More than half of the writers surveyed recently by the Writers Guild of Great Britain have said that rising food and energy prices are impacting on their ability to sustain a writing career.
More than 250 writers were surveyed. Of these, 55% reported that rising costs detrimentally affected their ability to engage in writing work, which included having less time to work as a writer and to apply for funding, development schemes or other opportunities. 67% reported having to rely on savings to make ends meet, and 37% had to rely on a partner’s earnings. More than 70% had earned less than £18,000 in the last financial year, and more than 80% worked as freelance writers which demonstrates how precarious the work situation is for the authors, screenwriters, playwrights, dramatists and videogame writers represented by the union. Writers across all these disciplines reported anxieties about how the cost of living crisis would impact on the creative industries.