Guest Blog with Clementine Macmillan-Scott; the founder of Scoop magazine

March 28, 2018

• Guest Blog Series

We had the opportunity to interview Clementine Macmillan-Scott, the founder and publisher of Scoop magazine, last week. We hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as we do. Scoop is a magazine that has been created for children. Each issue includes short stories, non-fiction, poetry, comics, interviews, reviews, activities and quizzes. It is printed monthly and it is not to be missed!

Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am the founder and publisher of Scoop magazine.  I am also the daughter, niece and granddaughter of writers so books and the love of reading have always been a massive part of my life. I read a lot as a child but more than that I loved to act out stories as plays. As Philip Pullman said (much more articulately), the joy of story-telling for children is really about play, putting yourself in another world to see what it feels like. I agree with that completely and have always been fascinated by the way people choose to tell stories as I am a hopeless writer myself, it’s something I admire above most things.

Tell us about Scoop Magazine and what gave you the idea to start?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, before starting Scoop I worked in publishing and put on literary events. The idea for a magazine for children came to me when I was researching at what was then the Colindale Newspaper Library- I came across The Children’s Newspaper– a weekly publication which at its height had 500,000 children reading it. I was amazed by the tone and sophistication and the way its editor, Arthur Mee, wrote and published every feature with a narrative that gave children a way into stories, whether they were real or fictional.

I think a lot of people are hesitant to turn their dreams into reality, what has your journey looked like?

It has been incredibly exciting and also terrifying. There were so many things I had to learn, basically everything I could about building a business, and the truth is I am still learning so much.  I think the thing that really kept me going through all the ups and downs was the people around me, the amazing team who create Scoop and the fact that we all very much feel that we are in it together.  

What is your vision for Scoop Magazine?

The vision for Scoop has always been about bringing the best stories and literature to children, we want to offer as many children as possible the chance to find their way into great stories. Scoop is a place to discover writers, artists and ideas and, most of all a place where children are given the credit to figure things out for themselves. We already have far flung readers from Ecuador to Alaska to Thailand, we want to see Scoop become a magazine that reaches many more children around the world. The last 18 months have been about us establishing the magazine and setting our goals. For 2018 and beyond we want to create new platforms, both with digital and audio but that is all to come this year and for the moment, top secret!

Describe your typical day?

I take my daughter Imogen (four and a half) to nursery and then meet the team in our office. We talk through the days tasks and then all settle down to work through a range of things from speaking to a customer to editing a new story to commissioning a piece for the issues to come. Everyone has a role but we often overlap as the ideas for how and what we publish come from everyone. I usually have a meeting in the afternoon with a new or existing partner to talk about ways of working together. Most of us have children or grand-children so we leave for home in the afternoon but are all checking in again in the evening.

What is the best part of your job?

Getting post from a reader who loves the magazine.

How do you find a balance between running a successful business, and raising a family?

It’s tough but I am quite strict with myself. When I am with my daughter I leave my phone in the other room. If I am working over the weekend I make sure I leave either the morning or the afternoon free if possible and we go for a walk or to an exhibition or something that stops me from picking up the phone or opening the laptop. Because Scoop is in large part about inspiring children to look at and think about the world around them I find that when I am not “working” at my computer I am still getting ideas for the magazine and the direction of the business.

After work, how do you find time to relax?

As I am 9 months pregnant I am mostly in bed with a book by the time I have finished work and put my daughter to bed! I am about to finish reading The Summer Book by Tove Jansson- it’s wonderful and I don’t want it to end!

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS….

FIRST SONG YOU EVER BOUGHT?

Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit

FAVOURITE FILM?

Recently I loved Call Me By Your Name but my all-time favourite would have to be The Jungle Book

WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE EVER GOOGLED?

Do Alpacas jump fences?

IDEAL WEEKEND?

With my husband, daughter and sister in Sussex where my mum lives. Flopping and walking and talking and cooking.

ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

Lavender oil