Live Literature fee updates

The Live Literature author fee has increased to £210 per session for any session awarded from January 2026 onwards. Sessions funded before this date, which may be scheduled to take place up until March 2026, will remain at the £200 rate which applied when funding was confirmed.

Why we've changed our fee

Many of the authors on the Live Literature directory make their living primarily from writing and are facing extremely difficult times. Scottish Book Trust believes that writers, storytellers and illustrators should be paid fairly for the important work that they do and we want to support them as much as we are able. We also recognise the challenges facing organisations and have tried to minimise the increased contribution by absorbing as much of the cost as possible.

If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch at [email protected](this link will open in a new window).

What the fee change means for authors 

• Live Literature sessions awarded from January 2026 onwards will be paid at £210 and the process won’t change at all. Scottish Book Trust will continue to also pay reasonable expenses. 
• While the Live Literature fee is not a recommended fee, we recognise that many see it as a benchmark. As many organisations are facing financial uncertainty, we encourage authors to understand that they may not be able to pay more at this time.

What the fee change means for organisations awarded Live Literature sessions

• Organisations awarded Live Literature funding in 2026/27 will be invoiced at £90 per session plus VAT
• We have tried to make this increase proportionate, with affordability and accessibility for organisations carefully considered, and have only increased the amount organisations have been asked to contribute twice since 2007
• This increased contribution means that we can afford to keep supporting as many Live Literature events as possible. Without asking organisations to contribute more we would have to cut the number of sessions we support, reducing the opportunities available to authors and audiences

Why isn't the fee change higher?

We strongly believe that authors should be paid fairly for their time and realise that while this is an increase, it is a relatively modest one. Our budget and the current financial landscape, which has also impacted on the number of sessions we are able to fund this year, mean we’re unable to raise it further for the 2025/26 period. We are unable to absorb the full cost of raising the fee, and rely on increasing the contributions asked from the organisations booking authors. 

The Live Literature fee going forward

This increase will allow us to provide funding for a reasonable number of Live Literature sessions until March 2027. We will continue to review the fees on a regular basis and any decisions made will be communicated ahead of time. 

Previous changes to the Live Literature fee

• 2007: £150
• 2016: £175
• 2023: £190
• 2024: £200