Post-Brexit changes to the copyright system would be a betrayal of authors | The Independent

Like many agents, I represent a whole range of writers, from veteran top ten bestsellers to debut authors and those finishing that "difficult second novel". What they have in common is immense hard work and no easy route to a sustained writing career - some holding down more than one job to make a living before their breakthrough.

"Don't give up the day job," agents advise when signing new writers - with acclaimed authors like Monique Roffey, Bernardine Evaristo and Val McDermid writing multiple books before major turning points in their careers. As a poet, I've experienced the long and twisty road to publication too and know how crucial the UK's intellectual property system is to the health of the industry and the wellbeing of writers.