U.K. Writing Scene Is 'Overwhelmingly White,' Study Finds

The ALCS believes that the low rate of diversity is a by-product of the low author earnings exposed by the survey. As reported last June, the median earnings for "primary occupation authors" (i.e., writers who spend more than half their working time writing) are £10,497 a year. Accounting for inflation, this represents a 42% drop since 2006, when ALCS carried out its first survey of author incomes.

"There is considerable inequality of earning power among authors, with the highest-earning 10% of writers taking home about 70% of total earnings in the profession," the study found. "Meanwhile, most writers need a second job to survive, with just 28% of respondents making a living from writing alone without a second job, down from 40% in 2006."