CV

As a freelance writer I’ve been covering business, technology, the Internet and popular culture since 1998. You name it, I do it: features, news stories, columns, profiles, tutorials, reviews, website copywriting, brochures, advertising features, radio scripts, blogs and books.

I’ve written for all kinds of publications: consumer magazines and newspapers, corporate publications and brochures, websites and weblogs, and even the odd fanzine. I also pop up on radio shows, talking about anything from coffee to co-habiting.

Here’s what some of my editors say:

“Gary is one of my favourite contributors to PC Plus – he understands the mag’s intentions and serves the readers challenging and interesting takes on the technology field” – Ian Robson, PC Plus

“When I’m looking for a writer who can explain technical subjects in an entertaining and accessible manner, and get their copy in on time, every time, I call Gary. If you’re looking for a writer you can rely on, you should call him, too” – Paul Douglas, Techradar

“Gary consistently turns in great copy, and writes with wit and authority, without ever being patronising” – Dan Oliver, .net

If you’d like to get hold of me, the best thing to do is drop me an email. I’m online every day during normal working hours, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

In Print

My first published article appeared in .net magazine in 1998, and I’ve worked for .net ever since: my Big Mouth column appears in each issue, and I’ve contributed hundreds of software reviews and news stories together with dozens of features. I currently write news and features for a range of excellent titles including PC Plus, MacFormat, Tap!, Tech Weekly and Windows: The Official Magazine.

I’ve written about books for Ink Magazine, hoaxes for The Guardian, business technology for The Herald, mobile phones for The Telegraph, websites for The Sunday Mail, movies for Blockbuster’s in-house magazine and mobile phones for The Big Issue Scotland. I’ve also written promotional copy for a number of well-known companies including software firms and banks.

I do books, too. I’ve written The Laptop Manual and the Working From Home Manual for Haynes Publishing as well as co-writing the third and fourth editions of Build Your Own Computer and the second edition of the Computer Troubleshooting manual. More titles are in the pipeline. I’ve ghostwritten a bunch of how-to books, written five books about music and co-written a book of rock and pop trivia, contributed to books about digital music, co-written a guide to Windows Vista and copy edited a guide to music’s role in child development.

Online

A lot of my articles are already on the Internet – in particular on Techradar.com, where I write two or three op/eds each week as well as contributing features on everything from video games to government policy – and many of my articles for .net, Official Windows Magazine and MacFormat end up online too.  I’ve written for various online publications and crafted copy for corporate websites and online advertorials.

On Air

I’m currently the “technology guru” on BBC Radio Scotland’s MacAulay & Co, where I do the weekly “every day’s a schoolday” guide to technology. I’ve also appeared on various BBC regional programmes, the BBC Asian Network, Radio Scotland’s Book Cafe, NewsDrive, NewsWeek, British Armed Forces Radio and RNIB-supported station VIP On Air.

In 2007 I started writing for radio as well as appearing on it. Paul Douglas and I wrote the original scripts for Radio 2′s I Wish I’d Thought Of That (broadcast October/November 2007), a six-part documentary series covering online innovations from the World Wide Web to Google, iTunes and MySpace.

I’ve done some TV too, managing to hide my nerves during appearances on BBC News 24, BBC1′s breakfast news, Newsnight Scotland, BBC Reporting Scotland (several times now) and Scottish Television.

Other things

I’ve just finished writing my first novel, so if you’re a high-powered agent then by all means get in touch.

Until a few years ago I sang and played guitar in a band called Kasino with whom I played gigs ranging from Glasgow Barrowlands and T in The Park to five-year-olds’ birthday parties, teenage beauty competitions and gangster’s private functions. I’ve been heckled, bottled, threatened with knives, harassed by the police, molested, mocked in national newspapers, electrocuted, ripped off, chased by hormone-crazed girls and even set on fire. Boy, that was some night.

Books I’ve written

  • The Laptop Manual
    Haynes Publishing, 2007
  • Get Started With Windows Vista
    Future Publishing (free with Official Windows Vista Magazine), 2007
  • Working from Home: the Complete Home Office Manual
    Haynes Publishing, 2006
  • The Cut the Crap Guide to the Music Business
  • The Cut the Crap Guide to Music and the Internet
  • The Cut the Crap Guide to Music Technology
  • The Cut the Crap Guide to Making a Record
  • The Cut the Crap Guide to Guitars
    all published by Artemis Editions, 2002-2003

Books I’ve co-written

  • Build Your Own Website: Second Edition
    With Kyle MacRae. Haynes Publishing, 2009
  • Computer Troubleshooting: Second Edition
    With Kyle MacRae. Haynes Publishing, 2008
  • Build Your Own Computer: Third, Fourth and Fifth Editions
    With Kyle MacRae. Haynes Publishing, 2007, 2009 and 2012
  • The Best Rock and Pop Trivia Ever
    Ottakar’s, 2004
  • Q Magazine’s Best Rock and Pop Trivia Ever
    EMAP (covermounted with Q Magazine, 2005)
  • The Complete Guide to Digital Music
    Future Publishing, 2003

Books I’ve copy edited

  • Music Makes Your Child Smarter
    By Phillip Sheppard, published by Artemis Editions, 2005; reprinted 2007