Canelo / Arts Council England

Canelo / Arts Council England | 

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Literature in the 21st Century: Understanding Models of Support for Literary Fiction

Journalism and freelance writing: Always a perennial of writers, the 

overall scenario has meant that writers more and more need to write 

as copywriters or journalists. However, almost all the writers we heard 

from thought this was getting more difficult. Rates of pay were going 

down, driven by more and more people going after fewer slots and 

the willingness of many to write at extremely low costs or for free, 

in the name of gaining exposure or building a portfolio. As mentioned 

previously, outlets for book reviewing are not increasing and nor is the 

pay for doing so. Only those with strong connections at the national 

newspapers and most prestigious publications would earn anything 

like a sustainable income from this work.