Night Music: Band on the Run

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Writers’ Earnings 2022

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The occupation of “writer” continues to produce poverty-level earnings for most, which raises “serious questions about the sustainability of the writing profession in the UK.”

The median earnings for a professional author in the UK is just £7,000, down 33% since 2018. Some writers’ organizations are concerned that writing could become “the preserve of the privileged”. Nicola Solomon, chief executive of the Society of Authors, said

“Almost all of the people whose creativity and passion make the industry’s existence possible can only realistically be part of it with other jobs, or when they are supported by others, or through personal wealth,” which “paints a picture of a writing profession that is inaccessible and unsustainable for too many.”

The report also found a gender pay gap of 41.4% between men and women, with women experiencing a 21% drop in income in real terms between 2017 and 2020, against 10% for men.

Wise Words

Be content with what you have:

rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothing lacking,

the whole world belongs to you.

— Lao-Tsu