Royal Society of Literature launches UK Writers Survey

By John Freeman on April 16, 2019

Are you a graphic novelist? What do you need to flourish professionally? Mentoring? Money? A space to write? Multidisciplinary workshops? Networking opportunities? Then you might just want to complete the UK Writers Survey, a project initiated by the Royal Society of Literature.

New York Street art, long since removed. It was documented by numerous photographers before it vanished, though, including Tokidoki, although I’m unsure if the image used by the Royal Society of Literature to promote the UK Writers Survey is one of hers

90 years ago, Virginia Woolf said that to be a writer, a woman needed money and a room of her own. In 2019, the Royal Society of Literature has launched a writers survey, asking what writers – at different stages of their careers, from different backgrounds, and from across the UK – need today in order to flourish professionally.

An independent survey commissioned by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society‘s (ALCS) in 2018 found that on average a writer earns £10,500 a year for their writing, down from the equivalent of £18,000 in 2005.

“Is money the thing writers most need to work?” asks the RSL, “And is financial support more important for a second work or production than at the beginning of your career? Is the existence of public libraries more important to a writer as they’re starting out than the endorsement of peers? Is the most important thing of all having somewhere to write from?

“We want you, writers, to tell us what you need to thrive.”

The survey is for writers who currently earn some income from writing or seek to do so. Wherever you are in your writing career, whether you’ve just started and never been published or if you’re a world-renowned writer with 30 titles or productions to your name. If you think of yourself as a writer, are aged 16 or older and are resident in the UK, the RSL want to hear from you.

The publish findings of this research will be published on Dalloway Day, 19th June 2019. The survey should take no longer than ten minutes to complete and as a thank you for your time, you can choose to enter a prize draw to win a £20 National Book Token.

Founded in 1820, the RSL is the UK’s charity for the advancement of literature and acts as a voice for the value of literature, engage people in appreciating literature, and encourage and honour writers.

• Check out the UK Writers Survey here | The Royal Society of Literature

Funded by ALCS, evaluated by The Audience Agency, the Royal Society of Literature is leading this research in consultation with writer development organisations across the UK, including: Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Literature Wales, Literature Works, National Centre for Writing, New Writing North, New Writing South, Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Poetry Library, Society of Authors, Spread the Word, The Literary Consultancy, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Writing East Midlands and Writing West Midlands.

#UKWritersSurvey #ARoomOfMyOwn

• Over on Twitter, the Royal Society of Literature promoted their survey to reach out to graphic novelists with the V for Vendetta-inspired image used above. I tracked it down to long since removed New York Street art, photographed by many, including TokiDoki

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.