On Thursday 18 April 2024, we said goodbye to SoA Chief Executive of 13 years, Nicola Solomon – celebrating her achievements and the union’s transformation during her tenure, in an event at London’s Conway Hall.
At the event, attended by authors – including current and past members of the SoA board, and Fellows – staff and industry partners, we also welcomed new Chief Executive Anna Ganley who officially stepped into the role at the beginning of April.
The union has grown not only in size and influence during Nicola’s tenure, but also in its inclusive approach to reach and empower more authors than ever.
In a speech in which she reflected on the past 13 years, describing the role as her ‘dream job’, Nicola said, ‘It takes a team, not an individual, to do things – and the SoA has the best team that anyone can imagine.’
She described her ‘favourite achievement’ as securing Public Lending Right (PLR) on ebooks, ‘because it was such a cross-industry effort where we all pulled together, and where we showed that as unions and industry working together we can make real change.’ She remarked on the organisation’s achievements during the health crisis – not least raising and distributing almost £2 million in grants for authors in need – as well as the urgent need to keep working together in the face of the ongoing threat to creative careers of generative artificial intelligence.
Nicola ended her speech by saying, ‘This job hasn’t been easy, but it’s been fun. It’s been challenging – I’ve laughed every day, I’ve learned something every day, I’ve been totally stimulated by it. I’ve been honoured to serve and I hope I’ve made a small difference to the lives of authors, translators, illustrators and photographers who create the brilliant works that have inspired me over a lifetime, and that I will now be able to enjoy even more, now I have a bit more time.’
Since Nicola joined the SoA as Chief Executive, membership numbers have grown by nearly 40% – from under 9,000 in 2011 to over 12,500 today.
Her focus on forging and maintaining strategic alliances across industry has enabled the SoA to achieve real change for authors. In addition to securing PLR on ebooks, this has included ensuring authors’ concerns heard in government and industry discussions about generative artificial intelligence, driving payments for festival appearances, setting up the AuthorShare scheme to pay royalties on used book sales, initiating the CREATOR campaign for fair contract terms, sitting at the heart of cross-industry sustainability and inclusivity forums, and much more.
Commenting on Nicola’s legacy at the helm of the UK’s largest trade union for writers, illustrators and translators, Anna Ganley said:
Nicola has been absolutely relentless in her advocacy for authors – in the advice and support she has given to individual members, in her tireless lobbying of government and industry, in her fundraising for authors during the pandemic. Working alongside her over the past 13 years has been an inspiration and she will be greatly missed by staff and members – but the organisation she is leaving behind is stronger and in a better position to empower all our members than ever.
Chair of the SoA board (Management Committee) Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin commented:
Having worked with Nicola on the SoA board since 2019, I know that she will be a tough act to follow. Her knowledge of industry, law, policy and more, combined with an unwavering mission to drive for a better landscape for our members, has been invaluable to the organisation and to authors. Thank you, Nicola. And I am confident that the SoA will only go from strength to strength as the mantle of Chief Executive passes to the more than capable and experienced hands of Anna Ganley.
2011-2024 – 13 transformative years
While working with SoA staff and volunteers to extend our core services, Nicola’s work has included a strong emphasis on supporting author communities and connections – bringing thousands of members together in local groups, national events and professional forums – as well as expanding our public affairs capabilities to react swiftly and knowledgably to a changing world, most recently in the area of artificial intelligence. We have extended our work in the devolved nations, with employees in Scotland and Northern Ireland now working directly to support and lobby for authors in those areas.
The SoA’s literary estates have continued to thrive, providing essential income to support the union’s wider work. The activities of the charities managed by the SoA have also expanded greatly over the past 13 years. Nicola leaves an expanded stable of awards and grants, including the Authors’ Contingency Fund for which she led efforts to raise over £1 million during the pandemic and through which the charity continues to award over £300,000 in grants to authors facing financial difficulty each year.
See photographs from the event
