Society of Authors — advocating for writers in Scotland
Introducing a new Creative Scotland-funded role in association with the Society of Authors, to advocate for and advise on authors’ interests in Scotland
I’m Heather, a writer, editor and indie publisher based in Glasgow, and at the start of February 2022, I started in a brand new role with the Society of Authors: the role of Senior Policy & Liaison Manager for Scotland, which is a position partially funded by Creative Scotland.
This is a pilot project that will run for an initial 12 months, and the goal is to establish a central point of contact for writers across Scotland — not only for the Society of Authors members, but for all Scottish authors. Put in the most basic terms, my job is to support writers in Scotland from an author’s rights perspective.
The Society of Authors is a trade union for writers, representing over 11,000 people across the UK and over 800 within Scotland. Like other trade unions, we operate on a membership model, which you can read about here.
We provide our members with advice on all aspects of their careers, from contract vetting to the business side of writing, and we create spaces for writers to meet their peers, whether locally or nationally, to create community within the literature industry. As well as advising authors, we also represent writers’ interests on a policy and social level, lobbying and advocating on issues that affect [VA1] creative practitioners.
My role is intended to provide all these support services specifically to Scottish writers, with a broad knowledge of the literature community in this country and with the specifics of Scots law and the Scottish cultural sector in mind. It’s also intended to help make connections and amplify the great work being done all over the country from other groups and networks, helping to promote Scottish literature to the wider UK publishing industry — and beyond.
Over the next 12 months what you’ll see from me will include events demystifying the industry, the creation of strategic alliances and conversations around how best to improve the working conditions for all writers in Scotland. But my day-to-day also involves talking directly with authors and pointing them towards the resources they require. If you need help at any time, you can drop me a line at hparry@societyofauthors.org, and I’ll be happy to chat!
Find out more about the Society of Author’s work and how they support writers, illustrators and literary translators at all stages of their careers via their website.
