Fossil Free Books

Open letter. Wednesday 15 May 2024

Our renewed call for Baillie Gifford to divest from the fossil fuel industry and from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide

To mark the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, we – writers, journalists, editors, illustrators, publishers, and festival and book workers – renew our demand to the asset manager Baillie Gifford, sponsor of Hay Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, Edinburgh International Books Festival, Cambridge Literary Festival, Stratford Literary Festival, Boswell Book Festival, Borders Book Festival, Wigtown Book Festival, Henley Literary Festival, Wimbledon BookFest, and The Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction, to divest from the fossil fuel industry and from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide.

Baillie Gifford currently has between £2.5–£5bn invested in the fossil fuel industry[1] and nearly £10bn invested in companies with direct or indirect links to Israel's defence, tech and cybersecurity industries, including Nvidia, Amazon and Alphabet[2]. In December 2023, a coalition of civil society groups named Baillie Gifford a “top European investor in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.[3]

As university encampments around the world have pointed out, divestment is not abstract. Until the firm agrees to divest, we call on all literary organisations, including festivals, to end their relationships with Baillie Gifford. If our demand is not met, we reaffirm our commitment to take action through disruption and by withdrawing our labour.

Many of the undersigned book workers have already withdrawn from participation in Baillie Gifford-funded festivals in 2024, including Hay Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival, keeping the commitment we made in our author statement last year. Others commit to continue to raise our demands. Literary organisations can expect escalation, including the expansion of boycotts, increased author withdrawal of labour, and increased disruption until Baillie Gifford divests.

As of writing, over 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including more than 14,500 children.[4] This is the highest daily death rate of any major conflict this century.[5] The Israeli military is also destroying the cultural life and heritage of Palestine. Omar Robert Hamilton, the Director of the Palestine Festival of Literature has said “every single university in Gaza has been destroyed, journalists are being killed at an unprecedented rate, cultural centres, archives, printing presses, bookshops, publishing houses – all have been intentionally targeted by Israel's precision bombs”.[6]

This destruction depends on financing. In addition to companies linked to the Israeli military, Baillie Gifford is also currently invested in Cemex, Cisco Systems, and Booking Holdings. The maintenance and expansion of Israeli settlements is illegal under international law and “gives rise to individual criminal liability as war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court”. All three of these companies have been condemned by numerous human rights organisations for their business involvement in the illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.

Solidarity with Palestine and climate justice are inextricably linked, as emphasised by Friends of the Earth International: “Our liberation struggle is interconnected with global movements advocating for Indigenous rights, land rights, the fight against the fossil fuel industry and climate colonialism”. As well as their investments in Israeli apartheid, occupation, and genocide, Baillie Gifford’s investments include the following fossil fuel companies: Shell*, Petrobras, the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and Equinor. In accordance with the resolution on fossil fuel divestment passed by the Society of Authors in May 2024 by an overwhelming majority of members, we demand that Baillie Gifford divest from this disastrous process.

A literary industry free from fossil fuels, genocide and colonial violence is possible and it is necessary. Institutional investors far bigger than Baillie Gifford, such as the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, are already divesting. We make these demands in the spirit of a just transition, a process of creating work for all – including work in literature – which does not depend on the profits of colonialism and environmental destruction. We know this will take work. It is work we are committed to, and we are calling on everyone to join us.

This statement is open to all book workers to sign, whether or not you have been invited to a festival. To sign, please fill out this form.

* A Baillie Gifford representative has contacted us to say they divested from Shell three years ago - we have put Baillie Gifford in touch with Urgewald so that they can investigate their data. We are waiting for the results of that conversation.

  1. The Ferret and Investigating Climate Chaos. ↩
  2. Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland. ↩
  3. Don't Buy Into Occupation report, "European Financial Institutions’ Continued Complicity in the Illegal Israeli Settlement Enterprise". ↩
  4. Al Jazeera, Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker. ↩
  5. Oxfam, "Daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict". ↩
  6. Statement from Omar Robert Hamilton, co-founder and current director of PalFest . ↩

Signed,

  • A K Blakemore, author
  • A. Y. Chao, author
  • Aamina Ahmad, author
  • Abeer Ameer, poet
  • Abi Andrews, author, bookseller
  • Adam Clifford, writer
  • Adam Steiner, author
  • Adam Weymouth, writer
  • Adele Walton, journalist
  • Adiba Jaigirdar, author
  • Agnes Monod-Gayraud, author
  • Ahdaf Soueif, author
  • Aisha Bushby, author
  • Aja Barber, author
  • Al Innes, poet
  • Alessandra Duse, event organiser, bookseller
  • Alex Haydn-Williams, editor
  • Alex Mullarky, author
  • Alex Orr, publisher
  • Alexa Winik, writer
  • Alexandra Gilliam, author
  • Alia Trabucco Zeran, author
  • Alice Guthrie, translator, editor
  • Alice Jolly, author
  • Alice Lickens, author, illustrator
  • Alice Vincent, author
  • Alice Willitts, author
  • Alison Layland, author
  • Alison Rumfitt, author
  • Allen Fatimaharan, illustrator
  • Allie Oldfield, designer, illustrator
  • Alom Shaha, author, teacher
  • Alycia Pirmohamed, author
  • Alyson Kissner, poet
  • Amaan Hyder, author
  • Amanda Addison, author
  • Amaryllis Gacioppo, author
  • Amber Lone, writer, editor
  • Amelia Horgan, author
  • Ami Tian, data analyst (Hachette Book Group)
  • Amir Kassam, author
  • Amy Abdelnoor, author
  • Amy Liptrot, author
  • Anahit Behrooz, author
  • Anahita Karthik, author
  • Anbara Salam, author
  • Andrés N Ordorica, author
  • Andrew Bowie, author
  • Andrew Chapman, editor
  • Andrew McMillan, author
  • Andrew Simms, author
  • Aneesha Angris, editorial assistant
  • Ania Bas, author
  • Anita Felicelli, author
  • Anita Sethi, author
  • Anna Doherty, illustrator, author
  • Anna Jones, author
  • Anna Metcalfe, writer
  • Anna Terreros-Martin, author, illustrator
  • Annabel Campbell, author
  • Anne Grange, author, editor, creative writing facilitator
  • Annie Hayter, poet
  • Annie Taylor, author
  • Anoosha Syed, author, illustrator
  • Ansa Khan Khattak, editor
  • Anthony Anaxagorou, poet, publisher
  • Anthony McGowan, author
  • Anthony Vahni Capildeo FRSL, author
  • Aoife Greenham, author, illustrator
  • Aquayemi-Claude G. Akinsanya, author
  • Arden Jones, author, literary agency assistant
  • Ashley Thorpe, author, editor
  • Asia Khatun, marketer
  • Aura García-Junco, author
  • Averie Watson, chair of SYP Scotland
  • Axmed Maxamed, writer
  • Ayça Türkoğlu, translator
  • Ayesha Ansari, bookseller
  • Ayesha L. Rubio, author, illustrator
  • Ayling Dominguez, writer
  • Aysha Malik, author
  • Azad Ashim Sharma, writer, publisher
  • Barry Spence, artist
  • Beatriz Lopez, editor
  • Becky Palmer, author, illustrator, educator
  • Bekah B., library worker
  • Ben Rawlence, author
  • Benedict Anning, author
  • Bernadette Stringer, author
  • Beth Frieden, author
  • Beth Hickling-Moore, literary translator
  • Bethan Roberts, author
  • Bhakti Shringarpure, writer, editor
  • Bianca Skrinyar, writer, editor
  • Bibi Senthi, author illustrator
  • Billie Walker, writer, bookseller
  • Birukti Tsige, author
  • Blindboyboatclub, author
  • Blue Kirkhope, writer
  • Bo Mandeville, artist, writer
  • Bonnie Radcliffe, author
  • Bonnie Wright, author
  • Bret Johnson, bookseller, event producer
  • Brett Hetherington, author, translator, journalist, teacher
  • Brian Lewis, publisher (Longbarrow Press)
  • Briana Pegado, author
  • Bruno Valasse, author, illustrator
  • Cailean Steed, author
  • Calum Barnes, writer, bookseller
  • Camille Whitcher, illustrator, author
  • Canisia Lubrin, author, editor
  • Caoilinn Hughes, author
  • Caro Clarke, literary agent
  • Caroline Davies, poet
  • Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion, author, politician (Green Party)
  • Carolynn Bain, bookshop owner (Afrori Books), director (Brighton Book Festival)
  • Catarina Pinto Vicente, admin assistant (Oxford University Press)
  • Cath Little, author
  • Catherine Barter, bookseller, author
  • Catherine Oliver, author
  • Catherine Sadler, writer, programmer
  • Catherine Sadler, writer, programmer
  • Cathy Reay, author, editor
  • Cecile Pin, author
  • Cecilia Knapp, writer
  • Cerrie Burnell, author
  • Char Heather, author
  • Charles Lang, poet
  • Charles Theonia, poet
  • Charlie Hertzog Young, author, researcher
  • Charlot Kristensen, illustrator, author
  • Charlotte Church, musician
  • Charlotte Robathan, editor
  • Cherise Lopes-Baker, editor
  • China Miéville, author
  • Chitra Ramaswamy, author, journalist
  • Christina Mills, editor
  • Christina Riley, writer, director (The Nature Library)
  • Christina Sharpe, author
  • Christopher Marmolejo, author
  • Christopher Tracy, poet, library worker
  • Claire Askew, author
  • Claire Collison, poet
  • Claire Kohda, author
  • Claire Ratinon, author
  • Clara Vulliamy, author, illustrator
  • Clare Connerton, bookseller
  • Clare Harlow, author
  • Clare Pollard, author
  • Clare Povey, author
  • Clare Richards, translator
  • Clementine Ford, author
  • Coco Hagi, content creator
  • Coll Rowe, associate content manager, trade book publishing
  • Corrie Locke-Hardy, author, bookseller
  • Crystal Bennes, author
  • Daisy Hildyard, author
  • Daisy Hirst, author, illustrator
  • Daisy Lafarge, author
  • Daisy Salinas, zine publisher
  • Dan O'Hara, author, editor, academic
  • Daniel Evans, author
  • Daniel York Loh, writer, performer
  • Danielle Davis, author
  • Danielle Foley, bookseller
  • Danielle Giles, author
  • Dapo Adeola, author, illustrator
  • Darran Anderson, author
  • Darran McLaughlin, bookshop manager
  • Dave Coates, writer, book worker
  • David J Tate, author
  • David Ross Linklater, poet
  • David Wheatley, author
  • Debojyoti Das, author
  • Degna Stone, poet, editor
  • Denise Rose Hansen, editor
  • Devon Holzwarth, illustrator, author
  • Dionne Brand, author
  • Divya Ghelani, writer
  • Diyala Zada, illustrator
  • Dom Hale, poet
  • Dominique Palmer, writer
  • Doreen Cunningham, author
  • Dr Camilla A Nelson, author, publisher
  • Dr Christina Neuwirth, author, academic, bookseller
  • Dr Kate Rawles, author
  • Dr Lynne Jones OBE, author
  • Durre Shahwar, writer, editor
  • E.G. Alaraj, author
  • E.M. Faulds, author
  • E.M. Potts, writer
  • Éadaoín Lynch, author
  • Ed Garland, writer
  • Ed Luker, author
  • Eilish Spear, bookseller, writer
  • Eishar Kaur, editor
  • Eleanor Shearer, author
  • Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, author
  • Eley Williams, author
  • Elhum Shakerifar, translator
  • Elizabeth Fraser, assistant editor
  • Elizabeth Lymer, author
  • Elizabeth Perry, bookseller
  • Ella Gordon, editor
  • Elle Sorridente, illustrator
  • Ellen Adamson, bookseller
  • Ellen Desmond, editor
  • Ellen King, publishing worker
  • Ellen Miles, author
  • Ellen White, library assistant
  • Ellie Wyatt, author
  • Eloise Rickman, author
  • Elsa Costa, author
  • Elsa van der Wal, bookseller
  • Elys Dolan, author, Illustrator
  • Emely Rumble, author
  • Emilia Beatriz, artist who writes, zine maker, transcriptionist
  • Emily Rand, illustrator
  • Emily Unwin, book worker
  • Emma Cameron, author
  • Emma Jane Hawkes, illustrator
  • Emma Lee, poet, reviewer
  • Emma Nagouse, writer and producer
  • Emma Reynolds, author, illustrator
  • Emma Wallace, editorial assistant
  • Emmeline Pidgen, author, illustrator
  • Emmie Price-Goodfellow, assistant editor
  • Eric Thurso Boyd, editor
  • Eric Yip, author
  • Erika Olofsson, author
  • Erika Parker-Smith, author
  • Eris Young, author, book worker
  • Esther Woolfson, author
  • Etzali Hernandez, author
  • Eva Griffin, poet
  • Farah Ali, writer
  • Farhana Yamin, author
  • Fariha Roisin, author
  • Farrah Jarral, writer, doctor, radio broadcaster
  • Felicity Callard, author, journal editor
  • Flavia Zorrilla Drago, author, illustrator
  • Florence H R Scott, author, academic
  • Francesca Bratton, author
  • Francesca Brooks, author
  • Francesca Reece, author
  • Frankie Boyle, writer
  • Freya Harrison, book designer
  • Gabriel Flynn, author
  • Gabriel Polley, author
  • Gail McConnell, author
  • Gareth Jelley, editor, publisher
  • Gary Alan Howkins, author
  • Gary Budden, author, publisher
  • Gavin Everall, publisher
  • Gayatri Sethi, author
  • Genista Tate-Alexander, marketer
  • George Monbiot, author, journalist, environmental activist
  • Gina Martin, author, activist, aacilitator
  • Gita Ralleigh, author
  • Glenda Marie Velez, book artist, writer
  • Gordon Peters, author
  • Grace Blakeley, author
  • Grace Sandford, illustrator
  • Gracie Mae Bradley, author
  • Gray Harper, author
  • Greer Claybrook, publishing worker
  • Greta Thunberg, Author
  • Guy Gunaratne, author
  • Guy Mannes-Abbott, author, critic
  • Hafsah Aneela Bashir, poet, performer, playwright
  • Hamza Jahanzeb, freelance editor
  • Hanan Issa, author
  • Hanna Thomas Uose, author
  • Hannah Bannister, publisher
  • Hannah Blackmore, library worker
  • Hannah Copley, writer, editor
  • Hannah Khalil, playwright, screenwriter
  • Hannah Lavery, author
  • Hannah Nicholson, writer, library assistant
  • Hannah Proctor, author
  • Hannah Vincent, writer
  • Haricha Abdaal, publishing assistant, translator, illustrator
  • Harriet Jae, poet
  • Harriet Talisker, bookseller
  • Harry Gallon, author
  • Harry Josephine Giles, author
  • Harry Woodgate, author, illustrator
  • Hassan Ali, publishing services (Faber & Faber)
  • Hatem Aly, illustrator
  • Hattie Williams, author
  • Hayley Wells, author, illustrator
  • Heidi James, author
  • Heidi Nazem, author
  • Heike Boldt, translator
  • Heledd Williams, author on the Representing Wales Cohort
  • Helen Banks, editor
  • Helen Charman, author
  • Helen Hancocks, illustrator, writer, bookseller
  • Helen Jukes, author
  • Helen Weir, editor
  • Helena Heald, editor
  • Helenka Stachera, author
  • Hester Fox, author
  • Holly Bridgeford, writer
  • Holly Exley, illustrator
  • Holly McLoughlin, content creator
  • Holly Pester, author
  • Holly Ryan, author
  • Hussein Mitha, writer and artist
  • Ilona Jasiewicz, librarian, editor
  • Imogen West-Knights, author
  • Imogen Whiteley, publishing worker
  • Inda Ahmad Zahri, author, illustrator, doctor
  • Ingrid Brubaker, writer, critic
  • Irene Bindi, writer, editor
  • Isabel Waidner, author
  • Isabella Hammad, author
  • Isabelle Baafi, author, editor
  • Isha Karki, writer
  • Isobel Gahan, literary agent
  • Jack Shenker, journalist
  • Jack Strange, author
  • Jack Young, writer, participatory artist
  • Jacques Tsiantar, author
  • Jake Bergamin, publishing, marketing
  • Jake Nicholls, editor
  • Jamal Mahjoub, author
  • James Flint, author
  • James Marriott, author
  • James W. Neal, writer
  • Janani Ambikapathy, author, editor
  • Jane King, poet
  • Janne Teller, author
  • Jasmine Isa Qureshi, author, journalist
  • Jason Allen-Paisant, author
  • Jason Okundaye, author
  • Jay Bernard, writer
  • Jay Drinkall, editor, writer
  • Jay Gao, author
  • Jay Griffiths, author
  • Jazz Cook, editor
  • Jean Menzies, author
  • Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, author
  • Jeda Pearl, author
  • Jeffrey Boakye, author
  • Jen Calleja, author, literary translator, publisher
  • Jen Crawford, poet, academic
  • Jenna Clake, author
  • Jennifer Hodgson, writer
  • Jennifer Neal, author
  • Jenny Lau, writer
  • Jente Posthuma, author
  • Jeremy Poynting, publisher
  • Jerry Simcock, author
  • Jess Brough, writer
  • Jess Chandler, publisher
  • Jess French, author
  • Jess Hines, author
  • Jess Mc Kinney, writer
  • Jess Murrain, poet
  • Jessica Andrews, author
  • Jessica Craig, literary agent
  • Jessica Gaitan Johannesson, author, bookseller
  • Jessica Glaisher, author
  • Jessica Hernandez, author
  • Jessica J. Lee, author
  • Jessica Lee, associate agent
  • Jessica Townsend, author
  • Jessica Traynor, poet and editor
  • Jessica Widner, author
  • Jessie Spivey, publicist
  • Jillian Thalman, illustrator
  • Jim Monaghan, poet
  • Jim Taylor, bookseller
  • Jj Fadaka, author
  • JLM Morton, poet
  • Jo McMillan, author
  • Joan Passey, writer, editor
  • Joanna Arnold, reviewer, author
  • Joanna Biggs, author
  • Joanna Walsh, writer, artist
  • Joanna Wolfarth, author
  • Joanne Limburg, author
  • Joe Melia, bookseller
  • Joe Vaughan, author, publisher (Strange Region)
  • Joel Auterson, poet
  • Joelle Taylor, author
  • Johanna Russell, bookseller
  • John Action, literacy mentor
  • John Freeman, writer, editor
  • John Mercer, author
  • John Merrick, editor (Verso Books)
  • Joma West, author
  • Jonathan Emmett, author
  • Jonathan Nunn, editor
  • Jonathon Porritt, author
  • Joshua Jones, author
  • Joy Hendry, editor, publisher, poet, critic, broadcaster
  • Joycelyn Longdon, author
  • Judith N. Brooke, author
  • Julia Armfield, author
  • Julia Crouch, author
  • Julia Laite, author
  • Juliana Mensah, author
  • Julie Adams, bookseller
  • Julie Gourinchas, literary agency assistant
  • Julie Macias, author
  • Julie Rowan-Zoch, author, illustrator
  • Juliet Diaz, author, publisher (Spirit Bound Press)
  • Justin Hopper, author
  • K Patrick, author
  • Kaliane Bradley, author
  • Karin Celestine, author, illustrator
  • Karina Lickorish Quinn, author
  • Karl Newson, author
  • Kate Bradbury, author
  • Kate Campbell, author
  • Kate Perris, librarian
  • Kate Potts, author
  • Kate Potts, author
  • Katharine Halls, translator
  • Katherine Meehan, author
  • Katherine Venn, bookseller, editor
  • Kathleen Wenaden, author
  • Kathrine Sowerby, poet
  • Kathrine Sowerby, poet
  • Kathryn Maris, writer
  • Katie Ailes, poet, producer, researcher
  • Katie Goh, author, editor
  • Katie Holten, artist and author
  • Kayleigh Jayshree, poet
  • Keith Ridgway, writer
  • Kelly O'Brien, assistant editor
  • Kenny Ethan Jones, author
  • Kerri ní Dochartaigh, author
  • Kerry Andrew, author
  • Kevin Mclean, poet
  • Kevin Williamson, author, editor
  • Khairani Barokka, author
  • Kinsey Foreman, bookseller
  • Kip Alizadeh, illustrator
  • Kirsty Capes, author
  • Kishani Widyaratna, publisher
  • Kit Caless, author, publisher
  • Kit Heyam, author
  • Koki M, bookseller
  • Kyo Maclear, author
  • Laila Kassam, author
  • Laline Paull, author
  • Lamorna Ash, author, editor
  • Lar Fermor, author
  • Larissa Dziedzan, blogger
  • Laura Chamberlain, illustrator, book designer
  • Laura Chung, author
  • Laura Ellen Anderson, author, illustrator
  • Laura Noakes, author
  • Laura Reeves, editor
  • Lauren Aimee Curtis, author
  • Lauren Chadwick, bookseller
  • Lauren Hossack, library worker
  • Lauren James, author, founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League
  • Lauretta Wong, publisher
  • Layla Mohamed, editor
  • Layla Saad, author
  • layla-roxanne hill, writer
  • Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, author
  • Leif Bersweden, author
  • Len Lukowski, writer
  • Leo Murray, author
  • Leona Skene, freelance editor
  • Leonie Taylor, author
  • Liam Bates, poet
  • Liam Harrison, editor
  • Liam-Lucille Wright, poet
  • Lily Williams, author, illustrator
  • Lina Meruane, author
  • Linda Quiquivix, author
  • Lindsay Wagner, desk editor
  • Lindsey Collen, novelist, essayist
  • Livia Franchini, author
  • Liz Flanagan, author
  • Liz Jensen, author
  • Lola Olufemi, author
  • Lorraine Wilson, author
  • Louie Stowell, author, illustrator
  • Louise Kenward, author
  • Luciana Francis, author
  • Lucie Elven, author, journalist
  • Lucy Coats, author
  • Lucy Farfort, author, illustrator
  • Lucy Mercer, author
  • Luke Kennard, author
  • Luke Roberts, poet
  • Luke Williams, author
  • Lydia Hughes, author
  • Lydia Wilson, author, editor
  • Lyndsey Croal, author
  • M J Lee, author
  • Ma’suma Amiri, agent's assistant
  • Maaza Mengiste, author
  • Madeleine Hindes, editor
  • Maeve Scullion, sales manager
  • Maggie Setterfield, school librarian
  • Maia Elsnef, author
  • Maia Elsner, author
  • Manda Scott, author, podcaster
  • mandi furaji, sales executive
  • Mandisa Apena, poet
  • Manolo De Los Santos, author, publisher
  • Marchelle Farrell, author
  • Marcia Lynx Qualey, publisher
  • Margaux Vialleron, author
  • Marged Elen Wiliam, author
  • Marguerite Dabaie, illustrator
  • Maria Grau-Perejoan, literary translator, academic
  • Maria Stoian, illustrator, author
  • Marianne Brooker, author
  • Marigold Atkey, publisher
  • Mariska Gewald, author, illustrator
  • Mark Steven, author
  • Marni Appleton, writer
  • Marta Altes, author illustrator
  • Marta Fernández Campa, author
  • Martin MacInnes, author
  • Martin Reed, author
  • Martin Vincent, bookseller, publisher
  • Martine McDonagh, author
  • Mary Jean Chan, author
  • Maryam Rimi, editor
  • Matt Rowland Hill, author
  • Matt Rowland Hill, author
  • Maud Pryor, author
  • Maurice Riordan, author
  • Max Liu, journalist
  • Max Porter, author
  • Maxine Hellenkamp, head of retail
  • Maya Caspari, writer, academic
  • Maya Osborne, publicist
  • Mayada Ibrahim, editor, literary translator
  • Meaghan Delahunt, writer
  • Meg Bertera-Berwick, writer
  • Megan Angharad Hunter, author
  • Megan Booth, writer, editor
  • Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, chair, academic
  • Melissa Tombere, editorial assistant
  • Miah-Lee Lloyd, bookseller
  • Micha Frazer-Carroll, author
  • Michael Donkor, novelist
  • Michael LaBorn, author, publisher
  • Michael Magee, writer
  • Michael Malay, author
  • Michael Marder, author
  • Michael Marten, author
  • Michael Rosen, author
  • Michal Schatz, assistant editor
  • Michel Moushabeck, publisher
  • Michelle MiJung Kim, author
  • Mikaela Loach, author
  • Mike Brooks, author
  • Mike Small, writer
  • MiMi Aye, author, editor
  • Mique Moriuchi, illustrator
  • Mira Mattar, writer
  • Mireille Harper, editorial director
  • MK Hardy, author
  • Mo Hafeez, commissioning editor (Faber & Faber)
  • Mohamed Tonsy, author, event chair, bookseller
  • Molly Crabapple, author, artist
  • Molly Smith, author
  • Monica Heisey, author
  • Monique Roffey, author
  • Monisha Rajesh, author
  • Munir Hachemi, writer
  • Mya-Rose Craig, writer
  • Myles Howard, publishing worker
  • Nadia Henderson, author
  • Nadine Monem, author, editor, publisher
  • Nancy Roberts, translator, editor
  • Naomi Foyle, author, editor
  • Naomi Head, writer
  • Naomi Klein, author
  • Naomi shimada, author
  • Narges Nojoumi, publishing worker
  • Nasia Sarwar-Skuse, writer, editor
  • Nat Raha, poet and lecturer
  • Natalie Diaz, author
  • Natalie Gutierrez, author
  • Natalie Jayne Clark, author
  • Natasha Bell, author
  • Natasha Brown, editor
  • Natasha Soobramanien, writer
  • Nathalie Olah, author
  • Naush Sabah, editor
  • Neil Williamson, author
  • Nia Davies, writer, poet
  • Nichola Smalley, translator
  • Nicholas Blincoe, author
  • Nicholas Blincoe, author
  • Nick Bano, author
  • Nick Estes, author
  • Nick Hayes, author, illustrator
  • Nick Hunt, author
  • Nicola Chester, author
  • Nicola Dinan, author
  • Nicola Penfold, author
  • Nicola Spurr, writer
  • Nicole Miles, illustrator
  • Nicole Olila, author, librarian
  • Nidhi Eipe, poet, editor
  • Nikesh Shukla, author
  • Nikkitha Bakshani, author
  • Nina Mingya Powles, writer
  • Nisha Ramayya, writer
  • Noor Hemani, bookseller
  • Noreen Masud, author
  • Novita Elisa Fahmi, author, illustrator
  • Nurten Mehmet Murphy, reader
  • Nuzhat Bukhari, author
  • Octavia Bright, author, broadcaster
  • Odhran O'Donoghue, freelance editor
  • Oisín McKenna, author
  • Olivia Fitzsimons, author
  • Olivia Sudjic, author
  • Ollie Simpson, bookseller
  • Omar Abed, author
  • Omar Bagasra, author
  • Omar Berrada, author
  • Omar Robert Hamilton, author
  • Ore Agbaje-Williams, author
  • Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, author
  • Patrick James Errington, author, translator, academic
  • Patrick Langley, author
  • Paul Ewen, author
  • Paul John Nelson, bookseller, graphic designer
  • Paula Akpan, writer, journalist
  • Paula Blair, writer
  • Pearl Hannaford, bookseller
  • Penny Lapenna, author
  • Pete Mercer, editor
  • Peter Collins, publisher (Polari Press)
  • Peter Mitchell, author
  • Peter Warr, author
  • Phoebe Blatton, writer
  • Polly Atkin, writer, bookseller
  • Pragya Agarwal, academic scholar, writer
  • Pratyusha, writer
  • Prerana Kumar, author
  • Preti Taneja, writer
  • Priya Guns, author
  • Prof Sunny Singh, author, academic
  • Professor Samantha Walton, author, academic
  • Rabia Barkatulla, production editor
  • Rachael Allen, author, editor
  • Rachel Claire Birchley, author
  • Rachel Connolly, author
  • Rachel Holmes, writer
  • Rachel Holmes, writer
  • Rachel Malik, author
  • Ramona McCloskey, author
  • Rani Selvarajah, author
  • Rawiyah Tariq, author
  • Raymond Antrobus, poet
  • Reba Khatun, author
  • Rebecca Bidgood, poet
  • Rebecca Ferrier, author
  • Rebecca Lowe, author
  • Rebecca Sharp, author
  • Rebecca Stonehill, author
  • Rebecca Tamás, author
  • Red Adair, illustrator
  • Rehab Bassam, author
  • Rhiannon Hooson, poet
  • Rhiannon Tripp, bookshop manager
  • Richard Georges, author
  • Richard Madden, author
  • Richard Phoenix, author
  • Rikin Parekh, illustrator
  • Rina Kikuchi, poetry translator
  • Rob Myatt, translator
  • Robbie MacLeòid, author
  • Robert Eric Swanepoel, author
  • Robert Hamberger, author
  • Robert Kiely, author, publisher
  • Robert Macfarlane, author
  • Robert Welbourn, author
  • Robin Stevens, author
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer, author
  • Robin Yassin-Kassab, writer, editor
  • Roisin Davis, literary agent
  • Roisin Dunnett, author, publisher, bookseller
  • Roman Krznaric, author
  • Ros Ball, author
  • Rosa Campbell, writer, academic
  • Rosalind Harvey, literary translator, writer
  • Rose Biggin, author
  • Roseanne Watt, author
  • Rosie May and Sarah Scales, directors (Juno Books)
  • Rosie Warren, editor
  • Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, translator
  • Ruth Allen, author
  • Ruth Charnock, author
  • Ryan Davey, writer, lecturer
  • Saba Ahmed, editor
  • Saba Sams, author
  • Sabrina Mahfouz, writer
  • Sadia Pineda Hameed, writer, editor
  • Saira Shah, author
  • Salena Godden, author
  • Sally Huband, author
  • Sally Rooney, writer
  • Sallyanne Rock, author
  • Sam Lee, writer, singer, nature activist
  • Samantha Rizzo, author
  • Sameera Patel, publishing assistant
  • Samhita Foria, editor
  • Samuel Earle, author
  • Samuel Fisher, writer, publisher, bookseller
  • Samuel Tongue, author
  • Samuel Torres, writer
  • Sana Goyal, editor
  • Sanah Ahsan, author, psychologist
  • Sandra Alland, writer
  • Sandra Dieckmann, author, illustrator
  • Sandra Proudman, author, agent
  • Sandy Winterbottom, author
  • Sanjeev Braich, inventory manager
  • Sara Litchfield, author, editor
  • Sara Mostafa, literary agent’s assistant
  • Sarah Bernstein, author
  • Sarah Cummings, bookseller
  • Sarah Driver, author
  • Sarah Dyer, illustrator, author
  • Sarah Enany, translator
  • Sarah Fishburn, author
  • Sarah Jacobs, editor
  • Sarah Marr, bookseller
  • Sarah Shaffi, author, journalist
  • Sarah Winman, author
  • Sarina Caragan, general book worker
  • Sarona Abuaker, writer
  • Sascha Akhtar, author
  • Sasha Baker, freelance proofreader, copy editor
  • Saskia Vogel, Dialogue Books
  • Scarlet Furness, editor
  • Scout Phillips, author, illustrator
  • Season Butler, writer
  • Selali Fiamanya, author
  • Selma Dabbagh, author
  • Seni Seneviratne, poet
  • Shaneen McGurnaghan, librarian
  • Shannon Galpin, author
  • Sharada Keats, author
  • Sharan Dhaliwal, author, editor
  • Sharon Duggal, author
  • Shash Trevett, poet
  • Shazleen Khan, illustrator
  • Shell Bryson, writer, (co-founder, 'Edinburgh SFF' writers community)
  • Shelley Day, author
  • Shelley Trower, author
  • Shireen Kassam, writer
  • Shola von Reinhold, author
  • Shona Shirley Macdonald, illustrator/author
  • Shze-Hui Tjoa, author
  • Siddharth Mehrotra, author
  • Simon Maddrell, author
  • Simon Moreton, author
  • Simone Amelia Jordan, author
  • So Mayer, author, bookseller, publisher
  • Sofía FR, author
  • Sophie Anderson, author
  • Sophie Benson, author
  • Sophie Buchaillard, author
  • Sophie Chauhan, author
  • Sophie Franklin, author, academic
  • Sophie K Rosa, author
  • Sophie Lewis, translator, editor
  • Sophie Mackintosh, author
  • Soula Emmanuel, author
  • Stefan Mohamed, author
  • Stephanie Holland, author, illustrator
  • Stephanie Papa, poet, translator
  • Stephanie Sy-Quia, author
  • Stephen McLaren, writer
  • Steven French, author
  • Suad Kamardeen, writer
  • Susana Medina, writer
  • Susannah Dickey, author
  • Susannah Lloyd, author
  • Susie Campbell, author
  • Suswati Basu, editor (How To Be Books)
  • Suyin Haynes, freelance writer, journalist, editor
  • Suzannah Evans, poet
  • Suzannah V. Evans, author
  • Suzanne Azzopardi, event producer
  • Swapna Haddow, author
  • Tam Dean Burn, audiobook reader
  • Tansy Hoskins, author, journalist
  • Tanya Jones, author
  • Tara Tobler, editor (And Other Stories)
  • Taran Khan, writer
  • Tariq Goddard, author and publisher
  • Tashmia Owen, artist, writer, women's safety campaigner
  • Tawseef Khan, author
  • Taylor Edmonds, author
  • Taylor Strickland, poet and translator
  • Terezia (Telka) Pelová, bookseller
  • Terry Macalister, author
  • Tessa McWatt, author
  • Tessa Sheehan, illustrator
  • Thomas Morris, author
  • Thomas Stewart, writer
  • Tia Ali, marketer
  • Tian Yi, writer, book worker
  • Tim Tim Cheng, author
  • Titilayo Farukuoye, writer
  • Toby Litt, author
  • Tom Bailey, author, editor
  • Tom Benn, author
  • Tom de Freston, author, illustrator
  • Tom Jeffreys, author
  • Toni Velikova, librarian
  • Tori Tsui, author
  • Tove Holmberg, bookseller
  • Trista Hendren, author, publisher
  • Tristan Gray, author
  • Vanessa Kisuule, author
  • Vanessa Nakate, author
  • Varaidzo, author
  • Vic Parsons, journalist
  • Victoria Adukwei Bulley, poet, writer
  • Victoria Brittain, author, journalist
  • Victoria Timperley, author
  • Vida Adamczewski, author
  • Viki Cheung, sales
  • Vikki Patis, author
  • VM Fuentes, author
  • Watson MacDornan, bookworker trainee
  • Will Harris, author
  • Wiz Wharton, author
  • Yara Rodrigues Fowler, author
  • Yasmin Bseiso, author
  • Yousif M. Qasmiyeh, author
  • Yves Donlon, author
  • Zahida Khan, writer
  • Zeena Gosrani, author
  • Zoe Lorimer, writer

This statement is open to all book workers to sign, whether or not you have been invited to a festival. To sign, please fill out this form.