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.
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 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 university-leavers 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 distrib-ution 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.
