1/ I think the framing of this article is problematic, but comparing Irish and Scottish contemporary writing – and how writers from Ireland and Scotland are viewed by London-based publishers in particular – can be illuminating, if the right questions are asked. https://twitter.com/palebackwriter/status/1284419492257333248

2/ Why, for instance, is 'Irishness' considered a selling point – both at the level of manuscript acquisitions by publishers, and, later, in the marketing of published books – whereas 'Scottishness' is widely considered to be something of a liability?

3/ Few Scottish fiction writers will not have felt the pressure (applied either implicitly or, quite often, explicitly) to minimise their Scottishness, to set their work elsewhere, to avoid Scots vocabulary, to make their subject matter 'more universal' (i.e. less Scottish).

4/ That there are writers who have ignored this pressure and had publishing success regardless does not negate the general rule: Ireland, as setting and as subject, is today viewed with enthusiasm by publishers – 'exotic' and exciting, without being 'too foreign'.

5/ Scotland elicits no such enthusiasm. Too often, its writing is considered to be of regional interest only, irrelevant to readers elsewhere. To state the obvious, this does not help Scottish literature flourish. That it does, despite this, ought to be celebrated.

6/ The wonderful folks at @extrateethmag have highlighted some of that flourishing in the following thread. There are so many excellent Scottish writers and publications right now, all deserving of more readers. This list is a great place to find them: https://twitter.com/extrateethmag/status/1284450275567325184?s=20