Details of the newspaper were revealed on 21 November 2014 after "The Guardian" obtained a copy of a letter being circulated to retailers by Newsquest announcing its forthcoming publication. A sister paper of "The Herald" and the "Sunday Herald", "The National" would be the first daily newspaper in Scotland to support Scottish independence, and was being piloted in response to a request from "Herald" readers for a pro-independence newspaper. During the 2014 independence referendum, the "Sunday Herald" had been the only newspaper to support the "Yes" campaign, and saw an increase in its circulation—with sales rising by 60% in the week preceding the referendum and 111% in the week afterwards. Richard Walker, editor of the "Sunday Herald", was announced as the new paper's editor. On 22 November, Walker told a gathering of Scottish National Party (SNP) supporters assembled at Glasgow's SSE Hydro that "The National"s publishers would trial the newspaper for five days, but that it would become a permanent addition to the market if there was demand for it. Copies would cost 50p, while an online version would also be available via subscription.