UK faces ‘serious loss of writing talent’ due to rising costs, Writers’ Guild survey finds

The UK is facing a “serious loss of writing talent” due to the rising cost of living, a survey conducted by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has found.

Of 250 writers surveyed by the trade union, 55% said that rising energy and food costs were impacting their ability to sustain a writing career, with other factors including having less time to work as a writer, or apply for funding, development schemes or other opportunities.

More than two thirds (67%) reported having to rely on their savings in order to manage day-to-day expenditure, while 37% said they had to rely on their partners’ earnings. Moreover, more than 70% of respondents had earned £18,000 or less for their writing work in the last financial year. The majority (over 80%) said they were freelance writers.

The survey also highlighted what the organisation called “an industry-wide dearth of opportunity and an increase in poor practice”: several respondents highlighted how real wages were not rising with inflation as the creative industries continued to experience the dual shocks of Brexit and Covid. There were also many reports of late payments, shrinking production budgets and reduced audience sizes.

Writers across TV, film, theatre, audio, books and video games reported feeling worried about how cost-of-living increases would affect the creative industries, with many fearing that shrinking demand among audiences and consumers would force organisations to close.

Independent video game studios, theatres, publishers and screen production companies were cited by many respondents as being particularly at risk.

Ellie Peers, WGGB general secretary, said of the findings: “After living through the dual impact of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, writers are now having to face a severe cost-of-living crisis, as our new survey shows.

“The UK faces a serious loss of writing talent, and this risks pulling the rug from under our world-beating cultural industries, which contribute over £100bn to our economy and enjoy an enviable global profile. We will be working with our industry partners to address the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on writers. We will also continue to campaign and lobby, and we will defend our members against poor practice wherever we find it.”