The GLL Literary Foundation One Year On
As BfK readers know, a new foundation to support ‘up and coming’ children’s authors was established in November 2024 by charitable social enterprise and libraries operator GLL. Rebecca Gediking, Head of the GLL Literary Foundation updates us on progress and the next round opens for applications.
The GLL Literary Foundation offers author bursary placements, alongside a range of additional author support placements, in areas where GLL operates public libraries under its ‘Better’ brand: Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth, Dudley and Lincolnshire.
Each selected author receives a bursary of £750 as well as tailored ‘in kind’ support valued at up to £4,000. Every author is paired with a specialist local librarian ‘champion’, who supports them to deliver a series of events and to build connections with local booksellers, publishers, literary festivals and schools. Authors also take part in three online business training courses and become part of a vibrant community of writers, sharing ideas and experiences across GLL libraries.
As we open applications for year two, we have expanded our support to include more opportunities for national promotion across GLL libraries and leisure centres, increased networking opportunities with industry professionals and an ongoing alumni offer, ensuring that authors continue to receive guidance and encouragement long after their initial placements.
Authors across all genres of children’s literature are encouraged to apply, including picture books, early readers, chapter books, poetry, non-fiction, novels, graphic and verse novels. Entries are submitted by publishers and assessed by a board of trustees drawn from GLL libraries.
Applications for 2026 placements open on Friday 14 November 2025, inviting more emerging authors to join this growing movement to support writers, inspire reading and champion public libraries. Further details and application information can be found at https://www.better.org.uk/library/gll-literary-foundation
Over the past year, Literary Foundation authors have been busy visiting libraries, attending training sessions and meet-ups, delivering events and taking part in national literary gatherings. Autumn highlights included The Bookseller Conference, where author Nathanael Lessore was a keynote speaker, and the Klaus Flugge Prize awards, attended by several Literary Foundation authors and champions. We were also delighted to celebrate the launch of Alom Shaha’s new book About Time, published in September 2025.
In each article for Books for Keeps, we have shared what the GLL Literary Foundation has been up to, alongside reflections from one of our authors and one of their librarian champions. This month, science writer and teacher Alom Shaha shares his experiences of being part of the programme. Caroline Nolan, Bromley Literary Foundation Champion, reflects on an inspiring year supporting authors and connecting young readers with stories across Bromley Libraries.
Alom Shaha reports
The phrase ‘nobody will care as much about your books as you do’ is often passed down as wisdom from experienced authors to those just starting out. Sadly, in my experience, I have found it to be far too true… until I met Caroline Nolan at Bromley Central Library. Even before she became my GLL Literary Foundation mentor, Caroline made me feel that my work mattered. At a time when my feelings about the wider world of publishing have been rather negative, the support of the Foundation, and Caroline in particular, has made a huge difference to me.
Being an author can be a lonely endeavour. Not just when it comes to writing books, but also when marketing and promoting them. A harsh reality of being a published author is that, unless you are a celebrity or have somehow secured a large advance, your publisher is unlikely to invest much money, time or effort in selling your book. There are many reasons for this, but ultimately they boil down to the kind of decisions that are made by businesses about how they invest their money and maximise their profits. Whether that decision-making process is sensible or not is questionable, but many authors, particularly new ones, are naïve or unaware of this aspect of publishing. I have met lots of people who have found themselves disappointed and even depressed when, after the initial excitement of having their book published, they find that their sales figures have even fewer zeroes than their advance and that their book makes barely a ripple in the wider world.
Most authors who want their books to be read widely are left with only one course of action: to take responsibility for their own marketing and promotion. This can involve everything from producing videos and other promotional content for social media to giving talks at book festivals and other events. For children’s authors like me, it usually means going into schools to give talks and run workshops, which take a lot of time and effort to plan, organise and carry out. With Caroline as my mentor, and the other support that comes from being a GLL Literary Foundation author, that process has been a lot easier and far more enjoyable.
Working with Caroline, I have delivered a library event for young children based on my book How to Find a Rainbow and planned and delivered an online talk for older children about my new book About Time. A couple of days after writing this, I will be delivering a series of live events for schoolchildren that combine a presentation with a clock-making activity, which I have also developed through discussions with Caroline.
One of the most helpful aspects of working with Caroline and her colleagues is that they took on a large part of the burden of the practical organisation of these events, from arranging for schools to attend them, to setting up the video link for the online talk and organising the physical venues for the live sessions. But the best thing has been having Caroline attend the events and being there to support me in person, helping me feel far less alone.
I feel I have come full circle in my experience with libraries. Unlike many people who grow up to be authors, I did not have the good fortune of living with parents who loved reading or in a household filled with books, but I did have an excellent local library. I still remember fondly the wonderful librarians who provided me with a safe place where I could read all the books I wanted and also do arts and crafts and other things I did not have access to at home. There is a sort of narrative neatness to the fact that now that I am an author, it is once again librarians who are helping me to flourish in the absence of other support.
Caroline Nolan reports
It has been a truly exciting year working with the authors supported by the GLL Literary Foundation in Bromley. The four writers I have had the pleasure of championing, Adeola Sokunbi, Marcela Ferreira, Alex Falase-Koya and Alom Shaha, have now delivered at least two of their three school, public or online events, and the feedback from children, teachers and parents and carers has been overwhelmingly positive.
For children and adults alike, the chance to meet authors, hear about their creative journeys and share stories through words and pictures has been inspiring. The children loved drawing along with Adeola and Marcela, designing superhero suits with Alex and taking part in science experiments and discussions about time with Alom. These sessions have brought books and ideas to life and have sparked real excitement about reading.
In November, Alex will deliver school sessions for Empathy Action Month, while Alom is running workshops on his brilliant new non-fiction title About Time as part of National Non-Fiction November (NNFN). About Time beautifully explores and explains the science, history and nature of time, and is featured on this year’s NNFN book list. Alom’s background as a science teacher, combined with his skill as a writer and presenter, allows him to engage children in complex ideas in a fun and accessible way. I was in awe of the breadth of his knowledge and his ability to answer every question put to him during his recent online event.
Beyond their Foundation placements, our authors have been active across the wider literary world, publishing new books, appearing at festivals around the country and contributing to magazines, blogs and podcasts. They have also taken part in community celebrations, including local library reopenings, helping to promote reading and highlight the importance of public libraries.
Nationally, Marcela joined fellow Foundation authors Sharada Keats and Jack Meggitt-Phillips on a lively panel at the CILIP Youth Libraries Conference in Eastbourne. The discussion, chaired by Rebecca Gediking, Head of the Literary Foundation, gave fascinating insight into their writing journeys and the opportunities and challenges facing today’s children’s authors.
I was also delighted to share my own experiences as a Literary Foundation Champion at the London Libraries Conference. Getting to know our authors and taking part in events such as the Carnegie Awards Ceremony, the Foundation’s launch and Alom’s About Time book launch has been a privilege. I have developed a much greater understanding of the children’s book world, particularly early fiction and picture books, and of the challenges authors face in connecting their work with readers.
Supporting authors and helping to bring their books to children in a public library setting has been both joyful and rewarding. I have seen first-hand how powerful these connections can be, and how they inspire readers and communities while nurturing creativity across the UK. As we move into the Foundation’s second year, I’m excited to continue working with our current authors and to welcome new writers to the GLL Literary Foundation in 2026.
