Every author-advocacy organization should have a Philip Pullman as its president.
The UK’s Society of Authors is, in fact, the lucky outfit, benefiting not only from Pullman’s success in getting the Oxford Literary Festival (and no doubt others) to reconsider its stance on paying author-speakers, but also staring down Ministry of Culture plans to cut Welsh Books Council funding. As The Bookseller’s Natasha Onwuemezi reported, Pullman joined a petition to ward off the planned 10 percent cut in funding on Jan. 18. On Jan. 20, another victory was reported in “Delight at U-turn on Welsh Book Council Cuts.”
Best known as the author of the His Dark Materials trilogy of epic fantasy novels (Scholastic), the seventy-year-old writer—working primarily in children’s literature—has a nearly Clintonian air of gravitas: When he decides that unfairness is afoot and stands against it, the industry listens to him.
As a writer, he’s known for some unusually advanced thinking in terms of story and characterization. For example, his The Ruby in the Smoke of 1986 became the first in a four-book series about a young female Victorian adventurer, Sally Lockhart. Pullman’s extensive accolades include the first Whitbread Book of the Year for a children’s book, The Amber Spyglass from the Dark Materials trilogy.
Pullman rarely hesitates to spell out just why he’s on the barricades over one issue or another. During the international call made earlier this month for author contract reform, Pullman said: “The essential point is that the balance of fairness has tilted the wrong way, and it’s often not only the work that’s being exploited—its creators are too. It’s time for that to stop.”
And on Monday (Jan. 25), the latest honor: He’s been named to the Debrett’s 500 list of Britain’s 500 most influential people. Pullman has become an author’s author, and as the industry explores the rising visibility of its creative corps, we think we’ll be hearing more from Pullman.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
