The Society of Authors is delighted to announce that the 2017 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography has been awarded to John Bew for Citizen Clem: A Biography of Attlee (riverrun/Quercus). Judges Richard Davenport-Hines, Roy Foster (Chair), Antonia Fraser, Flora Fraser and Munro Price chose Bew’s book, which profiles the reticence of Attlee, public servant and patriotic…
21 April 2017 We are delighted to welcome four distinguished authors, who have all generously agreed to join the Society of Authors Council. The Council is an honorary body made up of authors of high standing who have been exceptional in their support of the SoA. They join our president Philip Pullman and, among others, Malorie Blackman,…
20 April 2017 We welcome the Government’s decision to include the creative industries in their future industrial vision, however we have urged them to ensure the environment they work towards is one that supports its creators and innovators, recognising them as the bedrock of successful industry. The Government has identified the creative industries as one of…
Established in 2003 in affectionate memory of Elizabeth Longford, the acclaimed biographer, and sponsored by Flora Fraser and Peter Soros, the prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year. The six shortlisted writers and the titles of their novels are: • Citizen Clem: A Biography of Attlee by John…
The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction today announced the 2017 shortlist. Now in its twenty-second year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women in English from throughout the world. The six shortlisted novels are: Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀̀ (Canongate) The Power by Naomi Alderman (Viking) The Dark Circle by…
3 April 2017 Scottish cultural body signs off funding to support three-day event in Glasgow. Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across Scotland, has awarded a grant to the Society of Authors in Scotland (SoAiS) in its latest round of funding, announced on Friday. The grant will help…
*Update: nominations are now closed.* We are now inviting nominations for Members to serve on our voluntary board of directors, who guide the SoA’s campaigns and oversee the work we do on behalf of nearly 10,000 authors. Nominations must be received by 30 June and successful candidates will commence their term in November 2017 after the AGM. Read more The…
The shortlist includes three men and three women, four of which are American writers, and one British and one Irish author. The 6 shortlisted writers and the titles of their short stories are: Reputation Management by Kathleen Alcott Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses by Bret Anthony Johnson The Hazel Twig and the Olive Tree by…
The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction today announced the 2017 longlist. Now in its twenty-second year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women in English from throughout the world. The announcement coincides with International Women’s Day 2017. The 16 longlisted writers and the titles of their novels are: • Stay With…
8 March 2017 As the Government pushes ahead with major changes to the way tax for self-employed people is calculated and reported, we are very concerned about the impact these changes will have on our members. We’ve prepared a template letter for you to download, adapt and send to your local MP, to help raise…
The Royal Society of Literature today (1 March) published the findings from a nationwide survey of people aged 15 and up. The results took into account each interviewee’s idea of what ‘literature’ means, and asked those who don’t read what might make them read more. Of the respondents, 75% considered themselves readers of literature, and…
23 February 2017 Following many years of campaigning, an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill to extend PLR to remote e-lending has been passed by the House of Lords. Yesterday’s debate in The House of Lords on The Digital Economy Bill marked a major victory in our work to ensure that authors are fairly remunerated…
