Spettacolo
Survey funded by ALCS shows a profession struggling to sustain itself
This latest research into authors' earnings, conducted by the CREATe Centre at the University of Glasgow , tells an alarming story of a profession nearing a tipping point. The past 15 years have seen a sustained fall in professional writers' real terms income from writing; this decline of around 60% has pushed median earnings down to minimum wage levels.
The report highlights a profession often reliant on writers' willingness to work for modest rewards, incentivised primarily by their love of the job and reliant on financial support from other sources of income, with the median earnings from writing alone now down to just £7k per year.
The researchers observe that, "Such 'intrinsic motivation' may be linked to the devaluing of creative labour, and perhaps untenable market conditions."
The research also reveals:
The survey also showed that the top 10% of authors earn about 47% of the total income of the population.
Despite all these systemic flaws, the writing profession makes a vital contribution to the continued health of the UK's creative industries which, with an estimated GVA in excess of £100bn, remains a resilient part of the economy capable of delivering future growth.
The report shows a shift in contractual arrangements and the way that business is done across both AV and publishing, raising a specific query regarding writers' returns from the booming streaming industry. It also tracks the sustained, long-term fall in writers' earnings, against the fundamental changes in the way that their works are distributed, shared and consumed, changes which have enabled market entrants to garner significant profits.
*All quotes taken from 'Authors' Earnings and Contracts' by CREATe (2022). The full report can be viewed here.
The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers' work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. It represents over 117,000 members, and since 1977 has paid over £600million to writers. For more information visit alcs.co.uk
CREATe, the UK Copyright and Creative Economy Centre, was established in 2012 as the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models funded jointly by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Since 2018 CREATe has been leading work on Intellectual Property, Business Models, Access to Finance and Content Regulation as part of the AHRC Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre (PEC). CREATe investigates the future of creative production in the digital age. It holds particular expertise in methodological innovation at the interface of law, social science and technology and has delivered more than 60 projects, including for the European Parliament and under Horizon 2020.
CREATe is hosted by the School of Law at the University of Glasgow , a member of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities, which has a tradition of excellence as the UK's fourth oldest university (founded in 1451). It is a world-leading research-intensive institution, attracting scholars from more than 130 countries worldwide. https://www.create.ac.uk/
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