Help Me Bring My Book to Print

Hello, I’m Mark Saunders, and I’m hoping you might help me take the final step towards publishing a book I’ve spent a great deal of time and effort writing.

My book, The Union That Democracy Forgot, explores Scotland’s history, its relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom, and the questions of democracy and self-determination that continue to shape our future.

It’s a subject I’ve been passionate about for many years. Since 2012, I’ve been involved in campaigning for Scottish independence, and over time I found myself asking questions about our history that I felt deserved a wider audience.

That journey eventually became a book.

I’ve now completed the manuscript, which runs to around 33,000 words, and the cover is finished. It’s been quite a journey, and I’m proud to have got this far.

I approached Luath Press, a Scottish publisher, and was hopeful that the book might find a home there. Unfortunately, after waiting several months, they decided not to take it forward.

That was disappointing, of course, but I haven’t given up.

I’ve since found a way to publish the book independently through HMD Publishing. Their quotation is £991, covering the publishing services we’ve discussed, and I’m now trying to raise around £1,000 to make it happen.

The book includes a foreword by former Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan, and I’m also hoping to include a short endorsement from Professor John W. Robertson of the University of the West of Scotland.

I want this to be a book that ordinary people can pick up and read, whether they support independence, favour the Union, or simply want to understand more about Scotland’s past and present.

I’m not looking to make a fortune from it. I’m moving into retirement, and writing is something I hope to spend more of my time doing.

For me, getting this book into print would be a real personal achievement.

So, if you’d like to help me get it over the line, I’d be hugely grateful. Any contribution, however small, would help towards the cost of publication.

And if you can’t contribute, that’s absolutely fine. Sharing the campaign with someone who might be interested would be a tremendous help, too.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for helping me bring a long-held ambition a little closer to reality.

Mark Saunders

What is The Union That Democracy Forgot about?

The Union That Democracy Forgot explores Scotland's turbulent relationship with the United Kingdom, tracing a story of contested sovereignty, political power and the struggle for democratic self-determination.

From the Darien disaster and the controversial creation of the Union in 1707 to the Highland Clearances, the suppression of Gaelic, the hidden story of North Sea oil and the political upheavals of modern Scotland, the book examines how decisions made in London have shaped Scotland's history, economy and identity.

It follows that story through the denial of devolution in 1979, the return of the Scottish Parliament, the 2014 independence referendum, Brexit and the 2022 Supreme Court ruling. Along the way, it challenges familiar accounts of the Union and asks whether Scotland has ever enjoyed the democratic control that a partnership of nations should promise.

Drawing on historical research, political events and the voices of resistance, the book makes a case for the principle that sovereignty belongs to the people. It also includes contrasting Unionist perspectives, inviting readers to examine the arguments and consider the evidence for themselves.

Ultimately, The Union That Democracy Forgot asks a fundamental question: who has the right to decide Scotland's future—the people who live there, or the institutions that govern them?