THE publishing game has been a tough one these past few years as anyone involved in the trade will be only too well aware.
As often as I'll sit here tapping away at my keyboard preaching about those awful people doing horrible things to their loyal staff, it has never escaped my attention that my own small company foundered in such turbulent times too.
I can sit with a good quality malt in my hand, shaking my first and cursing at Sir Fred Goodwin and Royal Bank of Scotland or scowl and grind my teeth as people finally switch onto the idea that the web, video and digital magazines really are part of publishing's future.
It doesn't change the fact that, ultimately, it just never worked.
Yet in spite of it all, I still draw plenty of positives, not least the new experiences, contacts and friendships created, and of course the hard copies of the finished products which still clutter up my office at home.
Among the more special moments was when we were nominated for not one but three awards in our first year of trying at the PPA Scotland gongs, winning one outright and finishing runner-up in the other two.
There was excitement again last year when another nomination followed, giving us a good night to bow out on, if no gong that time around.
And, despite having now moved onto other projects, I couldn't help but want to see this year's nominees for the PPA Scotland Scottish Magazine Awards.
After all, Scotland still has a thriving publishing scene with more than 700 magazine titles from 195 or so publishing houses generating in the region of £157m a year to the Scottish economy.
For the 98 listed here who have made it to the shortlist for this year's final – the range and diversity of the publications, and the high quality of the work involved, remains something not just to be proud of, but to celebrate too.
The nominees for the PPA Scotland Scottish Magazine Awards dinner being held at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on November 26 are:
Best online presence
• CA Magazine Online / Connect Communications
• Scotland’s New Homebuyer / Pinpoint Scotland
• Scottish Field / Special Publications
• Scottish Wedding Directory / Scottish Wedding Directory
• The List / The List
• Times Educational Supplement Scotland / TSL Education
Best magazine design: business & professional
• Cardiology News / Pinpoint Scotland
• Discover NLS / Think Scotland
• Experience / Think Scotland
• FYi / CMYK Design
• Private Word / Editions Publishing
• Unfiltered / Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Best magazine design: consumer
• Able / Craven Publishing
• Scotland Outdoors / CMYK Design
• Scottish Wedding Directory / Scottish Wedding Directory
• The Big Issue Scotland / The Big Issue Scotland
• The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• The List / The List
Best small publishing company magazine
• East Lothian Life / PJ Design
• Fusion Flowers / Fusion Flowers
• Leopard / MacAber Investments
• One Magazine / Polwarth Publishing
• Scotland in Trust / CMYK Design
• Scotland Outdoors / Big Bend Publishing
Brand development
• Dumfries & Galloway Life / CN Magazines
• The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• The List / The List
Business & professional magazine of the year
• CA Magazine / Connect Communications
• Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
• Public Servant Scotland / PSCA International
• Scottish Local Retailer / 55 North
• Surgeons’ News / Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
• The Scottish Farmer / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
Columnist of the year
• Jim Perrin / The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• Mandy Rhodes / Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
• Neil Patterson / Fly Fishing & Fly Tying / Rolling River Publications
• Roddy Woomble / The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• Ron Ferguson / Life & Work / Church of Scotland
Consumer magazine of the year
• Dumfries & Galloway Life / CN Magazines
• Scottish Field / Special Publications
• Scottish Wedding Directory / Scottish Wedding Directory
• The Big Issue Scotland / The Big Issue Scotland
• The List / The List
Consumer specialist magazine of the year
• Able / Craven Publishing
• End of Term / Craven Publishing
• Fly Fishing & Fly Tying / Rolling River Publications
• Fusion Flowers / Fusion Flowers
• The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
Customer magazine of the year
• Aurora / CMYK Design
• Connected / White Light Media
• Discover NLS / Think Scotland
• Equiniti / White Light Media
• Stirling Focus / Stirling Council
• Venturer / Scottish Equity Partners
Editor of the year: business & professional
• Alasdair Fletcher / The Scottish Farmer / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• Daniel Lambie / Teaching Scotland; Land Business / Connect Communications
• Mandy Rhodes / Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
• Maureen Ferrier / Public Servant Scotland / PSCA International
• Neil Munro / Times Educational Supplement Scotland / TSL Education
• Peter Nicholson / Journal of the Law Society of Scotland / Connect Communications
Editor of the year: consumer
• Andrea Thomson / Dumfries & Galloway Life / CN Magazines
• Cameron McNeish / The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• James Glasgow / Able; End of Term; Civvy Street / Craven Publishing
• Paul McNamee / The Big Issue Scotland / The Big Issue Scotland
Feature writer of the year: business & professional
• Andrew Beach / Unfiltered / Scotch Malt Whisky Society
• Henry Hepburn / Times Educational Supplement Scotland / TSL Education
• Katie Mackintosh / Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
• Patsy Hunter / The Scottish Farmer / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• Rory Cahill / Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
• William Peakin / Holyrood / Holyrood Communications
Feature writer of the year: consumer
• Adam Forrest / The Big Issue Scotland / The Big Issue Scotland
• Claire Sawers / The List / The List
• Ed Douglas / The Great Outdoors / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• Jackie Macadam / Life & Work / Church of Scotland
• Lori Anderson / Scottish Woman / Haxton Marketing
Member magazine of the year
• Historic Scotland / Think Scotland
• Life & Work / Church of Scotland
• Off the Run / Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service
• Scotland in Trust / CMYK Design
• Scottish Wildlife / Scottish Wildlife Trust
• Surgeons’ News / Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
Publisher of the year
• Antony Begley / 55 North
• Darren Bruce / Newsquest (Herald & Times)
• John Innes / Think Scotland
• Steve Craven / Craven Publishing
Sales performance of the year
• Able / Advertising team
• Craven Publishing / Advertising team
• Dumfries & Galloway Life / Advertising team
• End of Term / Neil Millar
• The Great Outdoors / Ronnie Dodd & Louise Jane MacDonald
• The Scottish Farmer / Supplier Awards
Staff magazine of the year
• Courier North / Engage Group
• Lifetimes / White Light Media
• Pulse / Taste Design
• SFR News / Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service
• Slainte / NHS Western Isles
• Standard / Standard Life
2009 Scottish magazine of the year
Will be selected from category winners and announced at the end of the award ceremony
Good luck to one and all.
Categories: Awards
Leave a comment?