Diversity in Publishing Network Newsletter
Wishing you all a belated Happy New Year ! As the Diversity in Publishing Network (DipNet) looks forward to its second year, we would like to offer our heartfelt thanks for your enthusiasm and support, and to our committee members for their continued time and effort. Over the coming months we aim to build upon our foundations and continue the work begun in 2005. We are delighted to announce that we have won the prestigious Women in Publishing?s New Venture Award (see further below for details).
A reminder that we are now only charging a one-off joining fee, and these are deliberately set at low levels - 0 for full-time employees, for part-time and free to students. Please ensure you spread the word to any friends or colleagues who may be interested. People can join at www.diversityinpublishing.com/Membership
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
We are currently reviewing our plans for event activity, and will update you shortly on our plans. If you have any suggestions, or can offer meeting space, please e-mail info@diversityinpublishing.com.
Reports on past events can be found at http://www.diversityinpublishing.com/Events and clicking on the relevant event.
DIPNET NEWS
Award News
The New Venture Award was started in 1987 by Women in Publishing and is presented to a pioneering woman or group of women who have embarked on a venture whose aim is to highlight the work and lives of under-represented groups of society. Winners of the Award have been women concerned that the publishing world was not dealing adequately with important cultural, sexual and minority issues. Their frustration led them to research, plan and start on a brave venture that has helped improve cross-cultural understanding in very many communities. They have helped to bring neglected issues to the fore of public debate. We are delighted that the Diversity in Publishing Network has been recognised by this prestigious award.
Visit www.wipub.org.uk for further details.
Mentoring
A new round of trainees are due to be recruited for positions at HarperCollins and Rogers, Coleridge and White. Advertisements are appeared for the positions in The Guardian on 30th January. For further details on the traineeships please contact Gina.Antchandie@artscouncil.org.uk.
Education
We held a number of workshops at the London Metropolitan University in December, inviting students in to discover more about publishing as a career update. Feedback from the students was very positive, with many keen to make further contacts in publishing. Following the workshops, Pearson Education has also invited interested students into their design and multi-media department. The University reported: ?The session was excellent! Really very good ?.the students enjoyed it and benefited from it a lot. The two workshops ? gave a very useful and informative insight in to the world of publishing, the processes involved, and the changes that have come about as a result of technology. Your speakers were so good!! They engaged well with the students and developed an excellent rapport ? I really do appreciate the time they gave to come to talk to the students - it gives the event an extra strength if people working in the industry can give their ideas and relate to their own experiences.?
Market Research
The Diversity in Publishing Network, with funding from Arts Council England, has commissioned BML (Book Marketing Ltd) to undertake further research into the area of cultural diversity in order to establish a more comprehensive picture of the number and ethnic composition of people working in the publishing industry. The core aim of the research is to establish a comprehensive and statistically accurate picture of cultural diversity within the UK book publishing industry, which can be compared against the wider UK population/workforce and - where available - other industries. The research also aims to create an industry benchmark against which individual publishers can measure the cultural diversity of their own workforces, and for monitoring changes in diversity over time. We will keep you updated on how this progresses.
Recommended Reads ? Calling all publishers and readers !
We have the ability to feature books on our Recommended Reads page. Here you will find a selection of books that have been reviewed in the media. To feature a review, send either a link for a review to an online source (most major publications also publish their reviews online), or a hard copy if no link is available.
http://www.diversityinpublishing.com/Recommended-Reads
Committee Members
The committee meets every three months, with more regular meetings for specific areas as needed. Our last Committee meeting was in December 2005, attended by existing members Alison Morrison and Elise Dillsworth (Co-chairs), Jasmine Richards, Gina Antchandanie (Events Officer), and Nicole Gale (Education Officer), Carol Russell (Membership Officer), Emma Lindsey (Newsletter Editor) and Donna Payne (Recommended Reads). Following this meeting Jasmine Richards has decided to step down. We wish her all the best in her publishing career and look forward to her continued involvement with us. Nicole Gale has now filled the Vice-Chair role.
Margaret Busby, OBE
Margaret Busby, Co-Founder of Allison & Busby has received an OBE for services to literature and publishing in the New Year Honours list. Margaret Busby set up the company in 1969 and remained Editorial Director until 1987. She was responsible for publishing authors such as Buchi Emecheta, Colin MacInnes, and Ishmael Reed. She then went on to be Editorial Director at Earthscan Publications for three years, before working as a writer, consultant, journalist, and freelance editor. She was reported as saying: ?I?ve been around for many a decade. If you stick around for long enough, someone notices.?
Children?s Publishing Conference
Arts Council England are in the final stages of appointing an individual or organisation to manage a forthcoming Diversity in children?s publishing conference. This high profile initiative aims to develop a greater awareness of the market for culturally diverse children?s books and of the opportunities for development. The conference will be held 24-25 June 2006 and they expect around 250 delegates from across the country to attend and anticipate attracting significant media coverage. The conference is being organised by Julia Eccleshare and the CLPE.
British Book Awards ? March 2006
This major event in the annual publishing calendar takes place in March. Longlists are currently being circulated and the academy are voting at the moment.
NOTICEBOARD
Below is a selection of items relevant to the issues around diversity and/or literature that you may be interested in.
Recruitment
Playwriting Project
BME young people aged 17-25 at London's leading theatre for new writing. Royal Court Young Writers Programme aims to generate a critical mass of young Black and Ethnic Minority playwrights at the royal court. They are recruiting young writers aged 17 ? 15 years interested in taking part in a ten week Introduction to Playwriting course at the Royal Court. The course runs every Thursday evening from 7pm to 9.30pm starting on 9th February. The sessions will be practical and will include discussion, debate, writing exercises, reading and seeing plays. Places costs 5/5 for concessions and those who live, work or study in Kensington and Chelsea.
What?s Happening .. blogosphere
Macmillan chief executive and current president of the Publishers Association Richard Charkin, has launched an "official blog", giving updates on his activity. For a bird-eye view of a senior figure in publishing, visit ?
http://charkinblog.macmillan.com/
The Literary Consultancy on Tour - next date Words By the Water
Serious about writing and publishing? Funded by the Arts Council of England, The Literary Consultancy tour offers a unique opportunity for all writers and those interested in the publishing. Get advice from agents, learn more about what is happening in the industry, hear author and client readers, explore the benefits of editorial feedback and more...
TLC will also be appearing at the Words By The Water Literary Festival in Cumbria on March the 11th - www.wayswithwords.co.uk/cumbria - and Sussex and Newcastle later in the year.
For further information and updates please visit http://www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk/tour