Creating Inclusive Bookshops

Diversity & Inclusiveness Grants Project

The BA is delighted to announce the last of three rounds of Diversity and Inclusiveness Grants for its members, as part of its Diversity & Inclusiveness Grants (DIG) Project.

Following the first round of Grants in October 2018, the BA received twice as many applications for the second round in May this year as for the first round, and are expecting a good response to the final round of funding, offering the last chance to access the BA’s Diversity & Inclusiveness Grant. 

Projects awarded a grant in the second round include: 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.

Meryl Halls, Managing Director of the BA said of the final grant round announcement: “The Diversity & Inclusiveness Grants Project has been a real game changer for the BA and for bookselling.  For the first time, booksellers have been able to create diversity and inclusion-specific projects and receive funding to implement them.  It’s helped the conversation around diversity in bookselling to move on, and has created some really practical outcomes and wonderfully creative projects.  We are sad that we have reached the final phase of the project but delighted that we will be able to launch more projects that have a positive impact in bookshops across the UK & Ireland.”

The DIG 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 is ultimately to enable real tangible change in diversity and inclusiveness in bookselling across the UK and Ireland.
The grants are awarded by a panel invited by the BA to oversee the grant selections, comprising: 

•    Nic Bottomley, BA President
•    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
 

To apply for a Diversity & Inclusiveness Grant from the BA, bookshops can apply here. 

Creating Inclusive Bookshops

View and download our Guide to Creating Inclusive Bookshops below:


Diversity & Inclusiveness in Bookselling is increasingly important in what can feel like a fractured world, and the BA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace of its own, and to helping BA members create their own diverse and inclusive bookshops.  We will be using this page to share resources with you from a range of sources, and are delighted to share the following video recording of our Creating An Inclusive Bookshop seminar at London Book Fair 2017, featuring author Nikesh Shukla, and booksellers Tamara Macfarlane (Tales on Moon Lane) and John Newman (Newham Bookshop).

                                                                     

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.

We understand the wide-ranging nature of the term diversity as including:

• Ethnicity
• Race/heritage/culture
• Disability
• Sexuality
• Gender
• Gender Identity
• Socio-economic background
• Age
• Faith

Resources & Information

Book Trust have given us a list of publishers with good diversity and inclusiveness lists  - it's not exhaustive, and if you have suggestions for publishers to add, please let us know and email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk 

Children’s Publishers with diverse lists
 
New Frontier – www.newfrontierpublishing.co.uk
 Alanna – www.alannabooks.com
 Lantana – www.lantanapublishing.com
 Tiny Owl – www.tinyowl.co.uk
 Otter-Barry – www.otterbarrybooks.com
 Gecko Press – www.geckopress.com
 Curious Fox – www.bouncemarketing.co.uk/publisher/curiousfox
 Barefoot Books – www.barefootbooks.com
 Child’s Play – www.childs-play.com
Carrie Morris, Chair of the Children's Bookselling Group, and owner of Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, recommends a Child's Play list of useful titles - 

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.

Here’s a link to Book Trust 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/booklists/b/bookmark2014/
LGBT https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/l/lgbt-teen/
 
Book Trust Bookfinder also has reviews https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/bookfinder/

Also recommended - The Guardian 50 best culturally diverse books
https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/13/50-best-culturally-diverse-childrens-books
 
And for interest, an article about a writer who sold her books at black hair conventions https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jun/06/diversity-black-girls-can-be-princesses-too-mylo-freeman 


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

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 Meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk