The Society of Authors now has 48 local groups, stretching across the UK and Europe. With more groups on the way this year, it’s only getting easier to get to know other authors in your area.

It’s wonderful to know that other authors exist, they live locally and they are humans too.

Ignaty Dyakov-Richmond, Warwickshire Group

What happens at a local group?

Our local groups are run by members for members. They are a chance to connect with each other through social meet-ups, topic-led talks, workshops and more. Come along to share your knowledge and advice with fellow authors and support one another.

Local groups meet up regularly every month, both online and in person. Now is great time to get involved in a group near you!

Some highlights from 2023 include:

• ‘Meet the Agent’ sessions run by Hertfordshire Writers, Gloucestershire Group and Warwickshire Group.
• ‘Meet the Publisher’ sessions run by the Gloucestershire Group, the Eastbourne, Lewes and Seaford Group, Tufnell Park Writers and the Manchester Group.
• ‘The Art of Kickstarting and Crowdfunding’ run by the North Wales Group
• Sessions with SoA contracts advisors offering insights and advice on scams and pitfalls, what kind of deal are you being offered, making a living as an author, and more.

Writing can be an isolating business: if we can share our experiences, applaud achievements, and commiserate with setbacks in the context of a Society of Authors local group, then that is surely a good thing.

Linda Buckley-Archer, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells

Coming up this month  

Take a look at our full local groups events listings

New local groups

In 2023 we welcomed five new groups: Edinburgh, Gloucestershire, Highlands and Moray, Spain, and Winchester.

Find your nearest local group here.

More than a third of our members now have a local group in their area, and that figure is growing. We already have our first new group of 2024, the East Riding of Yorkshire, meeting up on 10 February, and a new group for South East London will be starting soon.

We are a friendly and inclusive set of people made up of writers, translators and editors, working in multiple genres, at all stages of our writing and publishing careers. New faces are always welcome!

Una McCormack, Cambridge Group

Your local group needs you!

We are looking for new group organisers for the following groups:

• Scottish Islands
• West Midlands
• Shropshire
• North East

If you would like to help run one of these groups, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Group organisers receive help and support from the Society of Authors, and it doesn’t have to be a heavy workload. You and your group can decide how often and how you’d like to meet, and how much planning you’d like to do for it.

Can’t see a group in your area? 

If there isn’t a group in your area, we can help you set one up. From gauging interest from local members to putting you in touch with other group organisers, we’re here to support you. 

For more information or to tell us you’d like to set up a group, email localgroups@societyofauthors.org and we’ll arrange a time to talk through ideas for your new group and answer your questions.

Our Edinburgh group is now one year old. We hold regular meetings online, alongside in-person gatherings at the wonderful Argonaut Books, where local members chat, network and share their experiences of what it means to be an author in this day and age. Together we thrive.

Mary Paulson-Ellis, Edinburgh Group

All illustrations © Adobe Stock / Valery