Introduction

This introductory chapter outlines the qualitative research that this book presents, considers the meaning of ‘making a living’, and offers some contextual information about the UK publishing landscape, reporting on surveys of authors’ earnings and the support organisations available to writers. The chapter goes on to position fiction writers as cultural workers, looking at existing scholarly studies of cultural work, or work within the ‘creative industries’, and notes some key concerns and debates. This is followed by an explanation of the research methodology, discussing how the interviews with authors were sampled, conducted, and analysed. It introduces the theoretical framework which shapes the book, offering four conceptual pillars or areas of interest: hope, magic, work, and discourse.