Penny Authors: From a Penny to a Publishing Footprint

A record of what we have built, where our books have travelled, and what others have said along the way

There is a point in any project when you stop and look back.

Not because everything is finished.

Not because you have achieved everything you set out to achieve.

But because you suddenly realise that something which began as a small idea has become something much bigger than the idea you first imagined.

For Penny Authors, that moment has arrived.

In 2017, the journey began with the publication of Anthology One.

What followed was not simply another book.

It became a continuing commitment to give people the opportunity to write, to be published, to see their words in print and, perhaps most importantly, to know that their voice matters.

Today, Penny Authors has reached Book of Lived Volume 12.

Between those volumes, the project has also produced specialist anthologies and collections, including He Poetry, She Poetry, Cornish Poets and BAME Poetry, as well as celebrating five years of the project.

What began with a single anthology has become a publishing journey lasting almost a decade.

And the books have travelled further than we sometimes realise.

---

More than a website

One of the things we wanted to establish recently was a simple question:

What evidence is there outside the Penny Authors website that this project actually exists, has been published, has reached readers and has become part of a wider literary and publishing landscape?

So we started looking.

The results were revealing.

We found that Penny Authors books have been independently catalogued and listed by booksellers and book platforms in the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Korea and the United States/international market.

That includes listings through organisations such as Foyles, Readings, Booktopia, AbeBooks, Tertulia, Bookscape and YES24, alongside independent publishing and book platforms.

These listings are important.

They do not necessarily constitute literary reviews — and we are not going to pretend that they do.

But they demonstrate something else:

the books exist beyond our own website.

They have ISBNs.

They have publication records.

They have entered international book databases.

They can be found by readers searching outside the Penny Authors network.

That is a significant achievement for a project which began as a grassroots publishing initiative.

---

From 2017 onwards

The publishing record itself tells a story.

Anthology One appeared in 2017.

The project continued through subsequent volumes of Book of Lived, with independently traceable records for volumes including V5, V8, V9, V10 and V11.

And now we have arrived at Volume 12.

That continuity matters.

Many small publishing projects begin with enormous enthusiasm and disappear after one or two books.

Penny Authors did not.

It continued.

Volume after volume.

Writer after writer.

Story after story.

And each volume became part of a growing archive.

---

From Britain to Australia, India and Korea

One of the most unexpected things to emerge from this research has been the geographical footprint.

Penny Authors books can be found through Australian booksellers including Readings and Booktopia.

V11 has also appeared through Bookscape in India.

V9 is listed by YES24 in South Korea.

V11 can be found through AbeBooks and Tertulia, extending the discoverability of the project into international markets.

This does not mean that Penny Authors has suddenly become a global commercial publishing house.

That isn't the claim.

The more modest — and more interesting — point is this:

words written by ordinary people in a grassroots anthology project in Britain have travelled into international publishing catalogues.

That is something worth recording.

---

Cornwall became part of the story

The story has also developed in another direction.

Penny Authors has increasingly become connected with Cornwall and the independent arts and literary community.

Our books have been listed through Cornish independent book and gallery outlets, including Terrace Gallery Cornwall / Hermitage Press, where Penny Authors appears within the wider community of local authors.

We have also produced Cornish Poets, bringing together writers connected with Cornwall.

This is particularly meaningful because Penny Authors was never created simply to manufacture books.

It was created around people.

And wherever those people are, the project develops another connection.

---

When the writers speak

Perhaps the most meaningful evidence is not found in a catalogue at all.

It comes from the writers themselves.

Over the years, contributors have described what being published through Penny Authors has meant to them.

Gary Curson wrote that he could not recommend Penny Authors enough for giving people a chance and a voice.

Michelle Berry described seeing her work in print alongside other authors as being “beyond my expectations.”

Tyrone Warren described the opportunity as “the perfect prescription to carry on.”

Julie Ann Wheeler wrote warmly about the poetry appearing in the anthology.

These are not professional literary reviews.

We don't present them as such.

They are something different.

They are the voices of people who actually experienced the project.

And for Penny Authors, that may be more important.

---

There is also a record of the gatherings

The books have not existed only as objects on a bookshelf.

They have brought people together.

An independent account by writer and contributor Angie Butler, published through West Country Giants, records the launch of Book of Lived V10 at Redwing Gallery in Cornwall.

Her account describes contributors and supporters coming together for the launch and readings.

That is another important part of the Penny Authors story.

A book can be printed by a machine.

A publishing project becomes something else when it brings people together.

---

What we haven't found

There is another part of this research that is worth being honest about.

We looked specifically for reviews and references to Penny Authors through WOW! Women On Writing.

At present, we cannot substantiate a published WOW! review or feature about Penny Authors.

We also have not found a large body of conventional reviews from major newspapers or literary journals.

And we don't intend to manufacture a reputation that isn't there.

Penny Authors has never been built around chasing literary prizes or critical acclaim.

It has been built around something different:

giving people a chance.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't seek wider recognition.

It means that when we talk about what we have achieved, we should be accurate.

---

So, what have we actually built?

Perhaps this is the question that matters most.

Since 2017, Penny Authors has:

• continued publishing year after year;
• produced twelve volumes of Book of Lived;
• created specialist anthologies;
• brought together writers from different backgrounds and generations;
• developed a publishing archive;
• established ISBN and international catalogue records;
• reached book platforms in several countries;
• developed connections within the Cornish literary and arts community;
• provided writers with opportunities to see their work in print;
• created public launches and readings;
• built a community around writing rather than simply selling books.

And there is another measure which cannot easily be put into a spreadsheet.

People kept coming back.

People kept writing.

People kept submitting.

People kept encouraging one another.

And the project kept moving forward.

---

From a penny to something much bigger

The name Penny Authors was never intended to suggest that the writers were worth a penny.

Quite the opposite.

It reflected the idea that something small can have value.

A penny can be overlooked.

A penny can be dismissed.

But collect enough pennies and something begins to happen.

The same is true of voices.

One writer may be overlooked.

One poem may never reach a publisher.

One person's story may never appear in a conventional literary journal.

But bring those voices together and something begins to emerge.

An anthology.

Then another.

Then another.

Then a publishing archive.

Then a community.

Then a legacy.

That is what Penny Authors has become.

---

And now — Volume 12

As we approach the release of Book of Lived Volume 12, we are not claiming that the journey is complete.

Far from it.

We are simply taking a moment to recognise how far the project has travelled.

From the first anthology in 2017 to Volume 12.

From grassroots beginnings to international book catalogues.

From individual writers to a growing collective.

From a small publishing idea to an archive of lived experience.

There is still much more to do.

There are more writers to reach.

More voices to publish.

More stories to preserve.

More people who have something to say but have never been given the opportunity to say it.

So we continue.

Penny by penny.

Writer by writer.

Book by book.

And the next chapter is already being written.

---

A note on our research

This article is based on publicly available catalogue listings, bookseller records, independent websites, contributor testimonials and publishing records identified during our 2026 review of the Penny Authors project.

Where a source represents a catalogue listing rather than a literary review, we have deliberately described it as such.

We believe the history of Penny Authors should be recorded honestly — not exaggerated, but not understated either.

Almost ten years. Twelve volumes. Hundreds of voices. One continuing purpose: Championing the spirit within.

Website

#PennyAuthors #BookOfLived #Volume12 #MAPublisher #ChampioningTheSpiritWithin #GrassrootsPublishing #IndependentPublishing #IndependentAuthors #EmergingWriters #PoetryCommunity #PoetryAnthology #PoetryPublishing #WritersCommunity #WritingCommunity #SupportWriters #GiveWritersAVoice #EveryVoiceMatters #LivedExperience #VoicesMatter #CornishWriters #Cornwall #CornishPoetry #UKWriters #BritishPoetry #LiteraryCommunity #BookPublishing #BookOfLivedV12

 

What Penny Authors Means to Writers

The stories behind the books

Penny Authors has never simply been about producing books.

It has always been about people — people who had something to say, something they had experienced, something they had written, or simply a desire to see their words become real.

Over the years, Penny Authors has brought together writers from different backgrounds, generations and circumstances. Some had written for years. Others had never imagined that their words would appear in a published book.

That is where the real story of Penny Authors begins.

“I never thought my poetry would be published.”

For some writers, seeing their name and words in a book is something they have quietly hoped for but never believed would happen.

Penny Authors creates an opportunity to cross that barrier.

The achievement is not simply that a poem has been printed.

It is that someone's voice has been recognised.

“Penny Authors gave me a chance and a voice.”

A writer does not always need another writing course, another competition or another rejection.

Sometimes they need someone to say:

“Your words matter. Put them down. Let us help you share them.”

That simple principle has been at the heart of Penny Authors.

The anthology becomes more than a collection of poems and writing. It becomes evidence that people who may previously have remained unheard have found a place within the literary world.

“Seeing my work in print had always been an ambition.”

For many contributors, publication represents something personal.

It might be a lifelong ambition.

It might be the fulfilment of something they once promised themselves.

It might be the first time they have ever held a book containing their own words.

And sometimes it can become the beginning of something much bigger.

A contributor who first appears in a Penny Authors anthology may go on to develop their writing, produce a solo book, collaborate with others or discover a confidence they did not previously have.

That is one of the things Penny Authors has witnessed repeatedly.

We don't need to invent the story

There is an important lesson in looking back at what Penny Authors has already created.

The marketing story is already there.

It is in the writers.

It is in their words.

It is in the testimonials, biographies, books and experiences that have accumulated over the years.

Penny Authors does not need to manufacture impressive claims about what it does.

It can simply allow the writers to tell us.

Instead of saying:

Penny Authors supports emerging writers.

We can show what that support actually meant to someone.

Instead of saying:

We give writers opportunities.

We can show the person whose ambition was to see their work in print.

Instead of saying:

We champion people's voices.

We can introduce the writer who found their voice through the opportunity to be published.

The evidence is in the people.

From one anthology to a growing community

What began as an opportunity for writers has grown into something considerably broader.

Penny Authors has produced successive editions of the Book of Lived anthology and, along the way, created other projects celebrating particular voices and communities.

There has been He Poetry, She Poetry, Cornish poetry and BAME poetry, alongside the five-year celebration and the continuing development of the Penny Authors community.

The reach has also grown.

What began locally has connected writers nationally across the UK and internationally, including contributors and connections reaching as far as the USA and India.

But numbers alone do not explain what Penny Authors means.

The individual stories do.

One writer at a time

Behind every book is a person.

Behind every poem is an experience.

Behind every published writer is a moment when someone decided that their words were worth putting into print.

That is what Penny Authors wants to celebrate.

Not literary celebrity.

Not prestige.

Not making grand promises.

People.

The person who always wanted to write.

The person who had never been published before.

The person who had something painful to say.

The person who wanted their experiences recorded.

The person who simply wanted to see their name in a book.

And the person who, after taking that first step, discovered that publication was not the end of their journey — it was the beginning.

So, what does Penny Authors mean to writers?

Perhaps the best answer is not ours to give.

It belongs to the writers themselves.

Their words, their experiences and their journeys provide the answer.

That is why Penny Authors is beginning to bring those voices forward.

Real writers. Real experiences. Real achievements.

Because sometimes the most powerful way to explain what an organisation does is not to describe itself.

It is to let the people who experienced it speak.

This is what Penny Authors means to writers.

And this is their story.

#PennyAuthors #BookOfLived #Writers #Poetry #Publishing #EmergingWriters #WritersCommunity #ChampioningTheSpiritWithin #WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #CreativeWriting #Authors #IndependentPublishing #WritersJourney #PublishedWriter #WritingMatters #VoicesMatter #WhatPennyAuthorsMeans

Penny Authors 2026 – How Far We Have Come

 

Penny Authors – How Far We Have Come

From One Anthology to a Community of Writers

As we prepare for the release of Volume 12 of the Penny Authors Anthology, The Book of Lived, it feels like the right time to stop for a moment and look back.

How far have we come?

When Penny Authors began, the ambition was simple: to provide an opportunity for people to have their writing read, recognised and published.

What we could not have known at the beginning was just how far that small idea would travel.

Today, Penny Authors has become much more than an anthology.

It has become a community.

It has become a platform.

And, for some, it has become the beginning of a much bigger journey.

The Journey Since 2021

Since 2021, Penny Authors has continued to develop and experiment with different ways of bringing writers and their work to a wider audience.

Alongside the annual anthologies, we have produced a number of special publications and projects, including our five-year celebration publication, as well as:

• He Poetry

• She Poetry

• Cornish Poetry

• BAME Poetry

Each publication brought something different to the Penny Authors journey.

Each reflected a different group, experience or perspective.

Together, they demonstrate the breadth of writing and lived experience that Penny Authors has sought to encourage.

We Have Reached Further Than We Expected

What began as a project rooted in the UK has gradually developed an international reach.

Penny Authors has attracted writers from across the United Kingdom and has reached as far as the United States and India.

That in itself is something worth acknowledging.

A project that began with the simple intention of giving writers an opportunity has travelled across geographical and cultural boundaries.

But perhaps more importantly, it has created connections between people who may otherwise never have encountered one another.

A Community Has Been Established

Penny Authors is no longer simply a collection of names appearing in the pages of an anthology.

A group has developed around it.

People have returned from one anthology to another.

Writers have encouraged writers.

People have shared their experiences, their struggles, their achievements and their aspirations.

Some joined Penny Authors simply wanting to see their poem in print.

Others discovered that the experience gave them the confidence to take the next step.

And that next step has been significant for some.

Beyond Penny Authors

One of the most rewarding aspects of the journey has been seeing Penny Authors participants move beyond the anthology and begin publishing their own books.

Among those who have gone on to develop their own publishing journeys are:

Ruth Lewarne, R.E.S. Burman, Stuart Cooper, Mary Downing, Robert Spencer, Tyrone M. Warren, Rashma Mehta, Liam Newton, Joanna Edwards, Libby Pentreath, Chris York, Rob Kersley, Adrian Frost (USA), Mustak Ahmed Mustafa, Bhupendra M. Gandhi, Mathew Saunders-Whiting, Leema and Marion.

Some of these writers are sadly no longer with us.

Their contribution to the Penny Authors journey nevertheless remains part of its history.

For those continuing their writing journeys, the progression has been particularly encouraging.

Tyrone M. Warren has excelled in his development as a writer and performer.

Suzette has received recognition for her work.

These are precisely the kinds of developments that make the journey worthwhile.

The intention was never simply to put someone's poem into an anthology and leave them there.

The hope was always that the experience might become a stepping stone.

For some, it has.

Taking Writing Beyond the Page

Penny Authors has also continued to look for ways to take writing beyond the printed page.

Since 2021, we have established a Penny Authors YouTube channel and have explored opportunities for writers to be heard through other forms of media, including radio airtime.

We have produced newsletters and bookmarks and continued to develop ideas for taking Penny Authors into public performance.

The written word does not have to remain confined to the page.

A poem can be read.

It can be performed.

It can be heard.

It can be discussed.

It can reach someone who may never have picked up an anthology.

That is another part of the direction in which Penny Authors is developing.

Supporting Different Sections of the Community

From the beginning, Penny Authors has tried to support people from different sections of the community.

The various anthologies and special publications have allowed us to explore different experiences and communities rather than restricting the project to one particular type of writer.

This remains important.

Writing belongs to everybody.

It does not matter whether someone has been writing for decades or has only recently discovered the courage to put their thoughts onto paper.

It does not matter whether someone considers themselves a poet, a writer, a performer or simply someone who has something they need to say.

There should be a place for them.

That has always been one of the principles behind Penny Authors.

Volume 12 – The Book of Lived

And now we have arrived at Volume 12.

The Book of Lived is another chapter in that continuing journey.

Twelve volumes represent much more than twelve books.

They represent years of submissions, appraisals, editing, typesetting, production, administration, communication and, above all, people.

People who trusted Penny Authors with their words.

People who shared experiences that may have been difficult to express elsewhere.

People who simply wanted to see their work in print.

And people who have subsequently gone much further than they originally imagined.

We Have Come a Long Way

Looking back, it is easy to focus on the books.

But the real achievement is not the number of books produced.

It is what has happened because those books were produced.

A writer who gained confidence.

A writer who found an audience.

A writer who discovered performance.

A writer who received recognition.

A writer who went on to publish their own book.

A writer who returned again and again.

A writer who found a community.

That is the real measure of progress.

And We Are Not Finished

Penny Authors is still developing.

The project continues to evolve, adapt and find new ways of supporting writers.

We have newsletters, promotional materials, bookmarks, digital platforms, radio opportunities and plans for further public performance.

The possibilities available to writers today are very different from those available when Penny Authors first began.

We have to move with those changes.

But the central principle remains.

To nurture writing.
To encourage writers.
To provide opportunity.
To support people in finding their voice.

From a small philanthropic publishing project to a community reaching across the UK, the USA and India, Penny Authors has travelled further than we could have anticipated.

And as Volume 12 – The Book of Lived prepares to make its appearance, we can look back with some satisfaction.

We have come a long way.

But this is not the end of the journey.

It is simply another chapter.

Website

01 – Induction to Penny Authors (Polished 13.8.2026)

 

01 – Induction to Penny Authors

Thursday, 9 December 2021

You will have read the Penny Authors information about our processes, facilities and how the project operates. You will then have submitted your poems for appraisal.

Following the appraisal of your work, you will have received an Acceptance Email.

Your Acceptance

Your poems have been read by the Penny Authors appraiser and assessed against the project's criteria. Your work has been approved for inclusion in an forthcoming Penny Authors anthology.

At this stage, your work has been accepted and placed in the publication queue. It is not yet entered into the main digital book file. This takes place later, during the typesetting and production stage.

In the meantime, we begin preparing your Penny Authors profile and records.

Your PA File

We will process the information you have provided, which may include:

• Your name and address;
• Your curriculum vitae or biography;
• A passport-sized photograph;
• Your accepted poems and other relevant material.

A digital folder is created for you within the Penny Authors system. This becomes your individual PA file, where the work and information you submit to us can be securely organised and retained.

Your name is also added to the Penny Authors Central List.

The Central List is used as the principal record of participating authors and may be used in Penny Authors publications, promotional material and social media.

Introducing You to Penny Authors

Your photograph may be used to publicly welcome you to Penny Authors alongside the cover of the anthology in which your work appears.

This may include our existing Penny Authors platforms and promotional channels, such as:

• Facebook;
• The Penny Authors blog;
• The Penny Authors website;
• Social media posts;
• Articles and other promotional material.

The purpose is to introduce you as a new member of the Penny Authors community and celebrate your inclusion in the anthology.

Penny Authors Mail-outs

Your email address will also be added to the Penny Authors mailing list.

You will therefore receive Penny Authors communications and mail-outs from time to time, including information about forthcoming anthologies, developments, opportunities and other relevant PA activities.

The Annual Anthology

The Penny Authors Anthology is an annual publication.

Our usual aim is to release the anthology during the summer, generally around August, with a submission deadline around May.

Your accepted work will be published alongside the writing of other Penny Authors, representing a wide range of abilities, experiences, backgrounds and writing styles.

A Collective Anthology

From the 2022 anthology onwards, Penny Authors adopted an important principle concerning how authors are presented within the main body of the book.

Authors' names are not placed alongside their individual poems.

Instead, the names of participating writers are listed separately.

This was a deliberate decision and forms part of the philosophy behind Penny Authors.

Why are the names separated from the poems?

We want readers to encounter the writing before they encounter the identity of the writer.

A poem should be allowed to speak for itself.

When a reader sees an author's name, they may unconsciously make assumptions about that person — their age, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, nationality, social background or life circumstances.

Those assumptions can influence how a piece of writing is received.

Penny Authors seeks to remove those influences as far as possible.

By separating the author's name from the poem, we invite the reader to approach the writing with an open mind.

The reader is encouraged to experience the words, emotions, thoughts and circumstances expressed within the work without first knowing who wrote them.

Reading the Universal Experience

The anthology brings together people from different backgrounds and experiences.

Yet many of the emotions expressed through writing are universal:

love, loss, grief, happiness, loneliness, hope, struggle, joy, fear, relationships, memories and the experiences of everyday life.

By not immediately identifying the writer, we encourage the reader to connect with the experience expressed in the work, rather than with an assumed identity behind it.

The intention is not to erase the writer.

Quite the opposite.

The writer is recognised separately as part of the Penny Authors community.

But, within the main body of the anthology, the writing comes first.

The reader encounters the poem.

The reader experiences the words.

The reader forms their own response.

Only afterwards can they discover who contributed that work.

This is part of what makes Penny Authors different.

The principle

Read the words before judging the writer.

Experience the poem before making assumptions about the person.

Penny Authors seeks to create a space where writing can cross the boundaries of ethnicity, culture, religion, background and circumstance — allowing the shared experiences of human life to come to the forefront.

Progress, Developments and New Process (revised)

Penny Authors – Progress, Developments and New Process

Background

Since the founding of the Penny Authors philanthropic project, we have continued to develop, grow and refine the project. We have now progressed to the 6th volume of the Penny Authors Anthology, The Book of Lived.

Throughout this journey, many of the original ideals and principles of Penny Authors have been successfully implemented and utilised to nurture and support the project and the writers who have become part of it.

The benevolent nature of the project has always been at its heart. However, as with any evolving project, some of the original arrangements have proved less beneficial, productive or sustainable than anticipated.

One such area has been the sharing of royalties.

The Royalty Arrangement

The original intention was for Penny Authors to become a self-financing project. The sales of each anthology would generate sufficient funds to help finance the production of the following anthology, while also retaining enough funds to distribute dividends or royalties to those entitled to receive them.

In practice, this model has not proved sustainable.

There has also been an additional administrative consideration. Where individuals receive payments or royalties, there are associated requirements relating to the declaration of income, taxation and financial accountability. Managing these processes for everyone involved has created additional administration, manpower and workload.

After reviewing how Penny Authors operates, it has therefore become necessary to simplify the process and remove arrangements that place unnecessary pressure on the administration of the project.

What's New?

Penny Authors has now streamlined its processes to better support the continued nurturing and development of the project and everyone who participates in it.

Penny Authors will continue to provide opportunities for all PAs to benefit from purchasing copies of the anthologies at special author rates.

These copies can be purchased to:

• Give to friends and family;

• Promote and share the anthology;

• Sell on independently;

• Support the continued development of Penny Authors.

The objective is to make the process simpler, clearer and more sustainable for everyone.

The New Process

The following process will now apply to Penny Authors anthologies:

1. Purchase the launch copy

All PAs are asked to purchase their launch copy directly from Lulu, at the price set on the Lulu website.

2. Leave an encouraging review

After receiving and reading the book, PAs are encouraged to leave a positive and constructive review of the anthology on the Lulu website.

Reviews are important because they help the anthology gain visibility and provide encouragement to the writers whose work appears within it.

3. Author-rate purchasing

Once the review process has been completed, PAs will be able to purchase copies at the Author Rate, in whatever quantity they require.

This provides greater flexibility for those wishing to purchase multiple copies for family, friends, promotion or resale.

Enquiries

For all enquiries regarding the new purchasing process, Author Rates or Penny Authors, please contact:

pennyauthors@yahoo.co.uk

General Progress

There has been considerable progress around Penny Authors as a project.

The printing company has undergone a substantial revamp, including updates to its network, services and production systems. A number of its previous processes have changed.

As a result, Penny Authors has also had to review its own services and facilities so that we can take advantage of the improvements now available.

Adapting to these changes is an important part of the continued development of Penny Authors.

Progress and Benefits for PAs

One of the most encouraging developments has been seeing Penny Authors participants progress beyond the anthology itself.

A number of PAs have gone on to publish their own books, demonstrating how participation in Penny Authors can become a stepping stone towards further publishing opportunities.

The improvements within the printing industry have also opened up more possibilities for our publications.

The upgraded printing services now provide us with a wider range of options, including:

• Different paper colours and finishes;

• Greater choice of paper specifications;

• Improved cover-finishing options;

• More flexibility in production;

• Additional publishing and printing possibilities that were not readily available to PAs in the earlier years of the project.

These developments give Penny Authors greater scope to experiment, improve and produce publications that are increasingly professional and varied.

Moving Forward

Penny Authors has always been about more than simply producing an anthology.

It is about nurturing writers, providing opportunity, encouraging creativity and helping people move forward with their writing and publishing aspirations.

As the project develops, some things will inevitably change.

The changes introduced now are intended to make Penny Authors simpler to administer, more sustainable and better positioned for the future, while continuing to provide opportunities for all those who participate.

The journey from the founding of Penny Authors to the 6th volume of the anthology demonstrates how far the project has progressed.

There is still much more to come.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to that journey.

Penny Authors

Penny Authors' Philosophy #1 & 2

www.pennyauthors.org.uk

 

Penny Authors – More Than an Anthology

 

Penny Authors – More Than an Anthology

Penny Authors is more than a book.

It is a doorway.

Every poet who joins Penny Authors is welcomed, valued and respected. Whether they are writing their very first poem or have spent decades perfecting their craft, every voice is given equal importance.

Publication is only the beginning.

Each contributor becomes part of a growing collective of writers, readers, performers and supporters who encourage one another to grow.

Our poets are offered opportunities to:

• Build a published portfolio.

• Develop an online presence.

• Introduce themselves to new audiences.

• Read and perform their own poetry.

• Recite the work of fellow Penny Authors.

• Champion other writers as well as themselves.

• Network with poets from every background and generation.

• Receive one-to-one guidance and encouragement.

• Build confidence as writers and performers.

• Develop towards publishing their own individual collections.

This is not simply about printing poems.

It is about developing people.

Our anthologies are deliberately presented differently.

Each poem stands on its own.

Names do not appear beneath individual poems, allowing readers to encounter every piece without reputation, status, popularity or prejudice influencing the experience.

The reader discovers the words before discovering the writer.

It creates a journey where voices from different cultures, ages, experiences and perspectives speak as equals.

Readers experience humanity first.

Names come afterwards.

Many Penny Authors have discovered that publication has become the beginning of new opportunities.

New audiences.

Public readings.

Creative collaborations.

Greater confidence.

Personal achievement.

Solo publications.

New friendships.

Doors have opened because someone believed enough to publish their work.

Penny Authors exists to create those opportunities.

Our purpose is simple:

To encourage.

To mentor.

To publish.

To perform.

To connect.

To celebrate.

To help poets discover not only their voice—but also the confidence to let the world hear it.

This is our vision.

This is our community.

This is Penny Authors.

https://www.pennyauthors.org.uk/poets