Daniel Hahn, Chair of the Management Committee, welcomes them:

We are all delighted and immensely proud that Malorie, Neil, Joanne, Roger, Ian, Anne and Sarah have accepted positions on the Council. The Council is made up of distinguished authors who have made a great contribution to the SoA and to our profession, and these seven new members exemplify this perfectly - they are supremely accomplished writers whose work is much loved by their readers all over the world, but they are also committed, passionate advocates for writing and reading and the values that matter to us all.

Joanne Harris writes:

I am delighted to have been invited onto the Society of Authors' Council. I have been a member of the SoA since the publication of my first novel and I have an enormous amount of respect for the work they do. The advice and guidance they provide is invaluable to both new and more experienced authors and I welcome this opportunity to give any help I can. 

SoA President Philip Pullman writes:

I’m delighted to see the list of eminent authors who are joining the Council. We shall be all the stronger for their talent, their knowledge of the book world, and their eloquence in standing up for the rights of authors.