Diversity in publishing – still hideously middle-class and white?

Two years ago, we called publishers to account for the glaring lack of diversity in the industry. Pledges were made and initiatives set up. Have things improved?Find out about the new projects to encourage inclusivity in the book businessIn December 2015, British publishing stood accused of woeful blindness to diversity, and not for the first time, after World Book Night (WBN) announced its titles, and none of the 15 books was by a writer of colour. An apology was issued by organisers but a wider malaise had already set in, and along with it, the troubling feeling that WBN’s oversight was less an isolated incident and more a recurring pattern of exclusion that stretched across the literary establishment.A report on the state of the books industry had been published earlier that year by the development agency Spread the Word, which drew attention to how intransigently white, middle-class (and further up the ladder, male) it remained, from literary festivals and prizes to publications and personnel. Then, last autumn, there was more embarrassing exposure when World Book Day – which focuses on children’s titles – issued its own all-white book list and an independent publisher flagged up the fact that only one black, British male debut novelist had been published in 2016. Earlier this year, there was talk of a boycott when the Carnegie medal for children’s literature revealed its all-white longlist. Related: Only 4.8% of TV writers are black. As one of them, I know the system... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #literary festivals #carnegie medal #tv writers #bame writers

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Diversity in publishing – still hideously middle-class and white?'


Penguin Business lands diversity guide for 'straight, white male leaders'

Penguin Business has landed a guide to diversity and inclusion aimed at "straight, white male leaders" by Suki Sandhu and Felicity Hassan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 16:21:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin business


Carthew plans UK tour to address publishing diversity and inclusion

Natasha Carthew, the artistic director of The Festival for Working Class Writers, is planning a UK tour in 2022 to address diversity and inclusion issues in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-25 12:09:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk tour #address diversity


Working Class Writers' Festival seeks publisher sponsorship for 2022

The Working Class Writers' Festival is urging publishers to demonstrate their commitment to diversity by investing in sponsorship for next year's event.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-10 12:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #urging publishers


At Sharjah: IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi on Diversity in Publishing

'Sometimes we can become prisoners of our preconceptions,' the International Publishers Association's Bodour Al Qasimi tells colleagues in Sharjah. The post At Sharjah: IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi on Diversity in Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-02 02:24:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing appeared #publishers association's


Quercus to publish YA edition of Saad's Me and White Supremacy

Quercus has secured the YA edition of anti-racism workbook Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-26 08:16:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #white supremacy


Publishers should emphasise 'joyful' qualities of diverse books, Levine says

Publishers “should stop thinking about BAME talent as fulfilling a school requirement” and “should emphasise the joyful and literary qualities" of diverse books, Arthur Levine, founder of the independent publisher Levine Querido, has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-22 04:07:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse books #independent publisher


Authors Guild Diversity Webinar Asks: Can Book Publishing Change?

The Authors Guild's virtual panel "Centering Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?," held on July 27, offered a wide-ranging examination of the history and potential of the book industry’s continuing struggle to address diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild #sustainable change #book industry #address diversity #book publishing


Bonnier Books UK buys Edinburgh indie Black & White Publishing

Bonnier Books UK has acquired independent Scottish publisher Black & White Publishing as part of its long-term strategy for growth.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-27 19:25:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long-term strategy #bonnier


The UK’s Publishers Association Releases Its New Diversity Report

The fourth annual diversity survey of British publishing shows progress in women's leadership, slower movement in BAME employment. The post The UK’s Publishers Association Releases Its New Diversity Report appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-12 14:37:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diversity report #british publishing #publishers association


Small Publishers Struggle to Build a Diverse Workforce

Interviews with mainline Christian, Catholic, and spirituality publishers found efforts to build a more inclusive staff bump into tight budgets, small staffs, lack of attrition, and high competition for talent. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse workforce #tight budgets


Commentary: The latest publishing mega-merger might kill off small presses — and literary diversity

The planned merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster may be global but it's bad for books both foreign and domestic. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-04 19:25:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #planned merger #simon schuster #penguin random house


J.R.R. Tolkien’s previously unseen essays about Middle-earth will be published in June.

The Nature of Middle-earth, a collection of previously unpublished J.R.R. Tolkien essays exploring the world of Middle-earth, will be released by HarperCollins in June 2021. The work will be edited by Carl F. Hostetter, Tolkien expert and head of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. These essays... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-19 16:26:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #previously unpublished #chris smith #literary hub #harpercollins


‘There Are Tons of Brown Faces Missing’: Publishers Step Up Diversity Efforts

The push in book publishing for more authors and workers of color hasn’t abated, and companies are increasingly making lasting changes to the way they do business. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-10-29 16:18:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers step #diversity efforts #book publishing


Black & White to publish Burns poetry selection

Black & White Publishing has acquired Burns for Every Day of the Year from Robert Burns expert Dr Pauline Mackay.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-23 10:57:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black white


Bernardine Evaristo to UK Publishing: Hire More Diverse People

At the Frankfurt Book Fair conference, writer Bernardine Evaristo delivered a forceful keynote on the systemic bias against people of color in the UK publishing industry The post Bernardine Evaristo to UK Publishing: Hire More Diverse People appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-10-14 18:02:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse people #bernardine evaristo #uk publishing #frankfurt book fair


Douglas Stuart | 'Representation of the working-class is essential for diversity in literature'

Scottish author Douglas Stuart talks to us about his Booker Prize 2020-shortlisted début novel, Shuggie Bain.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-15 13:46:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #douglas stuart #shuggie bain


Aspen Institute Looks at a Publishing Industry Challenged to Embrace Diversity

Aspen asks, 'Why is the world of publishing so reluctant to offer Black writers the same major book deals typically offered to white writers?' The post Aspen Institute Looks at a Publishing Industry Challenged to Embrace Diversity appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-21 18:41:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #aspen institute #embrace diversity #white writers #major book #publishing industry


HarperCollins’ Ecco and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Create a Publishing Diversity Fellowship

Led by author Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, the publishing imprint sets up a five-year program with the Columbia Publishing Course. The post HarperCollins’ Ecco and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Create a Publishing Diversity Fellowship appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-19 13:46:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post harpercollins #aprix sweeney #publishing imprint


Diversity in Publishing in the Age of Black Lives Matter

While recent efforts are encouraging, publishing needs to establish permanent methods to give people of color more opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recent efforts #give people


Rethinking on (not) publishing class

In Bluemoose Books' first online deli a couple of weeks ago, writer Heidi James revealed some uncomfortable truths. She’d been told early on by a supervisor that "the novel was for the middle classes" and that her work was "too shouty" for the typical novel reader. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-05 20:33:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bluemoose books