BA Diversity & Inclusiveness Policy

The BA is committed to improving diversity and inclusiveness in the bookselling sector, both in the workplace, and in the range of books on bookshop shelves.

The BA is committed to helping booksellers to create diverse and inclusive workplaces, to serve diverse and minority communities with relevant book titles, help and information and to foster a welcoming environment for all customers, regardless of ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality, socio-economic background, age or faith.  Bookshops should be welcoming spaces for all who love books and offering welcome to all creates a richer environment for all.

Moreover, the BA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace of its own, and to always consider matters of diversity in all our public and trade facing activities, including (but not limited to) appointing booksellers to our own governing bodies, appointing speakers on panels, using photographs on print and online materials and in the language we use in our communications.
 

BA Workforce Survey 2026

The Booksellers Association's annual Membership Workforce Survey, conducted in partnership with EA Inclusion remains a key part of the Association’s long-term commitment to ensuring that bookselling is an inclusive, representative and supportive profession across the UK and Ireland.

Now in its fourth year, the survey continues to build a robust longitudinal picture of the bookselling workforce - providing insight not only into who works in the sector but how they experience it. Crucially, this work is not undertaken for analysis alone, but to inform practical action - enabling the Association and the wider sector to better understand barriers, strengthen inclusion and drive change.

The 2025/26 survey received 347 responses from individuals across 227 bookshops, a 14% decrease year-on-year, but participation remains significantly higher than two years ago, with a 26% increase in respondents and a 44% increase in bookshops represented compared to 2023/24. In total, almost 450 bookshops have taken part across the four years. Respondents were drawn from across the UK and Ireland, with 65% in England, 15% in Scotland, 9% in Wales, 1% in Northern Ireland and 10% in the Republic of Ireland.

This year’s findings tell a clear yet nuanced story: bookselling continues to be an inclusive and supportive workplace for many already in the sector, with strong levels of belonging and wellbeing, but challenges remain - particularly around representation and entering bookselling, workload pressures and rising abuse towards booksellers.

Findings of the survey:

• • 92% feeling they belong, 91% feeling included, 90% feeling respected and 87% able to be their authentic self

• • 89% (up from 82%) believe their organisation is committed to diversity and inclusion, 81% (up from 73%) believe progress is being made and 63% (up from 61%) believe the wider bookselling culture is inclusive

• • 70% identify as female, 23% as LGB+, 5% as trans or with a trans history, 26% as neurodivergent and 26% as having a disability or long-term health condition
• • 33% have caring responsibilities and over a third (36%) identify as having a disability and/or a neurodivergent condition
• • 9% of respondents identify as being from ethnic minority groups (excluding White minorities), up from 7% last year, and 8% of bookshop owners identify as being from ethnic minority groups, up from 5%

• • 63% of respondents come from professional backgrounds (vs 37% nationally) and 17% attended an independent or fee-paying school (vs 7% nationally)

• • 80% would feel confident talking about wellbeing at work (up from 74%) and 69% say their organisation offers wellbeing support (up from 66%)

• • 59% feel able to balance work and home life (down from 63%), 15% say they are required to hide their feelings at work most or all of the time and 12% find it difficult to unwind after work most or all of the time

• • 27% regularly work overtime to finish their work, 30% feel they have more work than they can realistically manage and 14% feel stressed about work most or all of the time
• • 31% of respondents experienced abuse, harassment, bullying or violence from customers in the past year, including 24% harassment (up from 16%), 19% abuse (up from 16%), 8% bullying (up from 5%) and 4% violence (up from 2%)

 

The Booksellers Association continues to be committed to increasing diversity at all levels within bookselling, ensuring equitable access, progression and representation. Alongside this, it is focused on building inclusive working environments and addressing systemic barriers across the sector. To support these aims, the Association continues to deliver a range of initiatives, including:

• • A pilot mentoring programme for candidates from global majority backgrounds, including a Masterclass webinar
• • Diversity, equity and inclusion training across the organization
• • Proactive signposting and sharing of pastoral and wellbeing support from third party providers, including Creative Access and Retail Trust
• • The development of role models from under-represented communities
• • A partnership with Creative Access, including discounted job listings and document creation for the BA Learning Skills Hub
• • A proactive approach to diversifying conference participants and speakers, author visitors, judges and advisors on BA projects
• • A proactive commitment to producing materials in dual language for Welsh, Irish and Scottish member
•  

Read the Booksellers Association's 2026 Membership Workforce Survey.

More information on these projects will be sent out by the BA to its members, and you can also express interest in taking part as a Mentor by emailing [email protected]

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group

The BA has set up an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group to improve the diversity of the industry and of the bookselling sector, and to increase inclusion, both for booksellers and for their customers.
 
The Action Group will look at both the diversity challenges within bookselling as a career, as well as representation issues around stocking appropriate titles and working with publishers and other partners. The Action Group will help to set the remit for the BA as widely as required.

We are inviting members to get involved in the Action Group, to assist the BA in identifying key goals, help set the agenda for the BA and its membership, and work with the BA to create resources, advice and help for booksellers in this arena. Any bookseller who would like to join our BA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group should email [email protected] to express an interest. 
 

Diversity & Inclusiveness Grants Project

The Diversity and Inclusiveness Grants Project was launched in 2018, with an unprecedented £50,000 being dedicated over two years to help bookshops deliver practical initiatives to increase inclusivity in their shop or in their community. The goal of the project was ultimately to enable real tangible change in diversity and inclusiveness in bookselling across the UK and Ireland. The third and final tranche of grants were awarded in early 2020.

Projects awarded the grants included: funding for a festival in a marginalised community, wheelchair ramps, writing projects for minority writers, the provision of sensory story time materials for autistic children, the provision of books and conversation for older people in care homes, and several projects to reach young LGBTQ and BAME audiences.

The grants were awarded by a panel invited by the BA to oversee the grant selections, comprising: 
•    Nic Bottomley, owner of Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath and Executive Chair at the Booksellers Association
•    Cathy Rentzenbrink, author, former bookseller and former head of Quick Reads 
•    Uli Lennart, manager of Gay’s the Word Bookshop in London 
•    Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher of Hachette’s new inclusive imprint Dialogue Books

 

Guide to Creating Inclusive Bookshops

View and download our Guide to Creating Inclusive Bookshops below:

Resources & Information

Book Trust
- Book Trust are a great source of inspiration and book lists if you are keen to look beyond your normal stock range - they have a keen eye for representation, diversity and inclusiveness in their book choices.
- New book reviews https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/new-books-we-love/ 
- Books about refugees https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-about-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/
- Disability https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookmark-disability-and-books/
- LGBT https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/l/lgbt-ya/
- Book Trust Bookfinder https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/bookfinder/

Children’s Publishers with diverse lists
- New Frontier – newfrontierpublishing.co.uk
- Alanna – alannabooks.com
- Lantana – lantanapublishing.com
- Tiny Owl – tinyowl.co.uk
- Otter-Barry – otterbarrybooks.com
- Gecko Press – geckopress.com
- Curious Fox – bouncemarketing.co.uk/publisher/curiousfox
- Barefoot Books – barefootbooks.com
- Child’s Play – childs-play.com and their list of useful titles 
- The Guardian 50 best culturally diverse books - https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/13/50-best-culturally-diverse-childrens-books
- Inclusive Books for Children - www.inclusivebooksforchildren.org

BAME publishers and imprints with diverse lists
- Books of Africa - booksofafrica.com
- Dialogue Books - littlebrown.co.uk/imprint/lbbg/dialogue-books/page/little-brown-books/lbbg-imprint-dialogue
- Jacaranda - jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk
- Knights Of - knightsof.media
- #Merky Books - penguin.co.uk/company/publishers/cornerstone/merky-books.html
- Peepal Tree Press - peepaltreepress.com
- Tamarind - penguin.co.uk/puffin/tamarind.html

Other research and guidance
The BA has produced a short guide Dealing with racially-motivated abuse in a bookshop.

For information on diversity and equality legislation in the Equality Act, you can find it all here 

In June 2020, the UK’s first academic study on diversity in trade fiction and publishing calls on industry to “radically reimagine” its audience in the 21st century was released. You can find the full report here and the executive summary here.

If you are interested in finding out more about organizations in the Diversity & Inclusiveness arena, including First Story (who take writers into underprivileged schools), Inclusive Minds (who help create children's books that meet the needs of all readers, including those from minority groups), Letterbox Library (who specialise in selling books that celebrate inclusion, diversity and equality), Creative Access (who place interns within the creative industries), Arts Emergency (who mentor young people from underprivileged backgrounds), a good place to start is a booklet  produced by the Publishers Association,  

You could also look at Business In the Community website, which has lots of useful advice, and a handy pocket guide to talking about race. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the economic case for Diversity & Inclusiveness, publisher Chris McCrudden has created a thought-provoking presentation.

Here's an interesting article by an author about how black girls can be princesses too.

Publishers with active diversity projects for staff have shared those on the PA's website - you can see some of them here.

If you have ideas for materials and resources you would like to see in this section, or questions on this area, in the first instance please contact [email protected]