Evans and Rankin elected to Society of Authors management committee

Harriet Evans and Nicholas Rankin have been elected by Society of Authors members to join the union’s management committee, with Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin and Abie Longstaff re-elected.

They will join after the union’s a.g.m. on 17th November, when Simon Cann, Longstaff and Fox O’Loughlin complete their current three-year terms.

The four were selected from 14 members who stood for election to the committee, which is the SoA’s board of directors, responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation, and chaired by Joanne Harris. Longstaff topped the poll with 464 votes, Evans picked up 432, Rankin secured 431 and Fox O’Loughlin had 378 votes.

Vaseem Khan and Sunny Singh just missed out with 366 and 364 votes respectively.

Harris, who was unanimously re-elected as chair in January but is facing a vote on her role at the a.g.m. due to a resolution tabled by 10 of the organisation’s 12,000 members, said: “2022 has been an unpredictable year for authors and 2023 looks set to have an even greater impact on the day-to-day reality of earning a living and protecting our work. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to impact us, along with the ongoing impact of Brexit and now a deepening cost of living crisis.

“Harriet, Vanessa, Abie and Nicholas start their three-year terms at a challenging time for so many in the creative industries. The fact that the SoA has continued to grow over the past few years, now representing over 12,000 authors, shows that more and more writers, illustrators and translators are looking to us for guidance and support – our new management committee members’ knowledge and input will be critical to delivering it.”