A career in literature...

The literature industry

For centuries, the UK has been home to some of the world's greatest writers and the country continues to produce top authors, poets, critics and academics to the present day.

Research by Creative & Cultural Skills reveals that this dynamic industry contributes more than £2 billion to the British economy each year. The study by the sector skills council for the creative industry also shows that the literature business employs almost 69,000 people.

Department of Culture figures tell a similar tale – data for the wider creative industries show that one per cent of the UK's GDP comes from publishing. It can be assumed that the literature industry as a whole adds more than that proportion to the country's economy.

Help and support

The sector is made up of a number of literature organisations that promote the work of people with careers in literature. Mainly funded by Arts Council England and other arts councils in different UK regions, these organisations help writers by promoting their work, expanding the readership base in the country and offering them skills development programmes.

In its latest literature policy document, Arts Council England said: 'We recognise the value of those organisations dedicated to writers and writing development. We will support them to help writers develop their full potential.'

Bursaries are one form of support offered to both seasoned and budding writers. As authors and poets are paid sporadically and rarely have a constant flow of income, literary organisations understand the need for financial assistance.

One example of this is a recent £95,000 fund to be shared between 24 writers in Wales, five of whom have not had their work published yet. The programme is being offered by literature promotion agency Academi with the help of Arts Council of Wales funding.

Peter Finch, chief executive of Academi, said: 'Bursaries remain the single most effective way to help writers – they buy valuable time and space in a world where both those commodities are increasingly rare... In an economic downturn demand for the arts always increases with writing at the forefront.'

A career for everyone

Careers in literature are highly creative and rewarding and one of the sector's key advantages is that it is open to people of all ages and of all backgrounds. Writers may begin their careers at a young age but many do not start writing and publishing until they are in their 40s or 50s or even older.

It is not uncommon for people to turn to literature after they retire and then write fiction or non-fiction inspired by an event in their lives or the industry they have worked in for many years.

Although there is a perception that the ability to write is a basic inherent skill that cannot be taught, it is possible that people interested in careers in literature can improve their talent through creative writing workshops, which are offered by many literature organisations, or courses provided by colleges and universities.

Sources of help and information

The types of careers available in this sector are very varied and there are many sources of further information.

A good starting point for anyone involved in creating or supporting new writing and literature in the UK is http://www.literaturetraining.com.

Literaturetraining information sheetDownload their information sheet here