Society of Authors in Scotland – Annual General Meeting

Join us either online or in person this April for the Society of Authors in Scotland AGM and a special SoA listening event. Find out what your committee has campaigned on and achieved over the last year and welcome your new committee members.

Later in the meeting, join SoA Chief Executive, Anna Ganley, Board Chair Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin and Board member, Ian Giles, for an event focused on hearing from, and learning about, Scottish members’ interests and concerns.

For in person attendees, tea and coffee will be available during the meeting.

Your participation and engagement are important to us and the AGM is free to attend. Questions are welcome. Please submit them to SoAiS Co-ordinator Elsa Robert in advance.

Programme

• 5pm – Introduction and Welcome

• Chair’s report from Mary Paulson-Ellis

• Secretary’s Report from SJ Groenewegen

• Policy and Campaigns report from Sam Gonçalves, Senior Policy Manager (Scotland)

• Announcement of and welcome to new committee members

• Committee Q&A

• 6pm – SoA Listening event

• 7pm – Meeting ends

About the Society of Authors’ in Scotland (SoAiS)

The SoAiS committee represents the Society of Authors in Scotland membership on all issues affecting them. This includes communicating with members, sharing plans and strategy with members, voicing the needs and concerns of members as their democratically elected representatives, taking part in internal Society of Authors reviews, and representing the membership to the Board at meetings of the UK Management Committee and subcommittees. This is how we contribute a Scottish perspective to the UK’s Society of Authors.

We work in collaboration with the Senior Policy Manager (Scotland) to represent our membership on policy issues affecting the Scottish membership. Current examples include: contributing to our work to regularly increase the Live Literature rates from Scottish Book Trust; feeding back on funding and freelancer rates to the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and Scottish Government; and planning our campaigning around funding for authors, illustrators and translators.

Members with a Scottish postcode are added to the group when they join the SoA. If you have not been added but would like to join this group, please contact us.

SoA Listening Event

As the SoA journeys through its current five-year strategy period we want to ensure that we’re listening closely to member needs. Which is why in 2026 we’re hosting a series of in-person and online Listening Sessions to better understand the biggest issues affecting you.

These meetings will be structured to foster open discussion and understanding among members on topics relevant to the business of authorship. Starting in Scotland, you are invited to join SoA Chief Executive Anna Ganley, Chair of the Board, Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin and Board member Ian Giles, to discuss your issues and concerns

Need to know

Accessibility

For in person attendees:

• Leonardo Hotel has two entrances: Guild Street which is accessible via their -1 Level and 1^st Floor within Union Square Shopping Centre.
• The Glen Moray Room is situated on the ground floor and is suitable for wheelchair access.
• You can view the Leonardo Hotel’s full access information here: Accessibility Leonardo Hotel Aberdeen

For online attendees:

• Online attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, and to watch with subtitles.
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Before the event

• For online attendees – Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
• For in person attendees – Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email of your booking.
• If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
• Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails

During the event

• For online attendees – this event will take place on Zoom Meetings. You will be able to ask questions on screen or via the chat box.
• This event is 120 minutes

Booking

Book your place for either joining us in person or online using the registration forms below.