We imagine differently
After visiting a bookshop in 2018 and not being able to find any young fiction series that centred a child that looked like her son, Jasmine Richards founded Storymix, the award-winning inclusive fiction studio, as a way of creating books that put kids of colour in the centre of stories full of joy and adventure. Here she talks to Pen&inc. about the importance of representation in children’s fiction and why Storymix’s unique model works.
WITH nine fiction series sold to publishers like Macmillan, Scholastic and Simon and Schuster, Storymix is helping to change the publishing landscape by creating pathways to publication for under- represented creators, and by originating and editing series that take up space on the bookshelf – and in children’s imagination. The lack of diverse characters in children’s fiction has been well- documented in recent years, with character representation leaving many children from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK unable to see themselves as heroes in the books they read.
“As a child, I read no books with a black female character lead,” says Jasmine of her own childhood experience with books. “Storymix is challenging that. We create heroes for every child and tell stories where every child can be the hero.”
Unique voices
Storymix works with a variety of black and brown writers and illustrators to create stories that include diverse characters and worlds full of adventure, whilst organically weaving in strands of authentic cultural heritage and lived experiences. Initially devised by Jasmine, many creative concepts are then developed by a team of skilled story- liners and editors. Sometimes, an initial
Autumn-Winter 2022
premise is taken on by a writer who builds on an idea with their unique voice and narrative skill.
“It is anything but one size fits all,” Jasmine says. Working with published and unpublished authors, Storymix provides different pathways to suit the needs of its writers, developing each individual in a way that suits them best. “You get better at doing things through doing,” explains Jasmine. “There is great work being done through outreach projects and workshops, but they can also be limited in terms of the long-term commitment they can offer to an author.” For the many new or developing writers working with Storymix, Jasmine’s emphasis is on providing opportunities to get better by doing, often by focusing on series fiction; titles such as Aziza and the Secret Fairy Door or Future Hero, with multiple adventures already planned out in detail, are the perfect training ground. “Writing series fiction means there are going to be multiple books,” says Jasmine. “This offers writers an apprenticeship style approach. They get to work on multiple books, strengthening their writing muscle and getting stronger with each book that is created for the series.”
The series fiction approach at Storymix means that storylines are often scoped out in extensive detail: characters, world- building and plot details are devised for new writers to use when putting the stories together. This level of scaffolding
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and support is vital in helping Storymix writers develop their writing and the strength that comes with doing. Delivering five books as part of a series not only provides tangible experience for the author, it creates a practical income solution too. As Jasmine says: “We don’t just provide the tools to become a good writer – we also focus on giving our writers access to a revenue pipeline.” Creators have an increased chance of maintaining their momentum as an author or an illustrator, rather than facing
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