Scottish Authors Get More Financial Relief

The Society of Authors and Creative Scotland are distributing £600,000 ($775,000) in hardship grants to help authors in Scotland. The program is part of a broader £5 million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers. Applications for these new funds will be open on October 26.

The SoA's recent Authors in the Health Crisis survey, showed that 65% of professional writers, illustrators and literary translators have suffered a loss in income since March, with less than a third being eligible for government help. Since March, a total of over £1.1 million have been made available to authors from various arts organizations. 

Society of Authors chief executive Nicola Solomon said, "This funding will be invaluable to the many Scottish writers, illustrators and translators who have fallen between the gaps in financial support during the health crisis. The grants we will now be able to distribute through the Authors’ Contingency Fund will enable some authors to keep working in spite of financial losses, others to stay afloat while dealing with their own ill health, others to fulfill caring responsibilities – and others simply to keep a roof over their heads. We are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for Scottish authors."