His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman is heading a new charge from writers demanding to be rewarded fairly for their work, as Britain’s Society of Authors warns that unless “serious” changes are made by publishers, the professional author “will become an endangered species”.

In an open letter to publishers, the society points to a recent survey that found that the median income of a professional British author is now just £11,000 (RM70,000) with only 11.5% of writers making a living solely from writing.