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Reposted by Cat Mitchell

Jocelyn Hargrave @jochargrave.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Our Creative Writing and Publishing team caught up yesterday to plan for the forthcoming academic year. Privileged to work with, and benefit from, such awesome colleagues. Photo credit: @catmitchell17.bsky.social. @derbyuni.bsky.social

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Letterbox Library @letterboxlibrary.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

“Let the era of misery or triumph over tragedy narratives, in-person-only events,the mindset that books with disabled characters are niche & that 1 author is enough to represent the whole community be banished to dusty, bygone relics of the past” @pennyauthor.bsky.social @catmitchell17.bsky.social

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Polly Atkin @pollyrowena.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

So proud of @catmitchell17.bsky.social and @pennyauthor.bsky.social for making a #Disability focus issue of @thebookseller.com happen after 3 years hiatus. So heartening to see such brilliant books by disabled, D/deaf, neurodivergent writers being published across genres, as in my preview. #BookSky

Books Spotlight page from The Bookseller: disability focus. Preview with tag line 'changing the world through representation', and five category picks by me: these moral bodies by elspeth wilson, awakened by laura elliot, the quiet ear by Raymond antrobus, Annah, infinite by Khairani Barokka and Ramping up rights by Rachel Charlton-Dailey, with intro text: In the three years since the last Disability Category Focus publishing has begun to shift its norms in response to demand for better representation, with successful examples of disabled children’s writers like Elle McNichol showing own voices narratives can be best-sellers, and making a commercial argument for the rest of us. In fiction, from literary to romance to sci-fi and fantasy, the ground for disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent writers to tell stories with unapologetically disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent protagonists has been laid and paved, and it shows in the wealth of stories in all genres being published this year. Crime has seen a similar shift, with Chris Bridges ‘Sick To Death’ gripping readers this spring. The space for complex disability memoirs continues to grow as does the need for practical guides both to living well as a disabled person, and to anti-ableism. Hybrid memoirs combining disability and nature writing have sown the seeds for disability nature writing to thrive, reflected in growing confidence from publishers. As disabled people in the UK come under threat of unprecedented withdrawal of support, it is more pressing than ever to hear from disabled people themselves, in their own words. Each of these books might just change the world if they reach the right readers.

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Very proud moment ahead of Disability Pride Month in July: Penny Batchelor and I co-edited a disability spotlight in this week’s @thebookseller.com magazine 📚📚 Big thanks to everyone involved in the issue and who provided quotes and info! www.thebookseller.com/features/pub...

thebookseller.com

Publishing should do more to celebrate Disability Pride

Though many networks and policies have been enacted, the industry could do more to celebrate Disability Pride Month, argues Cat Mitchell.

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

A huge dream-come-true moment: this August I’ll be speaking at @edbookfest.bsky.social about disability in publishing! We’ll be discussing what the future holds for disability activism in the sector. More details here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

A screenshot of the festival website which is linked to in the post

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

It was an honour to be a judge at the British Book Awards again this year and to celebrate all the shortlistees and winners on Monday night - I’m so proud to be connected to such an important and inspiring industry. A big thank you to @thebookseller.com for an amazing evening.

A photo of a crowd sat in front of a screen with the text “The 35th British Book Awards”

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Anna Biggs @writebiggs.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

All #ADCI #disabledwriters @pennyauthor.bsky.social and @catmitchell17.bsky.social are looking for your thoughts on making publishing more inclusive!

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

So excited that @thebookseller.com have given us this opportunity to focus on disability in publishing in June - get in touch if you’d like to highlight anything we should cover!

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

My article on the accessibility of the London Book Fair for disabled and neurodivergent people is out today with @thebookseller.com. A big thank you to everyone who I interviewed for the piece! You can read it here: www.thebookseller.com/comment/how-...

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Book/publishing people - I need your help! I’m writing an article on the accessibility of the London Book Fair for disabled and neurodivergent people (focusing on 2023/24 and this year’s fair). If you have any experiences to share, I would love to hear from you #Booksky

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Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

So honoured to be a judge for The British Book Awards again this year - very excited to get started and read all of the amazing entries! #BritishBookAwards #Nibbies #Booksky @the-bookseller.bsky.social / www.thebookseller.com/nibbies

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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 29/01/2025

INTRODUCING your #Nibbies judges✨ The #BritishBookAward judges "bring to our 35th year an eye-watering level of authority, skill and expertise. These are voracious readers with an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, who love the world of books and the people who make them." #BookSky

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