Society of Authors in Scotland

Despite not having a separate office, the Society of Authors in Scotland (SoAiS) organises a varied and busy schedule of activities through a committee of volunteers. Activities of the Group are often reported in The Author, and members of the Society living in Scotland are sent all relevant mailings automatically. To view a report of recent activities of the Group, click here.

SoAiS is assisted by a Liaison Officer in London, Anna Ganley.

SoAiS Newsletter

Read the latest newsletter from the Chair - SoAiS Newsletter November 2011

Membership Benefits

Members of the Society of Authors in Scotland can take advantage of a number of additional and exclusive benefits, including:

A full and varied calendar of events
Discounts specifically for Scottish members
View a report of the Group's typical activities, click here

Members can access more information about the Society of Authors in Scotland by logging in to the Members' area.

How do I Join?

The SoAiS is a group within the Society of Authors. To join you must have one full-length work, or its equivalent, published or accepted for publication. Membership of the Society costs £90 per annum (£64 if you are under 35). You can download a form from the membership page, or contact the office if you would like us to post the form to you.

For further information please contact Anna Ganley.

SoAiS Noticeboard

NUJ training courses

As part of a European project, the training programme currently offered by the National Union of Journalists is being extended throughout Scotland. Developments in the publishing market have meant redundancies or job changes for many NUJ members and this project aims to equip them with the skills required to meet new employment challenges.

Are you in the same position? Perhaps your traditional sources of income have dried up in recent years and you are looking to diversify or upgrade your skills. If so, the NUJ would like to hear from you.

The NUJ runs courses in feature writing, sub editing, script writing, Quark Express, InDesign, Adobe photoshop, Dreamweaver, and a variety of filming and editing courses such as Video Content for websites. They also offer social media, law and copyright, and media awareness courses, plus some specialised classes in areas that might be of interest to novelists, such as forensic reporting and advanced internet research.

Some online courses are also available. One day courses cost £100 for members and £160 for non-members, but anyone earning less that £22,000 per year can access them free through the government ILA scheme.

The NUJ is currently compiling training programmes in the Highland and Islands and would be keen to hear from anyone interested in training there with the NUJ. But no matter where you live in Scotland, if you would like to know more, please drop NUJ Project Worker, Catherine Deveney, a line at cdev2112@aol.com or give her a call on 01381 621094.

You will be under no obligation but she can give you more information about courses and put you in touch with people in your area who can help. (The next confirmed courses in the Glasgow/Edinburgh area, for example, are in June and July and will be in Scriptwriting, Social Media, Making New Media Boost Earnings, and Advanced Internet Research.)

CLA and NHS Scotland

From 1 April 2011, NHS Boards in Scotland and their employees were no longer covered by a central Copyright Licensing Agency licence. As of August 2011, NHS Scotland issued revised guidance on copyright law to their staff, following representations by CLA , resulting in a ‘no on-site copying or scanning’ policy. This means that NHS Boards in Scotland and their employees are no longer allowed, as a matter of internal NHS policy, to photocopy or scan during the course of their employment. If NHS librarians or other staff reproduce copyright material they will have to obtain clearance directly from the publisher or other relevant copyright owners each time unless the use is covered by the narrow statutory exceptions or under a direct permission. (The unwieldiness of such an arrangement is precisely why photocopying licensing is generally believed to be a good thing.)

How authors can help

Together with the ALCS and other trade bodies, we are keen to keep members informed about the situation and how it may affect them. Individual writers can help the CLA to bring pressure on the Scottish Government and MSPs in order to persuade NHS Scotland to reinstate their licence. For further information, please download the CLA briefing document (PDF).

Writers can also help CLA to identify any instances of copying that appears to be outside of the NHS guidelines and by reporting any evidence of possible copyright infringement. Any writers prepared to help CLA by joining coordinated efforts would be very welcome. If you have specific examples or ideas in relation to this, please contact Jim MacNeilage on 0131 2722711 or jim.macneilage@cla.co.uk