Society of Authors

The Society of Authors (UK) is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights (with particular attention to copyright protection and, later, the establishment of Public Lending Right).

Bernard Shaw was an early member who took a prominent part in action and discussions, founding the League of Dramatists in 1931 as part of the Society. The Authors' Lending and Copyright Society was also formed after much action by the Society.

In 1958 The Translators Association (TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.

Prizes for fiction and non fiction [1] include:
*The Betty Trask Award;
*The Cholmondeley Awards;
*The Encore Award;
*The Eric Gregory Awards;
*The McKitterick Prize;
*The Olive Cook Award;
*The Richard Imison Award;
*The Sagittarius Prize;
*The Somerset Maugham Awards
*The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award;
*The Tom-Gallon Award;
*The Travelling Scholarships.

References

* Victor Bonham-Carter. Authors by Profession (two volumes. London, 1978, 1984.)