This week, I had the opportunity to attend the Scottish Book Trade Conference 2026. A talk which particularly spoke to me was “Authors first – making time to take care”. Chaired by Vikki Reilly, she expressed how:

“There has very much been a call to demystify the publishing process […] it’s very difficult for people outside of the industry to even begin to understand the processes involved.” (Reilly, 2026).

This was the central point of discourse amongst the speakers. Two ideas, really. Firstly, the need to demystify; secondly, making this process possible by emphasising a “respect for communication.” This was something that Mary Paulson-Ellis, chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, flagged. Paulson-Ellis outlined the three founding principles of the SOA: transparency, support and inclusion and respect for communication; underscoring that “these are what matter most to authors.” The SOA was founded in 1884 and is the UK’s largest trade union for writers, illustrators and translators.

As someone who is not a writer, I had never thought about the need for, or the possibilities of, author care practice, and did not realise that trade unions existed for writers. Paulson-Ellis points to the crucial role that unions play in helping the industry thrive, arguing that these principles should be practised across all areas of publishing.

Demonstrating the practicalities of this, Hope Ndaba, Creative Communications Consultant, spotlighted how there are times within a publishing house that it is only discovered once a press release is put out, that the editorial and publicity + marketing teams, respectively, are promoting “two very different books” – a tragedy which could have been avoided with more “respect for communication”. While the audience and I laughed at this, thanks to Ndaba’s light-hearted touch in relaying such unfortunate occurrences, it certainly underscored why the SOA’s three principles are so essential to publishers’ success.

Moreover, while effective communication across teams in a publishing house is essential, getting to know your author is just as important. Ndaba has over seven years of experience in publishing communications and spoke about the crucial link of communication between the publicity team and the author, citing the difficult task of “preparing authors for the fact that once the book hits the bookshelf, it is no longer their baby.” What happens after a book is published is largely out of the publisher’s control. The review stage can be very anxiety-inducing for authors, and Ndaba stresses that authors need to be media-trained and informed about how “media outlets are allied to their audiences, not necessarily the publisher and the author”, and therefore not a personal attack when negative reviews occur.

This talk was certainly one of the more enlightening panels of the day. Discovering that trade unions exist for writers was a happy discovery! The camaraderie and understanding among the four panellists were evidently present and made for a very insightful and hope-inducing experience for those like me who wish to enter the industry.

Bibliography:

Ndaba, H. 2026. ‘Author Care -making the time to take care.’ The Scottish Book Trade Conference, Edinburgh, 13th May 2026.

Paulson-Ellis, M. 2026. ‘Author Care -making the time to take care.’ The Scottish Book Trade Conference, Edinburgh, 13th May 2026.

Reilly, V. 2026. ‘Author Care -making the time to take care.’ The Scottish Book Trade Conference, Edinburgh, 13th May 2026.

Images:

Kiely, L. 2026. ‘Author Care -making the time to take care.’ The Scottish Book Trade Conference, Edinburgh, 13th May 2026.