The Society of AuthorsThe British authors’ organization, with a membership of over 7,000 writers. Membership is open to those who have had a book published, or who have an offer to publish (without subsidy by the author). Offers individual specialist advice and a range of publications to its members. Has also campaigned successfully on behalf of authors in general for improved terms and established a minimum terms agreement with many publishers. Recently campaigned to get the Public Lending Right fund increased from £5 million to £7 million for the year 2002/2003. Regularly uses input from members to produce comparative surveys of publishers’ royalty payment systems. http://www.societyofauthors.org/ (SoA) has said it is "deeply concerned" about the streaming deals the major publishers have agreed with Spotify, saying that writers haven't been consulted and streaming will damage book sales. The SoA's c.e.o. Nicola Solomon has also suggested that the competition authorities should be alerted over the deals.
The Society of AuthorsThe British authors’ organization, with a membership of over 7,000 writers. Membership is open to those who have had a book published, or who have an offer to publish (without subsidy by the author). Offers individual specialist advice and a range of publications to its members. Has also campaigned successfully on behalf of authors in general for improved terms and established a minimum terms agreement with many publishers. Recently campaigned to get the Public Lending Right fund increased from £5 million to £7 million for the year 2002/2003. Regularly uses input from members to produce comparative surveys of publishers’ royalty payment systems. http://www.societyofauthors.org/ (SoA) has published guidance for authors on how they can protect themselves and their work from "the impact of new technologies", as it says the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is "already having a direct impact on SoA members". Read more
Philip Pullman has called for an external review of the Society of Authors (SoA), the UK's largest trade union for writers, illustrators and translators. Earlier this year he stepped down as president of the organisation because he felt he "would not be free to express [his] personal opinion".
The Society of AuthorsThe British authors’ organization, with a membership of over 7,000 writers. Membership is open to those who have had a book published, or who have an offer to publish (without subsidy by the author). Offers individual specialist advice and a range of publications to its members. Has also campaigned successfully on behalf of authors in general for improved terms and established a minimum terms agreement with many publishers. Recently campaigned to get the Public Lending Right fund increased from £5 million to £7 million for the year 2002/2003. Regularly uses input from members to produce comparative surveys of publishers’ royalty payment systems. http://www.societyofauthors.org/ has issued a call for unity among its members and says it has investigated allegations it failed to support gender critical members but has found no basis for complaint. The development followed a second open letter issued by critics of SoA chair Joanne Harris. Read more
An online survey by the Society of Authors and the Writers Guild of Great Britain found that many authors end up out of pocket if they sign deals with ‘hybrid' publishers.
The Society of AuthorsThe British authors’ organization, with a membership of over 7,000 writers. Membership is open to those who have had a book published, or who have an offer to publish (without subsidy by the author). Offers individual specialist advice and a range of publications to its members. Has also campaigned successfully on behalf of authors in general for improved terms and established a minimum terms agreement with many publishers. Recently campaigned to get the Public Lending Right fund increased from £5 million to £7 million for the year 2002/2003. Regularly uses input from members to produce comparative surveys of publishers’ royalty payment systems. http://www.societyofauthors.org/ (SoA) has called on Amazon to cut its e-books returns window to 48 hours, after the online retailer was criticised in an online petition signed by more than 33,000 people for offering refunds on e-books to customers who have finished reading.
Philip Pullman has resigned as president of the Society of Authors (SoA) in the wake of the debate over Kate Clanchy's work, saying he no longer feels free to express his personal opinions in the role. Read more
World of Books Group, the UK's largest retailer of used books, has partnered with the Society of Authors to launch a new grant to support writers as they work on 'books of any genre that have the power to inspire progressive behaviour change.' Read more
'When I started writing in about 1990, publishers were very keen on the teenage market. They knew kids were spending money on music and that there were films for kids that age, but books somehow weren't quite happening. The fuss when Junk came out was because it really was a book for teenagers.
You only have to look at the extent of the global reach of the winner the day after to see what a big deal the prize has become internationally. Coverage from right round the world, all the big American media outlets, but also from across the Continent, the Far East, the southern hemisphere, the Middle East.
A Harry Potter first edition found in a Highland bookshop's bargain bucket could be worth £60,000, according to auctioneers selling it.
The hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the first book in JK Rowling's stories about a boy wizard - was published in 1997. Read more
How do booksellers keep up with the latest trends in a fast-changing world? It used to be simple: just read the newspaper, watch TV, or listen to the radio. But now, with the rise of social media, blogs and podcasts, booksellers need to be more alert and adaptable than ever.
In recognition of the one year anniversary of BookTok being announced as Person of the Year at The Bookseller's FutureBook conference 2022, creators reflected on another year on the platform and look ahead to 2024.
Publishing attracts people who love books, reading, and ideas. But for many Black professionals in publishing, there's a disconnect between the love of the medium and their work experiences, which can be rife with isolation, exclusion, and stalled routes to leadership.
The UK books market's volume sales this autumn have slid 8% compared with 2022 with value down a shallower 1%, as almost all the big brands including Jamie Oliver, David Walliams and even Richard Osman have been suffering a contraction in their Christmas run-in hardback releases.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote to the Royal Society of London: "I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter." Read more
"I was in the gym when the email from my editor telling me I'd won the award popped up on my phone, and I can still clearly remember how amazed and thrilled I felt. My books are now published in nine languages, but to discover that one of them has sold over a quarter of a million copies in the UK alone is just so special. Read more
In her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. "In those days historical fiction wasn't respectable or respected," she recalled. "It meant historical romance. Read more
‘If you want a definition of poetry, say: "Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing" and let it go at that.'