World of Books joins with Society of Authors to launch £5k writing award

Used book retailer the World of Books Group has partnered with the Society of Authors to launch a £5,000 award for writers to inspire progressive behaviour change.

The World of Books Impact Award will be granted twice a year to writers working on books focusing on social impact, sustainability or education. It will offer the winning author a sum of £5,000 to support them as they complete their work. The award criteria is linked to World of Books' own guiding values and aligned with the UN sustainability goals of Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action and Quality Education.

Applications for the first World of Books Impact Award are open from now until July, with the first award due to be granted in October 2021.

In addition to this support, World of Books has also committed to providing additional contributions to the Authors’ Contingency Fund to support writers experiencing financial difficulty, also managed by the Society of Authors.

“The additional support for writers comes just as authors need it most,” the Society of Awards (SoA) said. “According to a report from the Society of Authors, two-thirds of authors have suffered a loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic with the majority losing more than half. Furthermore, over 60% have received no financial support from the government. The sharp increase in applications for support to the Society for Authors prompted the organisation to source emergency funding from industry partners, government and individuals, enabling them to award £1.3m in hardship grants to writers facing financial difficulty during 2020.”

Graham Bell, c.eo. of the World of Books Group, said: “We understand that words have the power to change the world. Writers play a vital role in inspiring necessary changes in behaviour that go far in protecting the planet and making society a better place. We were founded on an ethos to support communities and protect the planet - and we’re delighted to be able to provide support to writers who are working on exciting books that align with this purpose.

Nicola Solomon, chief executive of The Society of Authors, said: “There is an urgent need for forward-thinking, transformative books to lead positive environmental and societal change. Authors feel passionately about these issues, but those books can only happen when authors have the time and space to create them. That can be a challenge at the best of times. But with so many authors hit financially by the health crisis, the World of Books Impact Award is a very positive opportunity at a critical time. We are excited to see what new books this funding might help to make possible- and the change they will inspire in our world."

Applications for the first World of Books Impact Award are open until 1st July. For more information, visit the website.