The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has warned that its members are set to face the sharp edges of the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis this winter, with 55% of writers surveyed in a new poll reporting that rising energy and food costs are impacting their ability to sustain a writing career.
A survey of more than 250 writers conducted by the trade union found that as well as energy and food bills, other factors that impacted their ability to engage in writing work included having less time to work as a writer, or apply for funding, development schemes or other opportunities. While writers aren’t unique in their concerns about Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, which is a major source of anxiety for many U.K. households this winter, the majority (over 80%) said they were freelance writers, highlighting the precarious nature of employment for screenwriters, playwrights, authors, audio dramatists and videogames writers that the union represents.
67% of those surveyed 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. More than 70% respondents had earned £18,000 ($21,000) or less for their writing work in the last financial year.
The survey also highlighted an industry-wide “dearth of opportunity and an increase in poor practice.” Several respondents said real wages were not rising with inflation as the creative industries continued to suffer the impact of Brexit and the COVID crisis. There were also reports of late payments, shrinking production budgets and reduced audience sizes. (A WGGB poll last month revealed that almost three-quarters of U.K. film screenwriters feel they’re not properly credited for their work and are being “edited out” of the filmmaking process.)
Writers who were surveyed by the WGGB work across TV, film, theater, audio, books and videogames. Many respondents detailed anxiety over how cost-of-living increases would affect the creative industries, with many fearing that shrinking demand among audiences and consumers would force organizations to close. Independent videogame studios, theaters, publishers and screen production companies were cited by many respondents as being particularly at risk.
WGGB General Secretary Ellie Peers said: “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 U.K. faces a serious loss of writing talent, and this risks pulling the rug from under our world-beating cultural industries, which contribute over £100 billion 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 continue to campaign and lobby, and we will defend our members against poor practice wherever we find it,” continued Peers.
