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bbbookfestival on Instagram: "This conversation may have been triggered by one festival, but blaming one organisation would let the rest of the industry off the …"
This conversation may have been triggered by one festival, but blaming one organisation would let the rest of the industry off the hook.Publishing has a structural representation problem.It determines who gets commissioned, properly funded, heavily marketed, stocked, reviewed, shortlisted, invited onto stages and treated as commercially valuable.The numbers remain stark. Only 24% of UK children’s books published in 2024 featured a racially minoritised character. That means 76% did not. The talent has never been missing.Access is restricted. Investment is unequal. Decision-making power remains concentrated.Publishers cannot blame festivals. Festivals cannot blame publishers. Booksellers cannot endlessly blame consumer demand. Every institution shaping literary culture is responsible for the choices it makes.We built the Black British Book Festival because representation should not begin after backlash. It should be present in the relationships, budgets, commissioning processes and leadership from day one.The industry does not need another promise to “do better.”It needs to do differently.What must your part of the industry change?#PublishingHasARepresentationProblem #BlackBritishBookFestival #BBBF #PublishingRepresentation #DiversityInPublishing
