edited by Lucy Mercer and Livia Franchini
published 18 June 2026
What is Bad Writing? Is writing good for your mental health? How – and what – can writers afford to write? Is there still such a thing as serious criticism, or are literary reviews now just marketing blurbs? What kind of writing does the publishing industry want, and how does this impact on literary standards? And how can we write in resistance to the deadening effects of corporatisation and the marketized university?
In recent years, countless arguments have been made for and against the enduring value of literature: reading books improves our well-being while offering escape from politics and the news cycle; the novel is dead, poetry pointless, and writers are AI-replaceable. In response to these simplistic claims, Too Little/Too Hard asks working writers to reflect on their experiences of writing and book production under a neoliberal economy.
At once critical and practical, Too Little/Too Hard contains essays from some of our most important and exciting writers, while a ‘toolkit’ appendix provides advice from freelancers and independent publishers on how to navigate the challenges presented by the current creative economy.
With contributions from Rachael Allen, Emily Berry, Julia Bell, Holly Pester, Dizz Tate, Claudia Durastanti, Yara Rodrigues Fowler, Helen Charman, Daisy Lafarge, Anthony Anaxagorou, Sarah Brouillette and Simon Okotie.