U-turn may bring 11th-hour reprieve for Kirk's publishing arm

Published on Thursday 26 August 2010 18:29

THE Church of Scotland's beleaguered publishing wing, St Andrew Press, has been thrown a lifeline, only months after members controversially voted to put it into "hibernation".

The Kirk is considering outsourcing the 50-year-old imprint to the international religious publishing house Hymns Ancient and Modern, a charitable organisation that runs the Church of England's publishing house.

The move would constitute a major U-turn for the Kirk after a last-ditch attempt to save the imprint during its General Assembly in May was rejected by delegates.

St Andrew Press had run up a deficit of 696,000, which was projected to increase by about 95,000 by the end of this year, a situation Kirk officials described as "unsustainable".

Despite impassioned pleas from members to save the imprint - John Brown, the brother of former prime minister Gordon Brown, resigned from a key Kirk committee in protest at the move - the decision was taken to cut its four-strong staff to a single employee tasked with managing its back catalogue, and concentrating on producing resources for congregations.

It is understood the controversy surrounding St Andrew Press's fate was the catalyst for the current proposals and that it was one of three offers made after the General Assembly's decision.

Under the proposals, which require to be approved by the Kirk's Council of Assembly next month, the imprint's home will remain in Edinburgh. It will continue to have control over the titles released through it and receive a share of sales from books published under the brand but shoulder none of the costs associated with running a publishing company.

A Church spokesman was unable to confirm whether the new publisher would absorb St Andrew Press's debts, or what percentage of the profits the Kirk would receive, citing "commercial sensitivity".

The Rev Mark Johnstone, convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council, which oversees St Andrew Press, said: "This is a win-win situation for the Church,, as we get to retain our valuable St Andrew Press brand, increase our market reach and raise money for the Church, all at no cost to us."

The Rev Prof David Fergusson, who had urged the Kirk to consider such a sale during the Assembly debate, welcomed the move, saying it was vital to maintain a base for the Press in Scotland to "maintain a distinctively Scottish focus".

He said: "I certainly think this is worth considering. I would welcome the exploration of a merger or acquisition."

He added: "It certainly represents a departure from the position the council took on the floor of the Assembly, but it's a departure that some of us were advocating."