CONTENTS


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Editor Danuta Kean (020 7420 6127)


Contributors Terence Blacker, Tom Holman, Hilary Macaskill, Aislinn McCormick, Benedicte Page, Claire Simpson


Art director Karen Falconer PRODUCTION


Chief sub-editor Mark Guest


Deputy chief sub-editor Brian Payne Sub-editor Jane Thynne Sub-editor Ross Burns


Sub-editor Tina Courtenay-Thompson Managing director Christine Martin


Associate publisher Jon McGowan


(6115) (6128) (6123) (6118)


(6144) (6119)


Commissioned by decibel, Arts Council England www.decibel.db.org www.artscouncil.org.uk For further information about decibel, contact Colin Beesting, communications manager, decibel, 020 7973 5290


In Full Colour is published by The Bookseller in conjunction with decibel Bookseller Publications is part of VNU Entertainment Media UK Ltd 5th Floor, Endeavour House, 189 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8TJ


Telephone: Editorial fax:


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020 7420 6006 020 7420 6103 020 7420 6102


© 2004 VNU Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permis- sion of the publisher


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President & c.e.o.: Michael Marchesano; Chief Operating Officer: Howard Lander; Group Presidents: Robert Dowl- ing (Film & Performing Arts); Mark Holdreith (Retail); John Kilcullen (Music & Literary); Richard O’Connor (Travel, Performance, Food Service & Real Estate/Design); Michael Parker (Marketing/Media & Arts); Vice-Presi- dents: Joanne Wheatley (Information Marketing); Karen Palmieri (Manufacturing & Distribution)


President & c.e.o.: Michael Marchesano; Chief Operating Officer: Howard Lander; Chief Financial Officer: Joe Furey; President–VNU Expositions: Greg Farrar; President–eMedia & Information Marketing: Toni Nevitt; Senior Vice-President/Human Resources: Sharon Sheer; Vice-President/Business Management: Joellen Sommer; Vice-President/ Communications: Deborah Patton; Vice-President/ Licensing & Events: Howard Appelbaum


In association with


ultural diversity is both a moral and a commercial issue. There may not be huge surprise at the principal finding in the following pages: that publishing remains largely a white, middle-class industry. It is a syndrome that causes a certain amount of white, middle-class guilt; but, as the articles in this supplement also reveal, self-avowed liberals often do more to perpetuate the status quo than they would care to recognise. What offers more promise is evidence of a growing awareness that publishing will have to adapt in order to reach changing audiences. decibel is a one-year initiative of Arts Council England, promoting cultural diversity in the Arts. This project has the long-term aim of changing the arts landscape forever, moving the arts towards a place where it is more representative of the society we live in. It has invested more than £5m in artists, development, events, debate and profiling activity. In December and January, The Bookseller teamed up with decibel to distribute a survey, available in copies of the publication and online, into ethnicity in publishing. More than 500 people responded. What the survey shows is that the publishing workforce is unrepresentative of minority ethnic communities, a fact not lost on the industry itself, as Tom Holman reports on page four. The overwhelming majority did not regard their company as culturally diverse. The


ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Tom Holman sets out the results of the decibel survey into cultural diversity in publishing


DIVERSITY PAYS DIVIDENDS: companies that invest in diversity reap the benefits on their bottom line, according to Hilary Macaskill


TIME FOR CHANGE:


Danuta Kean finds out why publishing is so white and what it means to those minority ethnic groups who work in the industry


THAT'LL DO NICELY: Charles Nicely-Connected reveals to Terence Blacker the secrets of how to get on in publishing


ARE YOU SIMPATICO? Black and Asian authors reveal to Benedicte Page how they are affected by publishing’s lack of cultural diversity


GOOD FOR BUSINESS: Hilary Macaskill finds out what the new Race Regulations mean for employers


Diversity makes business sense C


impact of this lack of diversity on the industry and those from minority ethnic communities who work within it makes uncomfortable reading. As Danuta Kean reveals, Black and Asian employees report feelings of isolation and frustration at the lack of minority ethnic role models in senior management (Time for change, pages eight to 11). Furthermore, many Black and Asian novelists feel pressured by white publishers to write about multicul- tural issues, which effectively ghettoises them (see Are you simpatico? page 13). The moral arguments for cultural diversity are backed by strong economic incentives. The advertising industry estimates that Black and Asian communities have an annual disposable income of £32bn. The brown pound, as it has been termed, is clearly a force in the market. Savvy compa- nies are aware of the opportunities that only a truly diverse workforce can spot. As Hilary Macaskill reports on page 7, diverse companies are healthier companies. The book industry is much engaged at present with the project of “expanding the market” beyond its static audience; within these pages are suggestions of how and why publishing must develop to meet that challenge.


Nicholas Clee: Editor of THEBOOKSELLER 12 MARCH 2004 IN FULL COLOUR 3


Cover illustration: Simon Proctor


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