THIS WEEK
Lead Story Autism in publishing
Publishing must educate itself on how to support neurodivergent writers
Publishing should consider how we can communicate more inclusively so autistic people can feel less anxious and be free to be themselves
Cat Mitchell W
hen I started out in publishing, I regularly worked between 12 and 16 hours a day. I said yes to helping at
every event I could; I answered every email; I never missed a deadline. It was my first full-time office job, and I knew working for my dream company made me very lucky. I was determined to give it everything I had. Imagine my surprise, in my first appraisal three months in, to be asked the question: “Do you really want to be here?” Apparently, they couldn’t tell.
The reasons? I hadn’t socialised enough with colleagues, and I hadn’t shouted about my achievements. In education, I’d been taught that hard work spoke for itself; self-promotion served no function, and the extent to which I socialised or put my hand up in class didn’t mater. I hadn’t yet learnt that the world of work was very different.
And I quickly came to realise that publishing is a particularly social profession —no mater which department you work in, so much emphasis is placed on networking, fiting in and being loudly passionate about what you do. It hadn’t occurred to me that spending a lunchtime gossiping with colleagues might benefit my career progression more than eating at my desk to make sure I met my deadlines.
This all happened almost a decade ago, and I wonder: has much changed? For me personally, something has: I received an autism diagnosis in May this year, aſter two and a half years on an NHS
04 26th July 2024
ELLE MCNICOLL
waiting list. In 2021 I wrote a blog post for The Bookseller about how my chronic pain was mishandled while working in publishing, and—looking back with fresh, autistic eyes—I can see how neurodivergence played its role too. And from doing research into disabilit and publishing over the past few years, I know I’m not alone in my experiences. It is estimated that more than one in 100 people are autistic, which is defined by the National Autistic Societ as “a lifelong developmental disabilit which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.” Oſten it involves challenges with social interaction, sensory issues, repetitive or
restrictive behaviour, highly focused interests, and extreme anxiet. Every autistic person is unique, and each of these factors affect them to a greater or lesser extent. Since 2020, conversations around neurodivergence and publishing have been on the rise; Elle McNicoll has been vocal about her experiences as an autistic author, publishers are considering how to change their working practices for neurodivergent writers, and Hachete UK recently launched its neurodiversit policy for staff. But regardless of this progress, there are still many barriers, including challenges geting into the industry in the first place.
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