Author and publisher welfare has been a hot topic in the books industry of late. Publishing houses, trade unions and industry bodies have scrambled for solutions following a survey by the Bookseller in which debut authors reported overwhelmingly negative publication experiences: more than half of respondents said the process adversely affected their mental health. Now, a series of measures are being rolled out across the industry in response to these concerns.
This month, Anna Frame, communications director at the independent publisher Canongate, has confirmed various initiatives are being discussed, including an authors’ handbook in partnership with the Society of Authors (SoA) and a resource pack for publishers, in conjunction with English Pen. Canongate has also announced that it will publish fewer books so that it can dedicate more time to authors.
These discussions follow news that the Orion publishing group will establish an academy for debut novelists with the aim of “demystifying the process and ensuring expectations are clear”. Meanwhile, the Publishers Publicity Circle (PPC) is launching free media training and crisis communications sessions for publishers.
Ed Gillett – whose debut book Party Lines will come out in August – said that working with his publisher Picador was a “really positive” experience. However, he added that writing a book can be isolating. “I signed my deal during lockdown, which was obviously a period of particularly acute disconnection for everybody, but that sense of operating in a bit of a bubble has persisted.”
Imogen Hermes Gowar published her first novel, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, in 2018. She described her publisher and agent as “faultlessly supportive”, but said that she could have been better prepared.
“It impacted my mental health gigantically. For me it was the total change in status. I was 28 when I sold my book and […] I was used to being the intern, or the temp, or the volunteer juggling day jobs in cafes and care work to pay my bills. Suddenly I was treated like the most important person in the room, and it really did a number on me. I doubt it would have occurred to anyone that this might be the case.
“For publishing professionals, for whom this is all literally just another day at the office, it’s easy to overlook the fact that for a debut author it’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.”
She added that clearer communication throughout the process would have eased her concerns. “A lot of authors I know feel quite powerless and shut out from decision-making. We are the product, but we are not a member of the team […] it’s extra alienating to feel that decisions directly concerning our work and careers are often not shared with us.”
Lily Dunn, whose memoir Sins of my Father was published in 2022, echoed this: “So much anxiety comes from not knowing what to expect […] waiting for a response, and the agent or editor who is juggling any number of books and therefore can’t always give the author what they need there and then.”
Gillett and Gowar both suggested that formalised peer-to-peer support would enable debut authors to navigate the process more confidently, while Gowar said she would have liked to see a publication timeline at the beginning of the process. However, she also acknowledged the immense pressure that publishers are under already.
“It must be incredibly sapping as an editor to feel responsible for your authors’ mental health when your own is in freefall. The measures that are being proposed would be great if they really work and aren’t just lip service, but there’s an industry-wide mental health crisis that really needs to be addressed.”
Andrea Henry, an editorial director at Picador, said that publishing professionals are expected to work evenings and weekends as a matter of course. In a previous job, when she was a senior editor, Henry remembers being asked by a publishing director to read a manuscript. “I was expected to do it over the weekend and report back on Monday as to what kind of an edit would be required”, she said. “I was splitting up with my long-term boyfriend that weekend and we were moving out of our shared flat, going our separate ways. It was going to be gruelling. I said I couldn’t read it, and why, but she still seemed a little unconvinced.
“We’re not on the NHS frontline, are we? Still, it is – unexpectedly – a job that takes its toll, because it bleeds into our private lives. ‘It’s a lifestyle,’ is often how it’s explained. It is very hard to switch off.”
Sabah Khan, the head of publicity across adult fiction and non-fiction at Simon & Schuster UK, said that publishers today are facing a uniquely demanding cocktail of circumstances. “I think the pandemic really blurred the lines of what being available for work means – although the whole industry has been talking about burnout and mental wellbeing for a while.”
Through their cross-sector initiatives, Frame, the SoA and the PPC are hoping to tackle these issues. Frame said: “The moment when a book reaches publication is hugely exciting for writers, but it can feel exposing and stressful, too.”
“Often the weight of providing emotional support for authors during this vulnerable time falls to publicists, editors and agents, who aren’t mental health professionals,” she pointed out. “That pastoral care is vital, but as an industry we have to acknowledge the need for professional resources, too, and provide access to that support. Publishing is a team game, and having the difficult conversations at an earlier stage in the process will help us protect our own mental health, and that of the writers we’re working with.”
The SoA is currently seeking sponsorship for its author handbook, which Gillett, Gowar and Dunn all agree is a step in the right direction. Khan and Henry are optimistic about Canongate’s plans to publish fewer books. However, Henry said that resource packs may prove inadequate. “The industry is a bit of a wild west. I’m not sure you can wrangle it into a manual.” Ultimately, she said, the solution is obvious: “Fewer hours, more money!”
• In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978
• This article was amended on 21 July 2023. Canongate is still in discussions about the potential launch of an authors’ handbook and resource pack, but neither initiative has yet been confirmed, as an earlier version indicated.
