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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
{{Infobox organization
|name = Society of Authors
| name = Society of Authors
|location_country= [[United Kingdom]]
| location_country = [[United Kingdom]]
|affiliation =
| affiliation =
|members = 11,905 (2022)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1159567/577T_2022.pdf |access-date=18 July 2023|website=publishing.service.gov.uk|title=Annual Return for a Trade Union}}</ref>
| members = 11,905 (2022)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1159567/577T_2022.pdf |access-date=18 July 2023|website=publishing.service.gov.uk|title=Annual Return for a Trade Union}}</ref>
|full_name = The Society of Authors
| full_name = The Society of Authors
|native_name =
| native_name =
|image =
| image =
|founded = {{start date and age|1884}}
| founded = {{start date and age|1884}}
|dissolved =
| dissolved =
|merged =
| merged =
|headquarters = [[London]], UK
| headquarters = [[London]], UK
| key_people = [[Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin]], Chair<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bayley |first1=Sian |title=Fox O'Loughlin elected new SoA chair, succeeding Harris |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/fox-oloughlin-elected-new-soa-chair-succeeding-harris |access-date=25 January 2024 |work=The Bookseller |date=23 January 2024 |language=En}}</ref><br>
|key_people = [[Joanne Harris]], Chair<br>
Nicola Solomon, Chief Executive
Nicola Solomon, Chief Executive
| affiliations = [[European Writers' Council]]
|website = {{URL|http://www.societyofauthors.org/}}
| website = {{URL|https://www2.societyofauthors.org/}}
}}
}}
The '''Society of Authors''' ('''SoA''') is a United Kingdom [[trade union]] for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00019993 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> to protect the rights and further the interests of [[authors]]. In 2020 membership stood at over 12,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |last2=Taylor |first2=Harry |last3=Arts |first3=Harriet Sherwood |last4=correspondent |first4=culture |date=2022-11-17 |title=Joanne Harris sees off vote to oust her from Society of Authors role |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/nov/17/joanne-harris-faces-vote-to-oust-her-from-society-of-authors-role-salman-rushdie-twitter |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref>
The '''Society of Authors''' ('''SoA''') is a United Kingdom [[trade union]] for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Society of Authors overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00019993 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> to protect the rights and further the interests of [[authors]]. In 2020 membership stood at over 12,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |last2=Taylor |first2=Harry |last3=Arts |first3=Harriet Sherwood |last4=correspondent |first4=culture |date=2022-11-17 |title=Joanne Harris sees off vote to oust her from Society of Authors role |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/nov/17/joanne-harris-faces-vote-to-oust-her-from-society-of-authors-role-salman-rushdie-twitter |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref> The SoA is a member of the European Writers' Council.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-15 |title=Our Members |url=https://europeanwriterscouncil.eu/our-members/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=EWC - European Writers Council |language=en-US}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
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Contemporary members include [[Philip Pullman]] (SoA president from 2013 to March 2022<ref>[https://societyofauthors.org/News/News/2022/March/Philip-Pullman-resigns-from-SoA-Presidency Philip Pullman resigns from SoA Presidency], The Society of Authors.</ref>), [[Malorie Blackman]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Philip Gross]], [[Judith Kerr]], [[J. K. Rowling]] and [[Lemn Sissay]].<ref>[http://www.societyofauthors.org/About-Us/Council "Council & President"], The Society of Authors.</ref>
Contemporary members include [[Philip Pullman]] (SoA president from 2013 to March 2022<ref>[https://societyofauthors.org/News/News/2022/March/Philip-Pullman-resigns-from-SoA-Presidency Philip Pullman resigns from SoA Presidency], The Society of Authors.</ref>), [[Malorie Blackman]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Philip Gross]], [[Judith Kerr]], [[J. K. Rowling]] and [[Lemn Sissay]].<ref>[http://www.societyofauthors.org/About-Us/Council "Council & President"], The Society of Authors.</ref>

==Structure==
Membership of the society is open to authors, defined as "anyone who creates work for publication, broadcast or performance". For full membership an author must have published a work with a publisher, or sold a specified number of print copies or ebooks if self-published, or met other criteria. Associate membership is offered to students and to "emerging authors" and students.<ref name=soa-eligible>{{cite web |title=Am I eligible? |url=https://www2.societyofauthors.org/join/am-i-eligible/ |publisher=The Society of Authors |access-date=20 January 2024 }}</ref> {{As of|January 2024}} there over 11,800 voting members. The society's fellows are a group of "members of high standing and who have been exceptional in their support of the Society of Authors", whose role is to elect the president and to handle the society's assets should it cease to exist. A management committee of 12 members is elected to serve for three-year terms, and they elect their chair for two-year terms. The president "is an ambassador for the Society of Authors and comments on broad policy issues, but has no decision-making role in our direction or governance"; {{as of|January 2024 | lc=yes}} the post is vacant, and a process to elect a new president will begin in 2024. Following decisions at the 2023 AGM after a review of the role of president, the position will in future be named "honorary president" and the holder will be elected for a three-year term, with a maximum extension of a further two years.<ref name="soa-governance">{{cite web |title=Governance |url=https://www2.societyofauthors.org/about-us/governance/ |publisher=The Society of Authors |access-date=20 January 2024 |date=}}</ref>

==Literary estates==
The society administers the literary estates of 58 authors ({{as of|2024|lc=yes}}), and the income from this supports its work. These authors include [[George Bernard Shaw]], [[Virginia Woolf]], [[Philip Larkin]] and [[Rosamond Lehmann]].<ref name="soa-estates">{{cite web |title=Literary estates |url=https://www2.societyofauthors.org/estates/ |publisher=The Society of Authors |access-date=21 January 2024 |date=}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
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*The [[Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize]] for a novel focusing on travel
*The [[Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize]] for a novel focusing on travel


The organisation also administers a number of literary translation prizes,<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web |title=European literature in English translation : recent prizewinners |url=https://languagecollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/2015/07/24/european-literature-in-english-translation-recent-prizewinners/ |website=Languages across Borders |publisher=Cambridge University Libraries: European Collections |access-date=25 January 2024 |language=en |date=24 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="anderson">{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Porter |title=The Society of Authors: 2023 Translation Prize Winners |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/02/the-society-of-authors-2023-translation-prize-winners/ |website=Publishing Perspectives |access-date=25 January 2024 |date=9 February 2023}}</ref> including:
The organisation also administers a number of literary translation prizes, including:


* The [[TA First Translation Prize]], for translation from any language (annual)
* The [[TA First Translation Prize]], for translation from any language (annual)
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* The [[Scott Moncrieff Prize]], for French Translation (annual)
* The [[Scott Moncrieff Prize]], for French Translation (annual)
* The [[Schlegel-Tieck Prize]], for German Translation (annual)
* The [[Schlegel-Tieck Prize]], for German Translation (annual)
* The [[:sv:Bernard Shaw-priset|Bernard Shaw Prize]], for Swedish Translation (triennial)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bernard Shaw Prize 2023 shortlist announced |url=https://swedishenglish.org/news/bernard-shaw-2023-shortlist/ |website=SELTA |access-date=25 January 2024 |date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sarah Death wins the Bernard Shaw Prize for translation for the third time |url=https://www.alcs.co.uk/news/flawless-translation-a-delight-to-read-sarah-death-wins-the-bernard-shaw-prize-for-translation-for-the-third-time/ |website=ALCS |access-date=25 January 2024 |language=en |date=11 February 2022}}</ref>
* The [[:sv:Bernard Shaw-priset|Bernard Shaw Prize]], for Swedish Translation (triennial)
* The [[Vondel Prize]], for Dutch Translation (biennial)
* The [[Vondel Prize]], for Dutch Translation (biennial)
* The [[Premio Valle Inclan]], for Spanish Translation (annual)
* The [[Premio Valle Inclan]], for Spanish Translation (annual)
* The [[TLS-Risa Domb/Porjes Prize]], for Hebrew translation (triennial)
* The [[TLS-Risa Domb/Porjes Prize]], for Hebrew translation (triennial)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Risa Domb/Porjes Prize |url=https://jewishliteraryfoundation.co.uk/awards-prizes/the-tls-risa-domb-porjes-prize |website= |publisher=Jewish Literary Foundation |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>


It has previously administered the following prizes:
It has previously administered the following prizes:


*The [[Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award|Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award]]
*The [[Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award|Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award]]
* [[Calouste Gulbenkian Prize]], for Portuguese Translation (triennial)
* Calouste Gulbenkian Prize, for Portuguese Translation (triennial) ''Awarded for the last time in 2012''<ref name=cambridge />
* [[Hellenic Foundation for Culture Award]], for Greek Translation (triennial)
* [[Hellenic Foundation for Culture Award]], for Greek Translation (triennial){{cn|date=January 2024}}
*The [[Women's Prize for Fiction]]
*The [[Women's Prize for Fiction]]


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Society of Authors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Society of Authors}}
[[Category:Trade unions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Trade unions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British writers| ]]
[[Category:British writers' organisations| ]]
[[Category:1884 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1884 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Society of Authors awards|*]]
[[Category:Society of Authors awards|*]]

Latest revision as of 22:43, 4 May 2024

Not to be confused with Authors' Club.

Society of Authors
The Society of Authors
Founded1884; 140 years ago (1884)
HeadquartersLondon, UK
Location
Members
11,905 (2022)[1]
Key people
Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin, Chair[2]
Nicola Solomon, Chief Executive
AffiliationsEuropean Writers' Council
Websitewww2.societyofauthors.org

The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884[3] to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. In 2020 membership stood at over 12,000.[4] The SoA is a member of the European Writers' Council.[5]

History[edit]

The SoA has counted among its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets, including Tennyson (first president), George Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy, Alasdair Gray,[6] John Edward Masefield, Thomas Hardy, H. G. Wells, J. M. Barrie and E. M. Forster.[7]

In 1958 the Translators Association (TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.[8]

Contemporary members include Philip Pullman (SoA president from 2013 to March 2022[9]), Malorie Blackman, Neil Gaiman, Philip Gross, Judith Kerr, J. K. Rowling and Lemn Sissay.[10]

Structure[edit]

Membership of the society is open to authors, defined as "anyone who creates work for publication, broadcast or performance". For full membership an author must have published a work with a publisher, or sold a specified number of print copies or ebooks if self-published, or met other criteria. Associate membership is offered to students and to "emerging authors" and students.[11] As of January 2024 there over 11,800 voting members. The society's fellows are a group of "members of high standing and who have been exceptional in their support of the Society of Authors", whose role is to elect the president and to handle the society's assets should it cease to exist. A management committee of 12 members is elected to serve for three-year terms, and they elect their chair for two-year terms. The president "is an ambassador for the Society of Authors and comments on broad policy issues, but has no decision-making role in our direction or governance"; as of January 2024 the post is vacant, and a process to elect a new president will begin in 2024. Following decisions at the 2023 AGM after a review of the role of president, the position will in future be named "honorary president" and the holder will be elected for a three-year term, with a maximum extension of a further two years.[12]

Literary estates[edit]

The society administers the literary estates of 58 authors (as of 2024), and the income from this supports its work. These authors include George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Philip Larkin and Rosamond Lehmann.[13]

Legacy[edit]

In 1969 the British Library acquired the archive of the Society of Authors from 1879 to 1968 consisting of six hundred and ninety volumes.[14] The British Library acquired a further two hundred and fifty-eight volumes in 1982 and 1984.[15]

Awards and prizes[edit]

Prizes for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction administered by the SoA include:[16]

The organisation also administers a number of literary translation prizes,[18][19] including:

It has previously administered the following prizes:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Annual Return for a Trade Union" (PDF). publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  2. ^ Bayley, Sian (23 January 2024). "Fox O'Loughlin elected new SoA chair, succeeding Harris". The Bookseller. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. ^ "The Society of Authors overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. ^ Sherwood, Harriet; Taylor, Harry; Arts, Harriet Sherwood; correspondent, culture (17 November 2022). "Joanne Harris sees off vote to oust her from Society of Authors role". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Our Members". EWC - European Writers Council. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Gray, Alasdair, 1934–2019 | Art UK".
  7. ^ "Society of Authors - history". Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  8. ^ Anderson, Porter (4 October 2023). "UK's Society of Authors' CEO Nicola Solomon is Retiring". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  9. ^ Philip Pullman resigns from SoA Presidency, The Society of Authors.
  10. ^ "Council & President", The Society of Authors.
  11. ^ "Am I eligible?". The Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Governance". The Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Literary estates". The Society of Authors. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  14. ^ Society of Authors Papers, archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  15. ^ Correspondence and papers of the Society of Authors and League of Dramatists, archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Society of Authors -Prizes for fiction and non-fiction". Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  17. ^ "The ADCI Literary Prize". societyofauthors.org. The Society of Authors. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  18. ^ a b "European literature in English translation : recent prizewinners". Languages across Borders. Cambridge University Libraries: European Collections. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  19. ^ Anderson, Porter (9 February 2023). "The Society of Authors: 2023 Translation Prize Winners". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Bernard Shaw Prize 2023 shortlist announced". SELTA. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Sarah Death wins the Bernard Shaw Prize for translation for the third time". ALCS. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  22. ^ "The Risa Domb/Porjes Prize". Jewish Literary Foundation. Retrieved 25 January 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.chped.com/w/index.php?title=Society_of_Authors&oldid=1222265753"