Black & White Publishing facts for kids

Black & White Publishing is an independent book company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They have been publishing books since 1999. They have over 350 different books available.

This publisher has two special collections, called imprints. One is called Itchy Coo, which has won awards. The other is Ink Road, which publishes books for young adults. Black & White Publishing creates many types of books. These include biographies, sports books, funny books, and stories for both adults and children.

The Story of Black & White Publishing

Black & White Publishing started in 1999. They have grown to become an important part of the Scottish book world. They are known for publishing a wide variety of books.

Itchy Coo: Books in Scots

The Itchy Coo imprint began in 2002. It received early funding from the Scottish Arts Council. This project was a partnership between the publisher and three writers. These writers were Matthew Fitt, James Robertson, and Susan Rennie.

Itchy Coo publishes books for children in the Scots language. It is a main provider of learning materials in Scots for schools. A report from the Scottish Arts Council said that so many Scots language materials had never been put into schools before. Creative Scotland also helped fund many of their books.

Until 2011, Itchy Coo ran special programs for teachers and schools. They held 500 training sessions for teachers. They also visited 1000 schools to share their books. A Scottish Government report in 2010 stated that the Itchy Coo project greatly changed how people viewed the Scots language in education.

Itchy Coo has translated many famous authors' books into Scots. These authors include Raymond Briggs, Roald Dahl, Julia Donaldson, and J. K. Rowling. They also translated books by Jeff Kinney, A. A. Milne, and David Walliams. For example, Roald Dahl's The Twits became The Eejits in Scots. George's Marvellous Medicine became Geordie's Mingin Medicine. These Scots versions even became bestsellers in Scotland.

Awards and Recognition

Black & White Publishing has supported the Scots Schuil o the Year award since 2019. This award is part of the Scots Language Awards. In 2019, Black & White Publishing won the Scots Business o the Year award themselves.

An Itchy Coo book also won the Scots Bairn's Book o the Year award in both 2019 and 2020. One of the very first Itchy Coo books, Animal ABC, won a prize in 2002. Black & White Publishing also received a special mention in the 2015 Saltire Society Publisher of the Year Award.

Authors They Publish

Black & White Publishing works with many talented authors. Some of the authors whose books they have published include:

• Donna Ashworth
• Caroline Grace Cassidy
• Andrew Cotter
• Margaret Thomson Davis
• Matthew Fitt
• Jessie Kesson
• Gary Maclean
• Estelle Maskame
• Val McDermid
• Anthony O'Neill
• James Robertson
• Elaine C. Smith