Book Aid for Ukraine raises over £70k in a fortnight

A fundraiser spearheaded by Hayley Steed, agent at The Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency, has raised £71,579 to support people in Ukraine.

The Book Aid for Ukraine auction, which closed on 20th March after two weeks, received 358 lots, many of which were donated by figures in the publishing industry. Submission critique sessions from agents including Madeleine Milburn, Jo Unwin and Catherine Cho proved incredibly popular, in addition to signed copies of books from authors such as Dave Grohl. An afternoon champagne tea at London’s Savoy Hotel, lunch with actor David Harewood, and tickets to Grayson Perry’s live show were among the other items up for grabs. 

Seven items — including a book submission coaching session with RCW agent Sam Copeland, the same with Curtis Brown’s Cathryn Summerhayes,  an exclusive illustration by Axel Scheffler, and an hour at the British Museum followed by tea with author Natalie Haynes — are among items that fetched more than £1,000.

"I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the people who pulled together these incredible items for auction, and to everyone who bid, spread the word and supported," Steed said. "A particular shout out to George Morley who really rallied within Pan Macmillan to bring together some of these biggest items — three of the [most popular items] came from her. It’s far exceeded my expectations and hopefully will make a real difference to support everyone suffering from the tragedy in Ukraine."

Other donations included two free tickets to watch Douglas Stuart’s London launch event at the Conway Hall in April, where he will be in conversation with Andrew Macmillan, and a signed, dedicated first edition of his new novel Young Mungo (Picador.) Orenda crime publisher Karen Sullivan will also be providing detailed editorial feedback on a submission, plus a follow-up session as required.

Steed anticipates the total is likely to be higher once the matched bids are added. Pan Macmillan has pledged to match funds on the highest bids placed on all items that its authors and staff have contributed. The money will be donated to British-Ukrainian Aid, a charity that supports people suffering from the war in Ukraine by aligning UK and Ukrainian efforts.