On Thursday 24th September, there was a
#diverseauthorday on Twitter. It was a campaign organised by North Londoner Rosie
Canning. A few months ago, Rosie sent out an email to writers she knew, diverse
authors of children's lit and adult fiction and bloggers, proposing that on
24th September we tweet and retweet talk about diversity until the hash-tag got noticed. Well, it did get noticed. It was trending on Twitter,
which is quite something. Yes, there were a few declaimers, a few trolls, but
that's to be expected. People from all over the world got involved, which is pretty amazing.
Please read Rosie's full report on the Greenacre Writers Blog;
it's a very interesting read - Reflections on #diverseauthorday
The other thing that happened was at the London
Book Fair. The report, Writing the Future: Black and Asian Writers and
Publishers in the UK Market Place, received backing from The Society of Authors
and HarperCollins for greater cultural diversity across the publishing
industry.
This is what was said:
John Athanasiou, director of people, HarperCollins
Publishing, said:
"Publishing
houses, like most industry sectors, are waking up to the business and ethical
purpose and benefits of diversity. At HarperCollins, we have started the
journey of changing the culture to one of inclusion for our employees, authors
and consumers alike. This will help support more diversity in our acquisition
of authors and content. It's a big job, but we are not afraid to ask for help
or to work in partnership with others.”
Nicola Solomon, chief executive, Society of
Authors, said:
“Publishers
have a need to be relevant and attract readers to ensure their own survival. A
publishing industry which does not reflect society fails writers, readers and
itself.”
Sue Lawther, director of Spread the Word, added:
“At Spread
the Word we are already planning follow up work with BAME writers. We will
share our findings more widely and intend to mobilise writers to make their
voices heard. We will also be talking to influencers and decision-makers in the
publishing industry, to see how we can work together, with the support of
funding bodies, such as Arts Council England.”
You can read the full report, Writing the Future: Black and Asian Writers and Publishers in the UK Market Place - HERE
Good intentions are, well, good. Recognising and
acknowledging there is a problem is good too. Beginning a dialogue, spreading
the word about it is a step forward. Rosie asked me for my reflection on
#diverseauthorday, and this is what I said:
The success
of #diverseauthorday was best illustrated by the fact that the hash-tag was
trending on Twitter. It was a clear indication of the number of people who felt
that there was something missing in the books they find in bookshops and in
libraries. That something is
the absence of 'otherness', or the under-representation of black, asian,
minority ethnic, (BAME), LGBT, and disabled characters in contemporary fiction.
There is clearly an overwhelming need and desire for greater inclusiveness, and
I'm not talking about the type of books which simply nod in the direction of
diversity with all its outdated racial stereo-typing. That kind of box-ticking
is not what diversity means.
But is
anyone listening?
The
publishing industry is 97% white. Who's looking into the mirror they're holding
up?
Until they know the answer, will anything change?
Let's hope.
My website - savitakalhan.com
3 comments:
This is great news and why has it taken so long?
Great post and its so good that something like a twitter day on diversity can get such attention. Shows how important this is.
Yes, it is good, but a shame that it's still very much necessary to highlight this.
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