than later.”

Advertising “The Scottish Government should issue guidance to the various advertising agencies they use to consider magazines for campaign advertising. On many occasions, the magazines have an almost 100% readership interest in the subject, providing much better targeting and value for money than newspapers.”

Tom Lovering, PSP Publishing (see p12)

Alistair Vallance, KAV Publicity

Education & training “More journalists work for magazines than newspapers in the UK. Why is it, then, that magazine journalism attracts so little attention from outside? Universities, colleges and even schools now regularly teach courses that include journalism – yet newspapers and broadcast news are invariably the focus of attention. It’s almost as if magazines don’t exist in the eyes of academics. Let’s change that.”

Late payment “The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act (1998) has had little or no effect as it requires the supplier (us) to levy and then attempt to recover these charges from late paying customers. A company with a turnover of approximately £1m trying to charge interest and a late payment fee to a FTSE 100 monolith may sound great in theory but simply doesn’t work in practice.”

Paul Begley, 55 North (see p16)

Jenny McKay, Director of Stirling University’s

Business support “Support for small business development in Scotland is patchy at best with certain areas able to access greater resources than others. Surely a more uniform approach could be adopted? Our company wants to expand yet we find that we are precluded from financial support due to our location.”

Public sector procurement Public sector tender documents can be so impenetrable and vary so wildly in what they request that it’s hard to know what they are really looking for or whether you are even eligible. And when they are openly advertised, so many agencies respond that it becomes a lottery. The system of invited tenders, where a shortlist of appropriate publishers is asked to submit proposals is better for everyone – particularly the client.

Alison Bradley, Fusion Flowers

Neil Braidwood, CMYK

undergraduate Journalism Programme (see p30)

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Scottish magazine publishing punches well above its weight.

It promotes communication and literacy. It enriches the culture of the nation. And it provides an important boost to the entrepreneurial growth of the economy.

We can help to make a really positive contribution to the future of the Scottish nation. Make use of us.” limited edition magazine 2009

What do you wish for?

Post your thoughts and comments at www.ltdedition.org

PPA promotes, protects advises the magazine PPAand promotes, protects business and publishing advises the and magazine media and industry. publishing business media industry

PPA is one of the UK’s leading trade with a formidable PPA isassociations, one of the UK’s leading trade associations, with formidable lobbying reputation fora successful reputation for successful lobbying on behalf of its members.

Threats to on behalf of its members.

Threats advertising revenue; threats of VAT on to advertising revenue; threats of printed content; threats to intellectual VAT on printed content; threats to property and editorial freedom – all of intellectual property and editorial these and more and are part PPA’s activity. freedom – all of these moreofare part of PPA’s activity.

about ppa about PPA In a rapidly changing media landscape, In a rapidly changing media landscape, PPA has the skills to guide the industry PPA has the skills to guide the industry through legal and regulatory minefields, and through legal and regulatory minefields, and totoprotect protectit itfrom fromunintended unintended consequences consequences of initiatives from and Westminster. of initiatives from Brussels Brussels and Westminster.

Additionally, Additionally, PPA is a superb networking PPA is a superb networking organisation, organisation, through which members gain through which members gain mutual mutual support,and information and advice. And support, information advice. And PPA supports theand skills and revenue of the PPA supports the skills revenue of industry through a comprehensive training the industry through a comprehensive training programme,and andthrough throughconstant monitoring programme, constant monitoring of advertising of advertising agency payment performance. agency payment performance.

PPA’s membership consists of around 350

PPA’s membership consists of publishing companies who together publish around 350 publishing companies more than 2,500over consumer, who together publish 2,500 customer, business and professional magazines, plus a consumer, customer, business and large range of online services professional magazines, a large rangeand directories of online servicestoand directories in in addition organising conferences, addition to organising conferences, exhibitions, awards and other events. exhibitions, awards and other events.

For more information visit For more information visitwww.ppa.co.uk www.ppa.co.uk

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