Diversity and Inclusiveness in Bookselling is increasingly important in what can feel like a fractured world. The BA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace of its own, as well as to helping BA members create their own diverse and inclusive bookshops. We hope you find these resources useful.
BA Diversity & Inclusiveness Policy
The BA is committed to improving diversity and inclusiveness in the bookselling sector, both in the workplace, and in the range of books on bookshop shelves.
The BA is committed to helping booksellers to create diverse and inclusive workplaces, to serve diverse and minority communities with relevant book titles, help and information and to foster a welcoming environment for all customers, regardless of ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality, socio-economic background, age or faith. Bookshops should be welcoming spaces for all who love books and offering welcome to all creates a richer environment for all.
Moreover, the BA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace of its own, and to always consider matters of diversity in all our public and trade facing activities, including (but not limited to) appointing booksellers to our own governing bodies, appointing speakers on panels, using photographs on print and online materials and in the language we use in our communications.
We understand the wide-ranging nature of the term diversity as including:
Ethnicity, Race/heritage/culture, Disability, Sexuality, Gender , Gender Identity, Socio-economic background, Age, Faith
Diversity & Inclusiveness Grants Project
The BA was delighted to launch its Diversity and Inclusiveness Grants Project in 2018, with an unprecedented £50,000 being dedicated over two years to help bookshops deliver practical initiatives to increase inclusivity in their shop or in their community. The goal of the project was to enable real tangible change in diversity and inclusiveness in bookselling across the UK and Ireland. The BA has now awarded the last of three rounds of Diversity and Inclusiveness Grants for its members. We are very proud of the tangible difference the grants have made in booksellers reaching out to their diverse local communities.
Projects awarded a grant include: funding for a festival in a marginalised community, wheelchair ramps, writing projects for minority writers and those with mental health conditions, the provision of sensory story time materials for autistic children, book groups and work placements for adults with Asperger's, the provision of books and conversation for older people in care homes, and several projects to reach young LGBTQ and BAME audiences.
Meryl Halls, Managing Director of the BA says: "The Diversity and Inclusiveness Grants Project has been a real game changer for the BA and for bookselling. For the first time, booksellers have been able to create diversity and inclusion-specific projects and receive funding to implement them. It's helped the conversation around diversity in bookselling to move on, and has created some really practical outcomes and wonderfully creative projects. We are delighted that we have been able to help launch projects that have a positive impact in bookshops across the UK & Ireland."
The grants were awarded by a panel invited by the BA to oversee the grant selections, comprising:
• Nic Bottomley, BA President at the time
• Cathy Rentzenbrink, author, former bookseller and former head of Quick Reads
• Uli Lennart, manager of Gay's the Word Bookshop in London
• Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher of Hachette's new inclusive imprint Dialogue Books
Guide to Creating Inclusive Bookshops
We have created a guide to inspire all our members to create inclusive bookshops. The guide aims to further the conversation about diversity and inclusion in bookshops, as well as providing practical case studies, action points and resources. Many bookshops are already very active in this area, and we would love to hear from booksellers with projects or ideas in this arena. If you have suggestions for additions to the guide, do email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk
You can view and download our Guide to Creating Inclusive Bookshops here:
Creating an Inclusive Bookshop Seminar with Nikesh Shukla
We are delighted to share the following video recording of our Creating An Inclusive Bookshop seminar at London Book Fair 2017, featuring author Nikesh Shukla, and booksellers Tamara Macfarlane (Tales on Moon Lane) and John Newman (Newham Bookshop). We hope you find it useful and inspiring.
Here are some publishers with good diversity and inclusiveness lists - the lists are not exhaustive, and if you have suggestions for publishers to add, email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk
Children's Publishers with diverse lists
New Frontier – newfrontierpublishing.co.uk
Alanna – alannabooks.com
Lantana – lantanapublishing.com
Tiny Owl – tinyowl.co.uk
Otter-Barry – otterbarrybooks.com
Gecko Press – geckopress.com
Curious Fox – bouncemarketing.co.uk/publisher/curiousfox
Barefoot Books – barefootbooks.com
Child's Play – childs-play.com (you may want to look at the Child's Play useful list of inclusive titles)
BAME publishers and imprints
African Books Collective - africanbookscollective.com
BIS Publications - bispublications1.blogspot.com
Books of Africa - booksofafrica.com
Dialogue Books - littlebrown.co.uk
Hashtag Press - hashtagpress.co.uk
Jacaranda - jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk
Knights Of - knightsof.media
Little Drum Publishing - littledrumpublishing.com
#Merky Books - penguin.co.uk/company/publishers/cornerstone/merky-books.html
Peepal Tree Press - peepaltreepress.com
Tamarind - penguin.co.uk/puffin/tamarind.html
Book Trust are a charity dedicated to getting children reading. They are a great source of inspiration and book lists, with a keen eye for representation, diversity and inclusiveness in their book choices.
New books booktrust.org.uk/books/new-books-we-love
Books about refugees booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-about-refugees-and-asylum-seekers
Disability booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookmark-disability-and-books
LGBT booktrust.org.uk/booklists/l/lgbt-ya
Book Trust Bookfinder booktrust.org.uk/books/bookfinder
50 best culturally diverse books theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/13/50-best-culturally-diverse-childrens-books
A stirring article about how black girls can be princesses too https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jun/06/diversity-black-girls-can-be-princesses-too-mylo-freeman
Equality legislation
For information on diversity and equality legislation in the Equality Act, you can find it all here
Here are some other organisations working in the Diversity & Inclusiveness arena:
First Story (who take writers into underprivileged schools)
Inclusive Minds (who help create children's books that meet the needs of all readers, including those from minority groups)
Letterbox Library (who specialise in selling books that celebrate inclusion, diversity and equality)
Creative Access (who place interns within the creative industries)
Arts Emergency (who mentor young people from underprivileged backgrounds)
Business In the Community website, which has lots of useful advice, and a handy pocket guide to talking about race
The Economic Case for Diversity and Inclusiveness
If you are interested in finding out more about the economic case for Diversity & Inclusiveness, publisher Chris McCrudden has created a thought-provoking presentation.
If you have ideas for materials and resources you would like to see in this section, or questions on this area, in the first instance please contact Meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk