A lmost 80% of people in the publish-ing industry who see themselves as working class feel that their back-

ground has adversely affected their career, The Bookseller’s research has shown.

In a survey of 1,167 people, many respond-ents described feeling alien in the publishing trade, with their education and financial background meaning that they have struggled to secure internships, live in London, embrace the networking culture and progress through the industry. Some described struggling to be able to afford to attend interviews—either due to transport costs or loss of earnings as a result of taking time off to do so—while others cited derisive comments, lack of pay transparency and a feeling of “otherness”. Frequent phrases included a feeling of being “outside looking in”, “a duck out of water” and “lack[ing] cultural shorthand”.

Just under half of respondents identified as working class (47%), in a question which drew criticism from some academics, who

argued that self-identification would skew the results. However, factors influencing identifi-cation varied from “Because I am” (from one director who earns more than £50,000), to several who said “Because I work for a living”. Some described growing up in council flats, dependent on benefits and attending failing schools. Others said that although publishing was considered a middle-class profession, they still considered themselves working class (see Opinion, pp10–11).

The most striking statistic was the 78% of working class respondents who said their background had adversely affected their career—a stark figure which senior publishers told The Bookseller they found surprising and disappointing, having believed that strides had been made in recent years to have a more representative workforce and output. This was in contrast to the non-working class partici-pants, 52% of whom said their background has advantageously affected their career.

Pride and prejudicePrejudice or discrimination in regards to background was reported by 50% of the working-class respondents—many described it as “mild” or “in jest”, but said it contributed

to them feeling inferior—the word “accent” cropped up 52 times and many reported teasing or mimicking. “All well-intentioned, I’m sure, but added to the feeling of being out of place,” one author said.

The sense of alienation was heightened by the overwhelming feeling that publishing was unhelpfully focused in London. Across working-class respondents, 92% believed that the geographical concentration of publish-ing in London made it difficult to enter the industry. More than half of the respondents overall (673) were based in London, and throughout the survey responses there was a strong desire for publishing businesses to open offices outside London. One author commented: “Working-class writers cannot afford regular travel and accommodation to and from London. A published author told me her (Big Five) publisher wouldn’t pay for her trips to their [office], despite her being on a low income.”

Intensifying the concerns over the London-centric nature of publishing were anxieties

22nd February 2019

this week The Lead StoryClass in publishing

06

Survey reveals extent to which working class feel excluded from book tradeAn exclusive survey has revealed that four-fifths of those who work in the trade and identify as working class believe their career has been affected—and many more have been unable to enter the trade at all

For the future of this industry, do not directly speak about your want to diversify it. Publish honest statistical reports about pay gaps and hiring methods

survey respondent

A published author told me her (Big Five) publisher wouldn’t pay for her trips to their [office], despite her being on a low income

survey respondent

Heloise Wood @saltounite

Lead story.indd 6 20/02/2019 18:07

around networking, with many working-class respondents living further outside the capital or feeling overwhelmed by the “[received pronunciation] over canapés”. “I lacked confi-dence to network initially,” one London-based publisher revealed, while one author, who grew up on a council estate, said that a “lack of confidence made it harder to infiltrate the industry and network with industry people”. A junior publisher echoed this, speaking of a “lack of contacts and time, as I had to work extra jobs while first job-hunting and then as I started out. I often felt ‘guilty’ about missing networking events and other talks, etc, as I had to work a shift for my extra job.”

Connected to this were frustrations with nepotism, with many claiming informal networks were used to enter the industry. A début author said: “Publishing is a very networked nepotistic industry, where referrals are important. This affects everything from publishing opportunity to media coverage. Also, it is difficult to gain the social skills to understand the hidden rules/culture behind these middle-class networks.” They added: “Publishers and agents need to stop referrals from within their social networks and be more transparent in their hiring and recruiting prac-tices.” A junior publisher, addressing chief executives, pleaded: “Please, for the future of this industry, do not directly speak about your want to diversify it. Publish honest statistical reports about pay gaps and hiring methods. Do not partake in nepotism.”

Cash flowAt the heart of the responses was money, and how the lack of it could impact on confidence and opportunity. In the earnings brackets, only 5% of those respondents identifying as working class earned £50,000 or above, less than half the percentage of non-working class respondents (13%). One intern, who relies on benefits to supplement their wage, said: “Confidence is low because I can’t do the things other people do easily. Everyone in publishing speaks with money. Even their ethical drink-holders are too expensive for me.” A mid-level publisher said: “At several points I considered leaving the industry as I was concerned about the long-term effects my salary would have on my pension and my ability to own a home.”

An unpublished author and single parent of five, living on a council estate in Northern England, described “trying to make ends meet while doing four part-time jobs for low pay”. She described disappointment over a failed bursary application which meant she could not pursue a writing MA, and was one of many to cite the importance (or perceived

01What prompted you to launch Common People?

Common People came about because I wanted to do something that shone a light on the massively untapped talent and potential of working-class writers. The barriers to publica-tion are not necessarily about writers not reaching some particular standard. They are much more likely to be about a lack of time; lack of networking; and lack of knowledge about, and contacts in, the industry, which unfortunately still matters a great deal. I wanted to showcase some of that talent, offering 17 unpublished authors publication alongside established names, giving them a leg up, a shop window and, hopefully, a start in their literary career.

02What do you hope to achieve?Firstly, to give a voice to working-class

writers who are not heard often enough, not read often enough and not given the same opportunities as so many others. Secondly, I wanted to dispel the myth about who is working class and what sort of lives we lead; to show that we aren’t all living ‘up North’, or in tower blocks or on benefits but that our working-class lives are rich and diverse.

03Do you think the bigger publishers have woken up to the problem of

representation in their businesses?I do think that the bigger publishers have woken up to this particular strand of inclusion. We’ve had years of focus on other areas of diversity, and they must remain on the agenda, but it’s time to recognise class as a real area of unfair-ness, disadvantage and stereotyping. I don’t think any of the big publishers would disagree with this, although they might be unaware of

how deep it goes, how it affects working-class writers and working-class workers in the industry and, most importantly, how seriously we must take classism.

04What can publishers do to ensure working-class voices are better

represented?There is no doubt in my mind that there is a need for big publishers to get outside London. Most of the country lives beyond the M25, most of the readers in this country live beyond the M25, and I’m fairly sure a good percentage of published writers live outside London. It would send such a strong message to the rest of the country if one of the big publishers opened an office in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, anywhere. But that’s just one step. The industry needs to start with recruitment and outreach to working-class communities, ensuring that the working environment is welcoming and non-discriminatory. It’s great to see so many initiatives to tackle these issues, but it needs to be sustained, top-down, inside-out and bone-deep. The big publishers would do well to look at the small independent presses, who are publishing award-winning books from working-class and overlooked writers, [who] they find and nurture and bring to publication on a shoestring.

07

Common People: An Anthology of Working Class Writers (Unbound), edited by Kit de Waal, is published on 1st May as a £9.99 paperback.

Four questions for...Kit de Waal author

Big publishers would do well to look at the small independent presses, who are publishing award-winning books from working-class and overlooked writers

Continues overleaf

Lead story.indd 7 20/02/2019 18:07

importance) of courses in the industry, and their costs. She also discussed the “more subtle” snobbery around class. “When I went to the London Book Fair a few years ago, someone very clever, very well dressed and frightfully important—and very, very aware of these things—made comments about badly dressed authors clutching manuscripts. I was mortified. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve; you really do when you’re walking around the London Book Fair look-ing hopeful.”

Open and honestThe need for salary transparency frequently arose in answers and concerns around staff retention and the progression of working- class staff, with some reporting that they were feeling forced out of the trade. Only 46% of working class respondents were in the top three brackets of seniority (mid-level, senior, director or higher) compared to 60% of non–working-class respondents. “When you grow up in a working-class family, particularly one where education has been scant, there’s often a lot of fear around money and author-ity, and a feeling of being lesser, somehow,” a London-based staffer said. “This is really hard to overcome, and sometimes it really, really affects your ability to progress in publishing.”

A mid-level publisher, who did not identify as working class, agreed with this sentiment: “I have seen colleagues from a working- class background dismissed and replaced by those from upper-middle-class back-grounds, without the post being advertised, presumably on the basis of being a ‘better fit’ for the company.”

A mid-level bookshop employee echoed this. “I think there is the mentality of a closed-off network of middle-class public schoolboys in the company I work for. You can only progress so far before you hit a glass ceiling.”

One junior employee revealed, in stark detail, her struggle to ascend in the industry. “I’ve seen many rise through the ranks while I’ve been sat in the same job for six years... I hadn’t thought much about class until [this] survey, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder about something as simple as not being able to engage in the many conversations about owning a home or the three holidays a year.” The respondent also concluded: “I’m now looking at other options. If I regret anything, it’s that I spent far too long trying to find my place in an industry that doesn’t want me.”

Moving forwardThe question that yielded the most responses of the survey was the final one: “Do you think more could be done to help people from working-class backgrounds become writers or work in the publishing industry? If so, give suggestions.” The answers form a blistering 62-page dossier for change, and unpicked the anger over internships (the word “intern” or “internship” was mentioned almost 120 times in the responses), particularly the lack of (or poor) pay associated with such roles, and the nepotism which often secures them for people of certain backgrounds. Stronger salaries for all entry-level roles was commonly mentioned, as was the need for outreach, engagement and mentoring outside the publishing bubble.

Many urged publishers to look beyond London, and it appears that a step in the right direction could be the Manchester-based operation currently being considered by Penguin Random House and the Northern Fiction Alliance. Ian Hudson, c.e.o. of DK, also revealed (see right) that he is open to having a DK office outside London in the future.

Hudson, who comes from a working-class background, told The Bookseller he hoped the survey results would incentivise the industry to embrace the issue as an opportunity, rather than a battering ram. “We’re trying to attract more people from different social backgrounds,” he said. “But if [almost]80% of people in the business are not being fully utilised, there is a great opportunity to tap into that talent pool.”

22nd February 2019

this week The Lead StoryClass in publishing

08

How do you feel your background has affected your career? (All respondents)

Adversely

Advantageous

Not at all

91% Of respondents feel that the geographical concentration of publishing in London makes it

difficult for those from a working-class background to enter the industry.

64% Of respondents said that there were no schemes, incentives or other things

which helped them overcome obstacles in terms of class or background.

48% Of respondents reported that they had encountered prejudice or discrimination

based on their background while working in the industry.

Survey findingsThe Bookseller’s survey returned the following results, from a total of 1,167 respondents

50%

29%

21%

How do you feel your background has affected your career? (Only respondents who identified as working class)

Adversely

Advantageous

Not at all

78%

4%

18%

I think there is the mentality of a closed-off network of middle- class public schoolboys in the company I work for. You can only progress so far before you hit a glass ceiling

survey response

Lead story.indd 8 20/02/2019 18:07

Nicola SolomonSociety of AuthorsChief executive

“These figures from The Bookseller are depressing but perhaps not surprising.” She highlighted the organisation’s work on a regional development strategy and its hopes to ”extend outreach and engagement schemes with authors to every region in England, alongside projects in Scotland and Wales from 2019”.

Perminder MannBonnier BooksC.e.o.

“I’m the child of first-generation immigrant parents, who arrived in the UK in the 1960s. It was only by chance that I ended up inter-viewing for a role with Macmillan, with absolutely no knowledge of the incredible world I had stum-bled into.

To attract people from a variety of backgrounds, we must first be authentic ourselves and learn to celebrate our differences—and I confess, in the past, I have been reticent about sharing my own story. If we’re serious about change, we need to recognise the value these differences can bring to our business. Let’s focus not on what we lack; but what we stand to gain.”

Anna MacLaren MayBonnier Books UKHR director

“At Bonnier Books UK, we have recently introduced a number of measures to become a more inclu-sive employer, including introduc-ing blind recruitment to tackle unconscious bias; increasing the salary of internships, and enhanc-ing our family leave policies.”

Rina GulrajaniPan MacmillanHead of HR

“We have created a programme to roll out unconscious bias train-ing to the whole of our senior management and will widen this out further in 2019.

Salaries are crucial to widening access to the industry. We bench-mark ours, not only against the publishing industry but also vis-à-vis other media industries, paying particular attention to starting salaries. We have just raised our starter rates in response to this.”

Val GarsidePenguin Random HouseHR director

“We are aware that across the publishing industry, and the creative industries more widely, there still exist many challenges in terms of accessibility and mobility for people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. We have been working hard over the past few years to break down some of these barriers, but we know there is still a way to go, and the results of this survey help to highlight some particular areas for focus going forward.”

PRH has engaged in this area through a number of ways, with recent measures including a refreshed flexible working policy and a transformed entry-level programme (The Scheme). It is also considering offices outside London, and plans to overhaul pay banding this year.

Stephen LotingaThe Publishers AssociationChief executive

Lotinga highlighted the associa-tion’s support of the Spare Room Project, which helps provide prospective employees from outside London with free accom-modation while they undertake work experience or an internship, as well its work on developing a new publishing apprenticeship. He said: “All of this is important, but we can also do more to ensure that publishers don’t have to be based in London to succeed, and that’s why we’re partnering with the Northern Fiction Alliance to deliver training and workshops for publishers outside London.”

David ShelleyHachette UKC.e.o.

“I feel very strongly that we could and should be attracting more people from low-SES [socioeco-nomic status] backgrounds into the industry.

I was state-school educated, the first in my family to go to univer-sity (I read English at Oxford), and I grew up without a lot of money, so there are many ways in which my life and early years in publishing would have been easier if I had come from a different background.

There are lots of initiatives in place at various publishers, and I

hope the next step is for us to find ways to link up and maximise the impact of them. And of course it isn’t just about recruitment: we also need to nurture this talent and make sure that people from all backgrounds are supported and stay within the industry.”

Hachette spokesperson

“Hachette UK is focused on attracting and retaining talent from all areas and backgrounds and, in order to further this aim, the company is pursuing a number of initiatives to broaden its reach in terms of publishing and recruit-ing.” It hosts a range of initiatives such as Orion on Tour, the All Together Network for staff and The Future Bookshelf for writers from under-represented groups. It is also looking to open more offices outside London.

Ian HudsonDKC.e.o.

“We made a decision to relocate DK recently and we did consider having two offices: one in London and one somewhere else in England, but because of the way we work, the best decision was for us all to move together to Embassy Gardens in London.

But I’m certainly very open, as we move forward and grow and expand, to open a second base in the UK, where we could build on a whole range of talent, much of which is out there from different social backgrounds.”

John AthanasiouHarperCollinsDirector of people

“We continuously develop and enhance our Diversity & Inclusion strategy, of which social inclusion is a key part. Crucial to creating a more inclusive workforce at HarperCollins is our introduction of blind recruitment, which removes educational establish-ments and other key identifying factors from CVs, as well as compulsory unconscious bias training for all hiring managers and rigour throughout the recruit-ment process.”

HarperCollins also runs mentor-ing schemes, hosts open submis-sions and has enhanced its entry level salaries, and has editorial teams in Yorkshire and Glasgow.

TheBookseller.com 09

In responsePublishers and chief executives respond to class survey findings

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