The website of South Argyll’s only publishing company.
Ardminish Press was established in 2002 on the Isle of Gigha by the husband and wife team of author Freddy Gillies and his wife Valerie. Although the business falls under the ‘cottage industry’ category and they both have full-time occupations, they have, to date, produced no less than 12 titles - mainly with a local interest flavour - over a five year period
As well as selling well throughout Argyll and Bute and further afield, books by Freddy and other local authors have been enjoyed by expatriates all over the world. In addition Ardminish Press, in conjunction with H&M Video, produce DVDs, which are also proving very popular.
Ardminish Press also offers a self-publishing service to first-time authors, and several have taken the opportunity to see their work in print. Freddy is keen to help budding writers, and strives to keep costs at a minimum by using competitive sources.
Nowadays, he sails as skipper on the Gigha car ferry, MV Lochranza, although, following a early career in weekly and daily newspaper journalism, he spent 25 years a fisherman, plying in waters all around the UK.
Freddy reluctantly gave up fishing in 1996, due mainly to the nationwide decline in the industry caused by an amalgam of circumstances. Studies as a mature student at the Glasgow Nautical College followed, and led to qualifications which enable him to carry out his present job with Cal Mac Ferries.
Freddy’s easily-read books follow a formula which neatly combines fact and anecdote. Probably his most endearing work is The Viking Isle, an account of the life and times of his native Peninsula of Kintyre, a place that he freely admits is dear to his heart.
Other sought after titles include Silver From the Sea, which tells of Freddy’s early life in a fishing household and follows his life as a fisherman, and The Magic of Gigha, a resume of 20 th century life on God’s Island before the historical 2002 community buy-out.