In a year that is celebrating record-breaking books sales, it was revealed that writers are earning less than £10,500 a year on average. This figure is a 42% drop over the last 13 years, and is well below the recommended minimum national income. Today, only 13% of authors’ income comes solely from their writing. These figures come as a shock considering the success that the UK has had for book sales, so where is this imbalance coming from?

A significant part of the sales comes from the rising popularity of crime fiction, a genre that has seen the huge success of female writers in recent years.

Paula Hawkins kicked things off in 2015 with her bestseller The Girl Next Door which sparked the an interest in psychological thrillers. Former police officer Clare Mackintosh saw success with her novel I See You in 2016, while comedy turned thriller writer Shari Lapena hit huge sales last year with A Stranger in the House. These women have all contributed to the rising popularity of crime fiction as was reflected this weekend in Harrogate at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing festival.

The festival welcomes new and established crime writers from across Europe to celebrate the genre. With a 16,500 tickets being sold last year, it is renowned for being the biggest crime writing festival in Europe. British writer Stav Sherez swept up the £3000 prize for his crime fiction novel The Intrusions. The panel is headed by thriller writer Lee Child, a man who has seen incredible success for his Jack Reacher novels. Child has undoubtedly experienced the brighter side of crime fiction writing, having his work turned into hit movies, but he is an exception to the rule.

Writers are pointing the finger of blame towards publishers, who are being accused of reducing payments to authors while pocketing a bigger cut of the profits. This has led to authors struggling to pursue their writing career as they juggle part-time work to fund their existence. With big breaks few and far between, it is not surprising that many authors are putting their pens down. If their income continues to decline at such a steep level, then professional writing could be doomed.

Online blogs, social media platforms and forums may see a rise in visitors, but the possibility of surviving on creative writing will be a lost.

What further adds disappointment to the issue is that young writers are already turning away from this type of work. Publishers are reluctant to invest time and money in young talent, meaning that people are being discouraged from the industry very early on.

Yet, looking at the incredible popularity of genres such as crime fiction, it is clear that there is still a strong interest in and support for the world of writing. Despite the digital boom, people are still buying, reading and seeking more stories.

Stirling is currently preparing to host their 6th annual International Crime Writing Festival Bloody Scotland in September which will host hundreds of crime writers, and will certainly show the vast interest in creative writing. Changes certainly need to be made if the writing industry is to maintain the talent that will ensure interest and readership from the public. Areas that could be looked at include Government support in the form of tax breaks, publishers ensuring writers get a fair cut of the profits, and sponsorship schemes where business could support young writers or those from ethnic or disadvantaged backgrounds.