Scottish Book Trust
Scottish Book Trust is a Scottish national charity, established in 1998 and headquartered in Edinburgh, delivering universal reading and writing programmes across all 32 local authorities. It serves families, schools, writers, and vulnerable populations through Bookbug, Authors Live, New Writers Awards, Live Literature, and dementia and digital storytelling programmes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Scottish Book Trust does
Scottish Book Trust is a Scottish national charity established in 1998 and headquartered in Edinburgh, operating across all 32 Scottish local authorities to deliver reading and writing programmes. The charity serves multiple beneficiary segments: families with young children (0–5) through the universal Bookbug programme, which gifts books to every child in Scotland at key developmental stages and runs free song and rhyme sessions; schools, teachers, and librarians through Reading Schools accreditation, Authors Live broadcasts, Read Write Count, and Live Literature school residencies; emerging and established writers through the New Writers Awards (which has produced 210+ published alumni since 2009), Ignite Fellowship, and a directory of 600+ writers; and vulnerable populations including people living with dementia (Reading is Caring) and families experiencing poverty (books distributed via food banks). The charity operates across the full literacy lifecycle from birth to adulthood, with cumulative impact including 8.8 million+ books gifted, 20,000+ people reached annually through Live Literature, and 3,000+ teachers supported annually.
The organisation's product portfolio comprises six core programme platforms (Bookbug, Authors Live, Live Literature, Reading Schools, New Writers Awards, Reading is Caring) supported by sub-products including the Bookbug App, Bookbug Story Library, Digital Storytelling platform, Read Write Count, Book Week Scotland, and various writing awards and competitions. The technology stack is commodity: Shopify powers the e-commerce shop, Stripe processes donations, Mailchimp handles newsletter distribution, and Zoom delivers webinars. There is no proprietary technology platform described in source material — the organisation's value lies in its programme curation, content library, community ecosystem, and 25-year brand rather than software IP. The website is built on standard CMS infrastructure, with Silktide for accessibility monitoring and Google Analytics/Lucky Orange for traffic analytics.
Scottish Book Trust's revenue model is diversified across donations and fundraising (primary), e-commerce shop sales of Bookbug merchandise and books, competition entry fees (e.g., £10 Isobel Slorach Poetry Award with proceeds to Down's Syndrome Scotland), and paid professional development webinars for educators. The charity receives core grant funding from Scottish Government, Creative Scotland (which specifically funds Authors Live), and National Lottery Community Fund, with additional support from charitable trusts (William Grant Foundation, Dr David Summers Charitable Trust, Garrick Trust, Mohn Westlake Foundation, Northwood Charitable Trust, Nancie Massey Charitable Trust) and corporate sponsors (Edinburgh City Council, Taylor Wimpey, Walter Scott, Browns Books, Walker Books, Better World Books, Scottish Children's Lottery). All core beneficiary programmes are free; revenue generation is limited to donations, shop sales, and select paid training. Gift Aid adds 25% to qualifying UK donations. The charity holds no subsidiaries, has no parent company, and is independently governed by a Board of Trustees under Scottish charity registration SC027669.
Scottish Book Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scottish Book Trust
- Legal name
- Scottish Book Trust
- Website
- https://scottishbooktrust.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Scottish Book Trust is a Scottish national charity, established in 1998 and headquartered in Edinburgh, delivering universal reading and writing programmes across all 32 local authorities. It serves families, schools, writers, and vulnerable populations through Bookbug, Authors Live, New Writers Awards, Live Literature, and dementia and digital storytelling programmes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scottish Book Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literacy and Reading Charity Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO)
Keywords
Where Scottish Book Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scottish Book Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and fundraising: The primary revenue stream is charitable donations from individuals, including one-off and monthly gift amounts. The charity runs an active appeal campaign (#BooksForAll) with suggested donation tiers of £10, £20, and £50. Gift Aid recovery from UK taxpayers adds 25% to each qualifying donation. The fundraising team manages individual giving, legacy gifts (wills), and general fundraising campaigns.
- E-commerce shop sales: The charity operates an online shop (shop.scottishbooktrust.com) selling Bookbug merchandise, books, and gifts. Revenue is generated from product sales to consumers. The shop also sells professional development webinars and training.
- Competition entry fees: Certain competitions carry an entry fee, such as the Isobel Slorach Poetry Award at £10 per submission, with proceeds directed to charity (Down's Syndrome Scotland). Most competitions are free to enter.
- Professional development and training: The charity sells access to live webinars and training for early years professionals, teachers, health professionals, and third sector workers, generating professional services revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donation tiers for individual supporters |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | E-commerce products |
| Subscription | Monthly | Professional development webinars |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One time/ perpetual license | Isobel Slorach Poetry Award entry fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Scottish Book Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scottish Book Trust is Scotland's national reading and writing charity, delivering universal early years book gifting (Bookbug), author and illustrator event broadcasts (Authors Live), school reading accreditation (Reading Schools), writer development awards (New Writers Awards), dementia shared reading programmes (Reading is Caring), and an online shop selling Bookbug merchandise and books. The charity operates across all 32 Scottish local authorities, reaching families, schools, writers, and vulnerable populations with free programmes supported by donations, grants, and shop sales.
Product overview
Scottish Book Trust operates as a national charity delivering a comprehensive portfolio of reading and writing programmes across Scotland. The organisation functions as a platform with multiple interconnected programmes spanning early years (Bookbug), school communities (Reading Schools, Authors Live, Read Write Count), and adult writers (New Writers Awards, Live Literature). Key products include Bookbug's universal book gifting and session network for 0-5 year olds, Authors Live streaming world-class author events, Live Literature funding author visits across all 32 local authorities, the New Writers Awards supporting emerging Scottish writers, and Reading Schools accreditation. Additional offerings include Digital Storytelling, Reading is Caring for dementia support, Book Week Scotland celebrations, 50 Word Fiction competitions, and a commercial shop. The portfolio is unified by the mission to transform lives through reading and writing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bookbug: Scotland's universal early years book gifting programme that gifts book bags to every child in Scotland and runs free song and rhymes sessions across the country
- Authors Live
- Live Literature
- New Writers Awards
- Read Write Count
- Reading Schools
- Book Week Scotland
- Reading is Caring
Products and services
- Bookbug
Quantifiable outcome
- 8.8 million+ books gifted to children and families to date
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Scottish Book Trust
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Scottish Book Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Scottish Book Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- BBC Scotland LearningcoreLong-standing partnership delivering Authors Live broadcasts. BBC Scotland Learning provides broadcast platform and audience reach for world-class children's author and illustrator events, with Creative Scotland funding the content production.
- School Library and Education Policy GroupmajorCoalition partner in the campaign to make school libraries a legal requirement in Scotland. Working with Scottish Book Trust, National Library of Scotland, SLIC and CILIPS to advocate for secondary school library provision.
- National Library of ScotlandmajorCoalition partner in the campaign to make school libraries a legal requirement. Collaborating with Scottish Book Trust, School Library and Education Policy Group, SLIC and CILIPS.
- Scottish Libraries and Information Council (SLIC)majorProfessional body for Scottish libraries collaborating on the school libraries campaign. Published 'Securing the Future of Scotland's Libraries' vision statement which Scottish Book Trust references as support for policy advocacy.
- CILIPS (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland)majorScottish branch of the chartered library and information professionals institute, partnering in the school libraries advocacy campaign.
- Gaelic Books Council (Comhairle nan Leabhraichean)majorGaelic literary development body partnering with Scottish Book Trust on Gaelic New Writers Awards, Gaelic Bookbug programme, and promotion of Gaelic literature. Joint awards for Gaelic writers run in association with the Gaelic Books Council.
- Browns BooksminorBook distributor listed as a supporter of Scottish Book Trust. Provides book distribution and supply chain support for the charity's book gifting and programme operations.
- Walker booksminorPublisher listed as a supporter of Scottish Book Trust, contributing to the charity's book supply and distribution capabilities.
- Better World BooksminorOnline bookseller and social enterprise listed as a supporter, contributing to book supply and fundraising support for Scottish Book Trust's literacy mission.
Scale indicators9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Scottish Book Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beanstalk: UK literacy charity recruiting volunteers to read with children who need literacy support. Comparable as a children-focused reading charity working through schools and community settings to improve literacy outcomes.
- National Literacy Trust: Independent UK charity working to improve literacy across all ages through school programmes, community projects, and research. Comparable as a national literacy charity with school programmes and research-driven advocacy similar to Readers of Scotland.
- BookTrust: UK-wide children's literacy charity that gifts free books to children and runs author events. Most directly comparable to Scottish Book Trust, operating a near-identical book-gifting and author-engagement model but at a wider UK geography.
- Scottish Storytelling Centre: Edinburgh-based charity promoting oral storytelling and live literature in Scotland. Comparable as a Scotland-focused literacy and storytelling charity with overlapping Live Literature-style programmes and audience.
- Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE): UK charity supporting literacy in primary schools through teacher training, resources, and the Power of Reading programme. Comparable as a school-focused literacy charity with teacher training revenue streams similar to Scottish Book Trust's professional development webinars.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: US-based charity gifting free books monthly to children from birth to age five. Directly comparable as a universal early-years book-gifting programme using an identical "every child receives books" model to Bookbug.
- The Reading Agency: UK charity that runs national reading programmes including Summer Reading Challenge and Reading Well. Directly comparable as a national reading-promotion charity working through libraries and community partners.
- Seven Stories - National Centre for Children's Books: National museum and charity dedicated to children's literature, running author events and literacy programmes. Comparable in mission around children's books, author engagement, and literacy outreach to schools and families.
Emerging players
- Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on children's literacy and gender equality in education, operating in low-income countries. Comparable in mission and book-gifting/literacy programme design, though operating in a very different geographic and funding context.
Others
- National Library of Scotland: Scotland's national library, a strategic partner of Scottish Book Trust on school-library advocacy. Comparable as a national institution promoting reading and literacy but with broader archival and reference remit; overlapping stakeholder base and policy goals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scottish Book Trust social profiles
Digital presenceScottish Book Trust compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Scottish Book Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scottish Book Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Scottish Book Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scottish Book Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scottish Book Trust
What does Scottish Book Trust do?
Scottish Book Trust is Scotland's national reading and writing charity, delivering universal early years book gifting (Bookbug), author and illustrator event broadcasts (Authors Live), school reading accreditation (Reading Schools), writer development awards (New Writers Awards), dementia shared reading programmes (Reading is Caring), and an online shop selling Bookbug merchandise and books. The charity operates across all 32 Scottish local authorities, reaching families, schools, writers, and vulnerable populations with free programmes supported by donations, grants, and shop sales.
Is Scottish Book Trust a public or private company?
Scottish Book Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Scottish Book Trust founded?
Scottish Book Trust was founded in 1998. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Scottish Book Trust based?
Scottish Book Trust is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Scottish Book Trust make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and fundraising is the primary driver. The others are E-commerce shop sales, competition entry fees and professional development and training.
Who are Scottish Book Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beanstalk, National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, The Reading Agency and Seven Stories - National Centre for Children's Books. Room to Read is listed as an emerging player. National Library of Scotland is listed as an others.
Does Scottish Book Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scottish Book Trust.
What industry is Scottish Book Trust in?
Scottish Book Trust's product category is Literacy and Reading Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAJAO, Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.