The Diversity in Publishing Project
Report Findings
Over the last three years Diversity has been at the top of the agenda for UK Publishing, be it to redress historic underrepresentation in the industry or to uncover publishing talent from underrepresented backgrounds. And if we look at the statistics, we are moving in the right direction, at blistering pace. According to a 2022 Publisher’s Association, Representation of people from ethnic minority groups (excluding white minorities) had reached 17% - up from 12% in 2018 – and according to CLPE research on representation in Children’s Publishing, 30% of the children’s titles published in 2022 featured racially minoritised characters, up from 4% in the first report in 2017.
This report, however, seeks to move away from looking at diversity purely by the statistics, but rather speak to the people directly involved in publishing and ask them what they are seeing and what has changed. Are we moving in the right direction? Is diversity in publishing now ‘fixed’? If it was that easy why did we wait until now to address it? What do we hope for in the future?
This study is by no means perfect. If anything, it is just a start. Its aim is to get people talking and be listened to – to encourage ideas and bring them together. We want to highlight what has worked – the successes and progress we have made – but also acknowledge what has been reactionary, what isn’t working, what barriers underrepresented writers still face and what are the real and present dangers if we take recent statistics at face value and don’t continue to question, are we doing the right thing, are we having an impact, is this all going to tail away?
There is no Executive Summary to this report. This is largely because with 50+ participants speaking their mind and sharing their experiences, we feel even the pages of this report are not enough to include all the insights and initiatives. Instead, we collate our findings into 8 main groups, each sharing commonalities with the others, and use the findings to generate a series of initiatives that become an Action Plan needed to achieve change (page 34).
Findings are also broken down into specific subpoints, to form easier takeaways and insights. Our subgroup of findings are:
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The Importance of Understanding Publishing’s History with Diversity and Inclusion
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Stats can be a dangerous and misleading thing
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The impact the last 3 years have already had on Minority Writers - and why gains are being reversed
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Writer Development Schemes and The Role of Literature Development Organisations in Supporting Diversity
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Class and Race Interlinkages and Shared Barriers
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Pay and Culture
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Education on Publishing – to bring publishing to underrepresented communities and classes
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Structural Issues and Marketing Departments
Understanding Publishing's History with Diversity
Acknowledge the progress made in enhancing diversity in publishing. Difficult to Quantify but range of writers published is much broader. In literary fiction there are generally more ideas & greater diversity, and the recent releases and prize winners featuring writers who have previously been underrepresented, writing on subjects not simply aligned to Western tropes of their identity.
Interviewees acknowledged the cyclical nature of publishing and the recurring issues of diversity. In the 1960s and 1970s, working-class writers were in vogue, only for the trend to later shift back to upper-class writers. It was argued that publishing tends to reflect societal tastes rather than set them. This perspective helps explain why marketing departments have heavily influenced publishing outcomes. Treating diversity as a trend or fad is problematic; Black or working-class writers are often pigeonholed into writing “Black” or “working-class” books, creating genres based on race instead of focusing on the books' commonalities. When publishers find commercial success with diverse authors, as seen with books like Queenie and Yellowface, it underscores that writers want to be recognised simply as writers, not as representatives of their race or class.
Statistics Not Telling the Whole Story
The statistic that representation of people from ethnic minority groups (excluding White minorities) has increased to 17% in UK Publishing’s workforce is not being supported by what interviewees and focus groups are seeing in the industry especially when it comes to senior, mid-level or even entry level roles in publishing houses and literary agencies. Anecdotally, interviewees note the improvement in representation in internships, however representation in editorial assistants is nowhere near 17%, let alone roles requiring 3-4 years experience. The survey itself also does not state where it is getting it’s figures from i.e. which specific departments are being surveyed and what is the mix at different levels of seniority?
Impact on Underrepresented Groups
Focus groups acknowledged the push to having more diverse writers since 2020 noting because of BLM we are seeing more Black authors and translated Black writers and classics. Example of Octavia Butler coming back into prominence as a Black science fiction writer. Currently riding the wave, but hope it doesn’t fade as sceptical on the original motives.
But just because we've made some progress doesn't mean we can slack off. Many people are jaded and sceptical, having championed greater diversity for decades, only to see schemes and reports yield short-term impacts. To combat growing apathy, we need to approach things differently and bring people together, as reports and big initiatives have proven ineffective. Our efforts have often been reactionary rather than proactive, hindered by fear of being labelled racist or facing cancellation instead of a genuine desire to see the benefits of greater representation.
Writer Development Schemes
Focus groups have shown that very few of these programs are reaching writers, leaving participants unsure of their purpose. When presented with a list of 30 writing programmes and writing prizes for unpublished writers, no participant recognised more than 3 schemes, the majority only recognising 1. Focus groups also suggested that if each agency only takes on a few writers out of many applicants, how is this different from a standard submission process? Both aim to unearth raw talent and develop writers, yet these programmes often seem virtue signalling without substantial investment. Moreover, the schemes are limited in scope and often target already advanced writers, raising criticism that they aim to find the most talented writers rather than develop emerging ones.
* Correction made on London Library Emerging Writers Programme - it took on 40 rather than 20 writers.
Class and Race
Examining the impact of class alongside ethnicity on diversity in publishing reveals the significant barriers faced by individuals from working-class backgrounds which often intersect with those of minority backgrounds face, creating common challenges for aspiring authors and publishing professionals.
Argument that working-class writers, both white and of minority backgrounds share a similar value system – recognise the same injustices and inequalities and share the same beliefs in how the world should be changed. Redress needs to avoid grouping working-class or low income black, Asian or writers from minority backgrounds with middle-class minority writers as measures of redress and schemes would disproportionately favour those from middle-class backgrounds and ignore the needs of those who have historically been ignored. There is an argument that expanding schemes to cover working-class writers from both white and minority backgrounds will do more to address the structural inequality barriers that are facing diverse writers.
Pay and Culture
The current pay structure in publishing, particularly for those with five years of experience, is notably lower compared to other industries. This raises the question: Does it need to be this low? The Big Five publishers are owned by large conglomerates, suggesting they are making significant profits to satisfy investors. Additionally, the industry is filled with numerous intermediaries who each take a cut of the profits. We ask if all these intermediaries are still necessary and whether profits could be redirected to benefit authors and editors more directly. There is also a growing consideration of whether editors and authors should consider industrial action or unionising to advocate for better wages and working conditions.
Education and Publishing
Many people in underrepresented communities are unaware of the job opportunities in publishing or how to set about becoming a writer. If your family knows about publishers, you will too—if not, you remain in the dark. The industry is opaque, making it difficult to understand what jobs are available, particularly when children are considering their future careers. To address this, we need to establish stronger links with schools to highlight the variety of roles within the industry.
Education about the different roles in publishing is crucial, especially roles adjacent to editors and publishers that offer great experiences and opportunities. The same is true regarding becoming a writer. We must bring these opportunities to the attention of diverse communities by focusing on career fairs at less elitist universities and middle-class schools. Publisher days should be organised to allow communities to meet industry professionals. More visits to schools targeting diverse demographics and universities should be arranged, alongside publishing apprenticeships that cover the full spectrum of careers, not just glamorous roles like editors. It's important to demystify what literary agents do and make it clear to authors that writing may not be their primary source of income.
Marketing Departments
The power dynamics in publishing often place marketing departments above editors in the commissioning process. Sales teams frequently cite a lack of precedent and comparison novels to justify their decisions, which historically stifled diversity. Characters of colour were often excluded from covers, and certain stories were dismissed as unmarketable, reflecting a narrow focus on familiar characters and narratives. This risk aversion has become a significant barrier, with Marketing and Sales departments holding more sway than editors and agencies, impacting editorial choices. Despite their critical role in the industry, these departments have not been adequately scrutinized for their part in diversity efforts.
Initiatives and Action Plan
Our above findings each yielded a series of recommendations, a number of which encourage multiple initiatives, some more ambitious than others. Some can be implemented or at least considered at the agency or even the individual level – i.e. the steps we each can make to address and improve underrepresentation. Some are more ambitious and involve cross-industry coordination or a specific organisation to lead on collaboration and implementation.
However the nature of the findings should be seen as an opportunity rather than a challenge and can be presented orderly, finding by finding, in the below Action Plan which sets markers for how we are doing as an industry to address improvements and meet the needs of underrepresented and minority writers and entrants into the industry and hence how we can make meaningful progress to boost diversity.