UK Arts Organisations

At www.booktrust.org.uk a UK organisation which promotes books, supports writers groups, awards literary prizes and offers factsheets on Getting Published and Tracing Copyright, and a directory of UK publishers. Also free information service about books, authors and publishers. Phone mornings 020 8516 2977.

Useful and respected site with resources for young readers, including a recommended list of children's books. www.booktrusted.com

This government-supported body is best-known for its activities overseas, but in fact provides a great deal of information which is of interest to writers. http://www.britishcouncil.org/

Their UK Literature Festivals provides a full listing, but this is only as up to date as the information supplied by the individual festival organizers.

CLA is the UK's Reproduction Rights Organisation. It is responsible for looking after the interests of rights owners over the copying of books, journals and periodicals. A non-profit making company, it is owned by its members, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society and the Publishers Licensing Society. www.cla.co.uk

Efficient UK site for organisation representing professional translators and interpreters. http://www.iti.org.uk

This international agency is based in Berlin. You can find the agent for your part of the world and download manuals explaining how the system works. www.isbn-international.org

Literary website from the UK's West Midlands which offers writers a load of information about events and some interesting links. www.lit-net.org

A professional association supporting creative writing of all genres and in all educational settings throughout the UK. They support writers in education, in universities and in the community, and have useful resources, training and job opportunities plus the Artscape directory. www.nawe.co.uk

UK-based organisation which has campaigned since 1993 to improve literacy standards across all age groups. Excellent research information and details of the many initiatives the charity is currently involved in. www.literacytrust.org.uk. It also has a useful page of news stories on UK literacy, which links to newsletter http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx

SMOG reading level test online.

UK bibliographic organisation, describing itself as 'the definitive retail monitoring service for books', which shows UK bestseller lists on its website. http://www.nielsenbookscan.co.uk/

Under the United Kingdom's PLR Scheme authors receive payments from government funds for the free borrowing of their books from public libraries in the United Kingdom. To qualify for payment, authors must apply to register their books. Find out how to register and the statistical data generated by it on trends in public borrowing. http://www.plr.uk.com

Old-established British organisation which is using substantial new funds from writers' estates for excellent new scheme offering grants to published writers, who act as 'fellows' helping to improve students' writing in higher education institutions. The fellows each have a page and contact details on the website. www.rlf.org.uk

Government body for funding the arts in Scotland. Their well-organized site offers a mass of information about the arts in Scotland, including writers’ bursaries, fellowships and translation fellowships. There are also lists of literary awards and literary magazines. Their site at www.scottisharts.org.uk is well worth visiting.

UK organisation which represents staff and freelance editors and proofreaders through focusing on maintaining high professional standards and running well-regarded training courses. http://www.sfep.org.uk

British professional body representing indexers. The site at http://www.indexers.org.uk gives useful FAQs about indexing and a professionally-respected course.

Through its Literature Department, the Arts Council of England provides writers awards for authors who have had at least one book published and support for translation schemes, publishing and education. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

Their Live Literature Network this has a Live Events listing section. If you become a member, you can add your own event. Live Literature Network is 'a blanket term for a whole structure of support of a diverse and evolving nature, aimed at all areas of the literature business'. http://www.liveliterature.net/events/. Their Latest News page provides updates on the world of literature - You will be asked to log in but persist!

The body representing the 10 Regional Arts Boards, which restructured in 2001 to create a single arts funding and development agency for the whole of England with the aim of providing a simpler and quicker system which is more responsive and effective. Their website (http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/) also provides a ‘Community’, in the form of email lists which can be used to contact others working in the same field. The 10 Regional Arts Boards provide support for writers living in their region, so if you're looking for bursaries and grants look first at their sites.

To discover what is going on in your region:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ and pick your region.

Supports literary magazines and provides writers’ bursaries, with particular support for children’s literature. http://www.artswales.org

The UK professional body for librarians and information managers http://www.la-hq.org.uk

Lively and well-presented UK site supporting poetry with 4,000 members internationally and some thoughtful content. www.poetrysociety.org.uk

Supports Welsh writing and literature. Their editorial department provides Welsh writers and writers in Welsh with advice on how to get their manuscripts published. When last visited there was little to see, as the site was in the process of being rebuilt. http://www.aber.ac.uk/~wbcwww