Policy and campaigns

Promoting the interests of authors through public campaigns, political and industry lobbying, and working with partners
Nicola Solomon

Nicola Soloman

Chief Executive

Nicola’s role encompasses protecting authors’ interests in negotiations/disputes with publishers and agents, advising individual authors and campaigning for authors’ rights, as well as for the wider cultural environment.

Nicola is an expert in the publishing industry and the associated law, from copyright and defamation, to privacy, data protection and contract.

She is a Deputy District Judge and Chair of the Creators’ Rights Alliance. She sits on the board of the International Authors’ Forum and the British Copyright Council.

At the SoA Nicola liaises with the Management Committee to set and implement strategy and policy and to manage finance. She liaises with external organisations and manages the SoA team of professional staff.

Martin Reed

Martin Reed

Head of Communications

Martin leads the Communications team. He oversees the SoA’s strategic communications and campaign-based activities, including PR, social media, events and partnerships.

Hilary McCollum

Senior Policy and Liaison Manager for Northern Ireland

Hilary joined the Society of Authors in March 2023 as Senior Policy and Liaison Manager for Northern Ireland.

Hilary is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, and drama, and has been a member of the Society of Authors since 2013. In 2021 she completed an AHRC-funded PhD in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. She was the Centre’s Publishing Fellow in 2022.

Having recently benefitted from the Irish Writers Centre’s Evolution Programme, Hilary is committed to helping other writers in Northern Ireland to access the support they need to advance their careers. She has experience of accessing funding from the Arts Council NI and of being commissioned through a local authority good relations programme to write two plays.

Teddy McDonald

Communications and Campaigns Officer

Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group coordinator

Teddy works on SoA communications and outreach and alongside the Policy department on the SoA’s campaigns work.

He is also co-coordinator of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group, working with Sarah Burton and members of the CWIG committee on issues close to children’s writers.

Ambre Morvan

Ambre Morvan

Publishing Contracts and Public Policy Advisor

Translators Association coordinator

Ambre joined the SoA on October 2021. She advises members on publishing contracts and issues. She also works on the SoA’s public policy.

Ambre is joint group coordinator for the Translators Association.

Heather Parry

Heather Parry

Senior Policy and Liaison Manager for Scotland

Sitting within the SoA’s policy and campaigns team, Heather Parry joined the SoA as Senior Policy and Liaison Manager for Scotland in February 2022.

Heather is based in Scotland and works with our Scottish National Committee to improve the publishing landscape for all authors in Scotland.

Catherine Pocock

Catherine Pocock

Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator

Educational Writers Group coordinator

Catherine joined the SoA in October 2021. She works on the SoA’s policy, and campaigns and lobbies Government on behalf of members.

Catherine is the coordinator of the Educational Writers Group.