Help direct your union: Join the SoA board
The 2021 Management Committee nominations are open. With four seats available, this is your opportunity to influence the strategic direction of the Society of Authors over the next few years.
“The transformative power of the written word” – announcing the 2021 SoA Awards shortlists
Celebrating the transformative power of the written word, in deeply personal stories of Scottish gang culture and addiction, ordinary lives in wartime, the complexity of modern India, alongside an educational illustrated exploration for young readers into the lifecycle of plastic.
‘This couldn’t have come at a better time’ – Writers receive £185,000 in grants for work in progress
From work exploring the relationship between journalism and public health, economic inequality in India and cultivating resilience and hope, these grants for work in progress ‘couldn’t have come at a better time’ for 78 writers.
Golf and writing: where’s the common ground?
Mac Logan, Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, compares the shared skills between a golfer and a writer
Local groups grow to a third of SoA membership in 2020/21
Almost a third of our membership now has a local group in their area – with new groups set up across England, Wales, Scotland and Germany over the last year.
“Vivid… exemplify the art of historical biography” – Shortlist for 2020 Elizabeth Longford Prize
Announcing the shortlist for the 2021 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography – four books that “exemplify the art of studying people’s lives close up”.
Time for racial equality in literary translation
A statement from the Translators Association and the Society of Authors.
World of Books Group fund new award for writers with the power to change the world
World of Books Group, the UK’s largest retailer of used books, have partnered with the Society of Authors to launch a new grant to support writers as they work on books of any genre that have the power to inspire progressive behaviour change.
‘Strong, emotional and assured’ – Fraser Ayres’ Maynard wins 2021 Imison Award
Actor, writer and director awarded £3,000 for best original script by a writer new to radio, at the 2021 BBC Audio Drama Awards. Christopher Douglas takes the Tinniswood Award for best original audio drama script for ‘Tristram Shandy: In Development.’
SoA Comics Creators Network welcomes new Steering Committee
Five comics creators have joined the Steering Committee for the SoA’s Comics Creators Network alongside founders Hannah Berry and Woodrow Phoenix.
The SoA View on Budget 2021
We welcome the Chancellor’s £400 million boost for the arts, but the Budget fails to do ‘whatever it takes’ to help self-employed authors and creative professionals who have fallen through the gaps in Government support over the last 12 months.
Authors’ unions launch investigation into contribution publishers
UK writers’ unions the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), backed by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), have joined forces to research the allegedly exploitative practices of some publishers that charge authors to publish their work. This follows a sharp rise in complaints from authors about these companies received by both unions.