Diversity and representation in publishing is something that has long been a topic of conversation. More recently, the representation in children’s books has been reflected on in the media. Creative Access caught up with author and founder, Jasmine Richards, who specialises in children’s publishing, to find out what more can be done to address the issue, as well as discussing Jasmine’s own projects…

Q: What is your current role / tell us a little more about Storymix?

I am an author and the founder of STORYMIX, which is a children’s fiction studio that focuses on inclusive representation and fabulous storytelling. We create young fiction series for publishers and work with authors and illustrators from BME backgrounds to create those books. It is one of the key ambitions of STORYMIX that our writers and illustrators will also go on to secure their own publishing deals and thus meaningfully change the makeup of the publishing landscape.

Q:What is a fiction studio, and how did you get into it?

So you might have heard of book packagers – companies that essentially put together books for publishers by pairing up the right talent with the right ideas. This is essentially what STORYMIX does, but I am not a fan of the word packager. It sounds too manufactured to my ear, when a lot of love and care goes into what is actually created. I really like ‘book incubator’ as a phrase. As the founder of Storymix I come up with a commercial and high-concept idea and then find a writer and/or an illustrator to bring the project to life. Packagers do a lot of younger fiction, so in that 5-7 or 7-9 space, but will also do middle grade and YA (Young Adult fiction).

I come from an IP (intellectual property) development background and my formative editorial years were at a packager called Working Partners, who developed Beast Quest and Rainbow Magic. I learned so much about the craft of editing and story structure there. I also worked for OUP Children’s and ran the in-house development team which was called the Creative Kitchen. For me, the packaging seems like an obvious strategy to bringing more and better representation into children’s books.

Q: Tell us your perceptions of the children’s publishing industry when it comes to diversity of representation in the books themselves?

I would love to see a move away from ‘issues’ books. They are important, but they are only one part of the story. Young people from all backgrounds have the right to see themselves in all kinds of stories!

Mystery stories, horror stories, sci-fi stories, and funny stories.

I think children’s publishing needs to feature books that reflect all parts of our society. A diversity of setting and characters are the fuel needed for really engaging storytelling. I’d love to see more stories in translation or really unusual re-imaginings of traditional tales from around the world.

Ultimately, it’s not just about doing the right thing in celebrating all children – it’s about doing the right thing for storytelling, giving readers the richest possible tapestry of characters, experiences, and places. It’s about encouraging curiosity about the world and the people that live in it.

Q: Do you think that is shifting?

I think children’s publishing has shifted in recent years and there’s been some brilliant, inclusive books that aren’t issues-based, but there’s still a long way to go. I want to see more fun, representative children’s stories at the younger age range, so for 5-7 or 7-9-year-olds, as there really seems to be an aching lack of representation there. We need to focus on giving all children the spotlight from the start, so that they can all see themselves and not feel excluded from reading.

Q: What more needs to be done?

Change needs to start with publishing itself – the staff, at all levels, need to be more representative of the society we live in. I hope Storymix might become an incubator of editorial talent from BME backgrounds as well as writers from these backgrounds as the business evolves and grows. I signed the open letter to the industry as part of the Black Writer’s Guild, where we outlined how publishing needs to give all backgrounds and viewpoints a seat at the table. As we’ve seen from the PRH ethnicity pay gap report, staffing within publishing still has a long way to go to be fully equal, but even the existence of an ethnicity pay gap report is a start.

You can view Jasmine’s STORYMIX website here.

You can also follow Jasmine on Twitter: @storymixstudio or @jrichardsauthor

Creative Access got the chance to speak to author Kalynn Bayron about her latest book, Cinderella is Dead – a young adult retelling of Cinderella with a Black, queer protagonist at its heart. We discuss favourite fairytales, representation, and advice for aspiring writers. 

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m Kalynn Bayron, author of Cinderella Is Dead. I live in San Antonio, Texas but I grew up between Anchorage, Alaska and Portland, Oregon. I am a classically trained vocalist. I love musical theatre, horror movies, and, of course, books!

Q: Your passions are broad, from sports to music. What was it that led you to writing?

I think I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller. That’s the common theme that runs through most of the things I’m passionate about. Literature, music, theatre, movies—they’re all mediums for expressing emotions, for telling stories. I knew I wanted to write because I was a reader, first. I read everything I could get my hands on from a pretty early age. And even though I was always reading, I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me on the page. I started writing for that younger version of myself who wanted to see Black girls in ball gowns, saving the day, and being the heroines of their own stories.

Q: What is Cinderella is Dead about?

Cinderella Is Dead is the story of 16-year-old Sophia Grimmins, a young girl living in the kingdom of Mersailles—it is the place where Cinderella lived and died 200 years before. Cinderella’s story has become the backbone of this society and young women are expected to follow in her footsteps by attending the now mandatory annual ball, where they are chosen by prospective suitors. This kingdom has used Cinderella’s story to manipulate and control the women and girls who reside there. As Sophia is preparing to attend the ball she grapples with how this story doesn’t speak to who she is or what she wants. She’s in love with her best friend, Erin, she doesn’t want to be married, and she watches the people around her fail to help her at every possible opportunity. The ball is a turning point for Sophia. She makes some decisions there that put her on a collision course with Mersaille’s ruler, and in the process she uncovers some earth shattering truths about Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the fairy godmother. It’s a story about raising your voice, about telling the whole truth when it comes to our history, and about telling Black queer girls that they are enough just as they are.

Q: What made you want to tell Sophia’s story?

Cinderella is a pretty popular tale. I wanted to retell a story that was instantly recognizable and deconstruct it in a way that centered the kinds of people who are nowhere to be found in the story itself, mainly Black, queer people. I wrote this story that explores not only how fairy tales have the power to personally affect who we become, but also allows the reader to see this fairytale world through Sophia’s eyes—this young girl who is actively harmed by the societal norms the fairytale itself perpetuates. It’s a continuation of the Cinderella story and a kind of reworking of that already established framework that makes it accessible to people like me, while also being wrapped in this dangerous, magical mystery.

Q: What’s your favourite fairytale?

Probably not something that’s very well known, but there is a story called The Juniper Tree. It’s about a young boy whose mother dies and his new stepmother resents him so much that she kills him and then frames her younger daughter for his murder. Then he comes back as a bird to try and get the towns folk to solve his murder. Very dark, very creepy. But I’m kind of drawn to stories that have elements of horror and fantasy blended together.

Q: What inspired you to give this classic story a dystopian twist?

It was the question of what happened after Cinderella got her happily ever after. You get married and then…what? You’re guaranteed a long happy life? I imagined a world where maybe, Cinderella didn’t have that opportunity and I wanted to know what the people living in the kingdom she ruled over thought of her and her story. It felt like a good entry point into this narrative that is essentially about a fairytale being used as propaganda to manipulate and control the people living in the place where Cinderella lived and died.

Q: You’ve spoken about how important it is for readers to see themselves reflected in your work. What do you think the publishing industry can be doing to champion diverse stories?

There are so many things, but I wish publishing threw as much support behind our stories as they do for stories by and about white/straight/cis people. There is this myth that our stories don’t sell, so we don’t often get as much support. And then guess what? Our titles don’t do well because there wasn’t enough (or any) marketing and publicity. The title tanks and then we’re told, “See. It didn’t sell.” It’s a vicious cycle that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and it actively harms marginalized authors. Our stories are worth championing and our readers are waiting.

Q: What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Don’t wait to be inspired, sit down and write. Be persistent above all else because we all have days when the words don’t flow, the rejections get the better of us, or things just aren’t going to plan. You have to keep going.

Kalynn Bayron’s book Cinderella is Dead is available to order now.

For this week’s Thursday Thoughts session, we were joined for an honest and thought-provoking conversation with Robert Peston and Kishan Koria.

Robert Peston is ITV News’ political editor and presenter of the politics show Peston. A journalist, presenter and writer, he has published four books and won over thirty awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year from the Royal Television Society. As part of his work making the creative industries more accessible, Robert has worked with Creative Access for years and has also founded the charity Speakers for Schools, helping young people access opportunities through inspiring school talks and work experience.

Kishan is a producer on Peston. He first began there as a Production intern through Creative Access after graduating from the Centre for Journalism with an MA in Multimedia Journalism. Four years later, Kishan is now a Producer on the show. In his new role, he revealed that he now has more input on “what the news is, who the best guests would be and what are the issues people want to hear discussed. It’s a great job.”

Kicking off the discussion, Kishan had lots of great advice for those starting out in the industry. He explained that “the first job is the hardest job to get, I was lucky in the sense that Creative Access fulfilled that for me … If you’re struggling to get your first job don’t worry, once you’ve got there, all you have to do is be good, be keen and get stuck in, then actually you find the industry is a lot easier to navigate than you think it is.”

If there’s something that you really love and you enjoy doing, then you don’t have to make an effort to be enthusiastic about it

When Josie asked, “Do you think it matters if that first job isn’t your dream role? Can you find your journey once you’re in?” Kishan answered, “You meet people all over the industry as soon as you’re in. No matter what show you’re doing, you’ll make contacts. They become your friends and you can get an idea on what their job is like and before you know it you could be working with them.” He also emphasised that “the thing that’s been most useful for me is that I really love what we cover … If there’s something that you really love and you enjoy doing, then you don’t have to make an effort to be enthusiastic about it because it’s just what you want

to do.”

Robert kicked off by talking about his love of journalism: “The obvious thing about being a journalist is that you do have to love it. I’ve always loved trying to understand the world, I’ve always loved meeting amazing, interesting people, which is part of what you get when you’re a journalist. Historically, I’ve loved trying to get scoops.”

He reflected on the best and worst parts of his role, including bumping his head during an interview with Michael Fallon MP and being frustrated by politicians who refuse to answer this questions.

When reflecting on reporting on the current pandemic, Robert also shared: “The last few months have been exhausting, but I’m bloody lucky to do what I do … Trying to make sense of it is fascinating.”

He spoke about the challenges of starting a career during a pandemic, with Robert reassuring the audience that “when everyone else is scared, that’s the moment to build. It’s a lesson for all of us as individuals; stand your ground and you’ll get noticed.”

When Kishan asked how he started out in the industry, Robert explained that he “did the odd bits and pieces for our school newspaper and uni magazine but there genuinely wasn’t a big plan to be a journalist … though after some work experience I realised I didn’t want to do anything else.” He also pointed towards the opportunity in creating your own content: “The great thing about doing news or creative stuff in the media is that … there’s an enormous amount you can do on your own with technology to improve your skills. It was one of the things that didn’t exist at all when I started out, the ability to self-publish blogs, videos, audio or podcasts … I’m not trying to minimise the challenges but there are amazing opportunities for young people.”

“Fairness is desperately important, and we’re a long away from having a society that is fair.”

When the conversation then turned to his work with Creative Access, Robert answered, “As a matter of principle, I’ve devoted a bi

g chunk of my life to a particular form of encouraging opportunity … Anything I can do to help any talented person get on, on the basis of merit. Background shouldn’t be a factor, where you come from shouldn’t be a factor. Fairness is desperately important, and we’re a long away from having a society that is fair.”

When Kishan said he was grateful to Creative Access for joining his show, Peston told him that, “you’re an absolute foundation of the show, just to be absolutely clear, we’re not taking people who are less talented. Kish is one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with. All we’re doing is making sure we’re seeing the world properly and seeing talent where it really is.”

“I’m optimistic about the future of television and the media. The need for it is greater than ever.”
Finally, when looking to what’s next for the media industry, Robert revealed that, “I’m optimistic about the future of television and the media. The need for it is greater than ever.” He emphasised the importance of media representing different experiences on how people to see the world: “Its not always easy to talk about broadening your vision, which shows the importance of organisations like Creative Access. The great thing about what you do is that you bring people into the studio and workspaces where I am, people with a completely different set of experiences, who are there in a very positive way to challenge me.”

With huge thanks to Robert and Kishan for their time and wise words.

You can view the whole conversation on our YouTube channel here.

Sophia began her career as a Creative Access intern working as a Development Researcher for an independent TV production company in Manchester and is now on the Creative Access Advisory Board.

Over the last five years, Sophia has been developing her portfolio in the factual documentary space and currently works as an Assistant Producer for Nine Lives Media. She recently finished on the BBC series ‘I’ve Been There’ which explores a range of challenges young people are facing; inviting celebrities to talk candidly about their experiences and share coping mechanisms. Her credits include, I’m Coming Out, My Life: Hike to Happiness and Dispatches. Before getting into TV, Sophia largely tailored her undergraduate degree around black identity and post-modernism.

In the post below, she shares insight into navigating unconscious bias in the creative industry as a Mixed-Race woman. Her poem provides a snapshot of her experiences growing up in a predominantly white town and challenges the normalisation surrounding the need to ‘pick a side’ at a time when unity is paramount.

I feel like I’m talking on behalf of many of my mixed-race peers when I say that the question “do you feel more Black or more White?” has been inscribed on our eardrums for as long as we can remember. Oh, that old chestnut! Given that race is a rigid social construct, diminishing blackness and whiteness to interchangeable feelings implies that mixed-race individuals can’t be their whole self without racially classifying and evidencing where and how they feel most ethnically affiliated.

Under Jim Crow in America, the One-Drop rule did not allow for mixed-race children to ponder the prospect of white privilege. Anyone with black ancestry was considered black; meanwhile in the UK mixed-race babies were also deemed subordinate. For years people of colour have been governed by a state of racial hegemony, a system that manufactures a dominant cycle of societal norms and more to the point, systemic racism.

There’s some painful irony in being asked a question that is undoubtedly tied to a premeditated stereotype, as though the person asking the question is so fixed on their vision of how they see you, your answer is frankly invalid – the aim merely to affirm their belief as opposed to engaging with yours. Often many of the people who ask this question are those who say, ‘they see no colour’, colourblindness being yet another form of unconscious oppression in and of itself.

While on the surface the inquisition for you to ‘pick a side’ may not be malicious, for me it’s representative of many deeply rooted messages. Here are a few;

A. Our identity is fluid and we have the physical capacity to change or adapt to the state of becoming more black or white ‘should we decide’. It feeds the notion that each ‘side’ can be turned on and off despite our skin remaining the same.

B. Unbeknown to some, the expectation for us to pick a side, continues to perpetuate a state of self-conflict and a lack of belonging.

Then there’s C. the need for mixed-race people to prove or justify their identity repeatedly throughout their life has become a tool used to help others distinguish what conversations may or may not be socially acceptable around you and in some cases is used as a gauge for how racist they can be in your presence. This is a tool to protect their own fragility.

Daughter to a British-born, Black, Caribbean Mother and White, German-British Father, during my late teens I felt an overwhelming desire to begin studying Black History and Feminism. In doing so, I unlocked a part of me that was earlier denied. My own self-discovery continues to be led by stories and experiences the National Curriculum fails to teach and TV underrepresents:

At a time where education and accountability are vital, I urge creative industries to reframe the discourse they use around race and more specifically the black community. Companies and creatives need to play an active role in tone policing their discussions and reconditioning what is and isn’t acceptable under the guidance of diversity and inclusion experts and black and ethnic minority groups. Fundamentally this process starts with a willingness to review and reform a system that is clearly failing its workforce and its audience. For me, inclusivity is non-negotiable, especially if we want to start seeing BAME creatives in senior leadership positions that have the capacity to contribute towards real structural change.

In an open letter from the We Are Doc Women collective, they highlighted the urgent need for action.

“With 75% of ALL television in the UK being directed by men, and only 2.3% by BAME directors, we are failing our industry and we are failing our audiences who are denied access to a diversity of voices.”

The TV industry still oozes white privilege and has an undeniably disproportionate divide across, race, gender, class, and disability representation. It’s the conversation that goes on behind closed doors that we need to infiltrate, disrupt, and restructure. Starting to address unconscious bias is only the beginning.

‘Mixed Chick’

Black or White

pick a side

one without the other

why must I hide?

If I bled myself of colour

I wouldn’t be alive

I know my blackness is the reason that
I feel this pride.

They called Momma a coconut

mocked for her ‘nappy hair’.

Her father was an angry man…

she left high on lover’s air.

No privilege could protect her

against the cards life dealt

and the world’s given her reasons not to love herself.

Mixed race babies

‘the ultimate sin’

yet they say when two hearts unite as one

both sides can win.

A token in a broken system

advertising change

a child with just enough different

to be unique,

yet the same.

A crown so big

kids discreetly cut chunks out

locks tied to a history

teachers daren’t shout about.

What even are you?

Human, the last time I checked?

When you ask about my roots

say it with your chest.

How can you connect to oppression
when you weren’t present?

When you speak about entitlement
do you count your blessings?

Can this Mixed-Race woman make a few confessions:

I am not exotic because I’m lighter in shade.

The black in me wasn’t enough
excuse for you to question my grades.

My telephone voice isn’t an attempt
to sound white.

Just because I like hip-hop doesn’t mean
I’m down for a fight.

Whether you’re black or brown there’s an expectation
that you owe all your success
to someone with a higher status.

You can’t pet my hair,
my curls don’t want your attention.

If I quote black creatives then they a mention/

I won’t repackage influence
like some new invention.

My twerk skills are average
and so is my singing

When you say the ‘N’ word my ears start ringing.

You can’t slag off all immigrants
but say “I’m okay”
and think your outward discrimination is going to wash with me.

Just because I’m Jamaican
doesn’t mean I’m Anti-Africa.

Shoutout to the Motherland,
my sisters know that I stand with them.

Stop asking me questions about feeling
more Black or more White…

preaching anti-racism while encouraging DIVIDE.

By Sophia Slater.

You can follow Sophia on Twitter at @SophiaSlater_

It is evident that young people from under-represented communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic; more likely to be furloughed, have work canceled or postponed; more likely to be affected by the COVID virus itself, and more likely to be impacted by the longstanding structural inequality within the creative industries. Now more than ever there is a need for diverse voices to be heard and amplified. As a sector that aims to represent society, the creative industries have a responsibility to address this issue.

If you’re serious about becoming a diverse workplace is this explicitly stated in your core values? Diversity is not an add-on, it is at the heart of your brand culture.

Look at your data; can you attract, recruit, develop and retain underrepresented workers? Watch out for micro inequities in existing teams. Are there patterns to who is included and whoʼs being left behind? Where there are weaknesses, figure out why and what you can do to solve this.

Conduct regular anonymous surveys, determine where your short comings are, and respond to feedback. Gaining insight on how to improve your workplace from employees is a crucial step towards diversity.

Discuss the challenges and solutions, hold your company accountable to your targets and ensure momentum is maintained over time.

Be transparent about what change you want to achieve, over what period of time, and how you will be accountable. Book in regular review meetings.

Change your hiring process so you are actively recruiting from under-represented communities. Avoid hiring by word of mouth. Advertise opportunities across a range of platforms to enable a broader range of candidates to find your role and apply.

Review your website, job descriptions, imagery and language used to make sure youʼre as welcoming to all. Mix up who you follow on social media and which places you post to.

Invest in your team; support their retention and progression. Encourage staff forums and offer support structures and opportunities for sponsorship and mentoring. Ensure reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, aren’t substantially disadvantaged when applying for roles and doing their jobs.

Help people to understand the benefits of a diverse workforce, identify and overcome their unconscious biases and become allies. Become a role model and take personal responsibility for leading change. Invite external speakers and set up industry related networking opportunities to hear new perspectives which challenge your thinking.

Workers from all backgrounds should feel comfortable in their workplace. Recognise and celebrate special days in the calendar to make every team member feel seen and included.

Any organisations wishing to collaborate with Creative Access on delivering the above can contact the team here.

Creative Access has today announced the findings of a survey looking at the impact of COVID19 on talent from under-represented communities in the UK. The survey was conducted to help understand the impact of coronavirus on emerging creatives and what resources we should be providing in order to best support our community.

The survey, of more than 250 individuals was conducted during May 2020. The results clearly show the profound impact of COVID19 on underrepresented communities in the creative industries.

Josie Dobrin, Chief Executive and co-founder of Creative Access said:

“We are deeply troubled by our survey findings which show how our community has been disproportionately impacted by recent events; more likely to be furloughed, have work cancelled or postponed; more likely to be affected by the COVID virus itself and more likely to be impacted by the longstanding structural inequality within the creative industries.”

The survey, conducted during May 2020, of more than 250 individuals clearly showed the profound impact of COVID19 on underrepresented communities. Key findings include:

The findings have been released as a report, entitled “On the Verge; The impact of coronavirus on underrepresented communities within the creative industries”.

The full report can be accessed here.

Isabella Silvers, Associate Editor at Hearst Magazines UK, and former Creative Access intern, shares her nine tips for being a good ally. In these traumatic times, many non-Black people are asking what can be done to support fight systemic racism so we are grateful to Isabella for sharing her thoughts:

1. Do not share videos of black people dying on social media. Black people know what’s happening and it’s traumatic to see it.
2. Do be vocal when an incident occurs. State loudly and proudly that this behaviour is unacceptable and that Black lives matter.
3. Do use your voice to call out systemic racism and murder whenever you can. Say that you stand with black people and that you do not accept the actions of anyone who shows racism or unconscious bias. Call out this behaviour whenever and wherever you see it (when it is safe to do so); this includes at work, in your friendship group, within your family and more.
4. Do write to your MP and politicians to put pressure on them to see consequences for those who exhibit racist behaviour. Ask them what they’ll be doing and demand justice for the victims of systemic racism.
5. Do challenge those you work with or your employer and ask what they will be doing to be an inclusive company and stand up for Black people.
6. Do Sign petitions from legitimate sources, such as Change.org or Petition.Parliament.co.uk
7. Do donate to legitimate fundraisers, funeral funds, bail funds for protesters and organisations fighting against systemic racism.
8. Do educate yourself. While Black people are grieving, it can be exhausting to be asked to educate non-Black people. There are lots of resources online and on social media on how you can be a better ally.
9. Do seek out perspectives other than your own in film, TV, literature and more. Seek out different stories, biographies and shows.

You can follow Isabella on Twitter and Instagram

This post is written by three people with disabilities who work in academic publishing – Simon Holt (Senior Acquisitions Editor, Elsevier) is visually impaired, Katy Alexander (Global Director for Marketing and Communications, Digital Science) has dyslexia, and Becky Degler (Digital Product Manager, Wiley) has chronic migraine.

Diversity is finally at the forefront of the agenda for many creative organisations. This post explores the importance of making the publishing industry accessible to people from all backgrounds and walks of life. In a recent survey by the UK Publishers Association, just 5.4% of respondents indicated that they have a disability, compared with 15% of the global population. We also know that people with disabilities of working age are 30% less likely to have a job than the rest of the population, both in the US and UK. The UN suggests that the picture is similar (or worse) in other parts of the world.

Why is this the case? The answer lies somewhere between culture and awareness:

Simon: There are barriers to entry within the publishing industry that disproportionally affect people with disabilities. For example, as a visually impaired person, I was once asked to do a proofreading test at an interview for a Development Editor job with no proofreading responsibilities (I was told it was needed to demonstrate ‘basic publishing skills’). There are certainly challenges that arise as a result of having a disability, but there are also lots of skills I have gained, too. The thing that I want to make clear is that I haven’t been successful *despite* my disability; I’m successful *because* of my disability, and the adaptability, resourcefulness and efficiency that has given me. These are all things that help me at work.

Becky:  People with disabilities often face double discrimination: there are barriers to gaining and staying within employment, but also to earning potential and career progression. For example, as a person with chronic migraine, I’ve encountered prosaic versions of ‘someone who is frequently sick cannot be as productive as a healthy ‘normal’ employee’; ‘if stress is a migraine trigger, then you’ll never be able to cope with the increased responsibilities’; and ‘if you can’t put in overtime then there’s a limit to your progression.’ Managing stress effectively is what I do to survive. Progressive roles shouldn’t be off-limits because of my disability. In fact, the skills I’ve acquired through it can be differentiators that help me — and the company — thrive.

Katy: From my own experience and what I’ve observed of friends and colleagues with disabilities who have established themselves within the industry, I think there are several key traits that can support success. Skill Number 1) Grit: growing up with dyslexia teaches perseverance; constant effort is required to overcome obstacles or challenges that are part of my everyday life. Skill Number 2) Creativity: being dyslexic means thinking outside the box — we dyslexics just have to. For small and large organisations alike the ability to come at problems from a different perspective can support innovation. Skill Number 3) Relationships and Professional Development: I care very deeply about what motivates the people I work with and how I can help them succeed. In part, I’m sure this is because I didn’t experience this type of support myself.

So how do we change perceptions and grow representation in the industry? Simon, Becky and Katy emphasise that the answer is in changing our attitude and policies. We need to stop focusing on the ‘dis’ in disability and focus more on the ‘ability’. The message is that disability inclusion is about engaging with a sector of society who are currently underrepresented in our workforce, recognising the skills that we can offer– skills that we have because of, not despite, the fact that we have a disability. Most of all, it’s about solving problems together to find creative solutions that benefit everybody – as people with disabilities, that is simply what we do.

Check out the original post on Scholarly Kitchen here.

We caught up with former Creative Access intern Dean Webster, who spoke about the need for greater accountability when it comes diversity in the freelance television workforce…

I started my career in television seven years ago as a Creative Access & PACT Diversity intern, where I was given a fully paid placement at Shine and sent on a funded training programmes. I was given the skills and connections required to start in television and, since my internship, have continued to receive support and advice from Creative Access. Unfortunately not all diverse talent have access to the same resources that I had.

As far as I see it, the diversity issue essentially comes from a lack of accountability. Whilst the Diamond system’s aims are commendable, production companies can choose to opt-out of it and the metric has many flaws exacerbated by the workforce’s fast turnaround, which means that quotas are currently the best workable solution. If we want to make authentic progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion, we need to address systemic issues around recruitment, progression and training, and pay which affect the industry as a whole.

There is an inherent lack of accountability when it comes to TV recruitment. Not all jobs are advertised, full job and people specifications are rarely provided and opportunities for part time working, working from home or job sharing are not considered from the outset. This is exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, with PACT and the CDN airing concerns about the impact on producers in the nations and regions and diverse talent respectively.

If all roles on programmes were advertised, even ones earmarked for people who had worked on previous series, we would be in a better position to monitor diversity as well as career progression within the workforce. Other sectors have adopted initiatives like the Rooney Rule, where at least one BAME person must be interviewed for a role, but the lack of transparency means we don’t know if things like this are being done or, in the instances they are, if they’re successful. To eradicate barriers for diverse talent we need to identify where those barriers exist and this requires us to objectively look at initiatives and challenge those who fail to adopt them. Transparency also helps us look at other issues – how many people move up in our sector, how many people with career breaks return to the sector and at what position, how many people who’ve never worked for a production company/group are offered interviews or roles there for the first time?

I also believe there’s a broad issue with freelancers’ progression up the career ladder, which can be linked to the lack of training offered. Freelancers are commodities, so it makes sense to offer work to ‘safe bets’ who are very experienced in that job role. I believe this, however, is short sighted, does not benefit Britain’s creative sector as a whole and does not benefit freelancers individually. For employers of permanent staff, the cost behind recruitment and retention means there is a financial interest in upskilling workers so they stay with you for as long possible. In my view, the same incentive does not exist for freelancers, so freelancers have to pay for their own training or hope to find a kind employer to do that for them. Whilst I know first-hand that the latter exists and am grateful to the people who have helped me on my way to where I am, it’s unfair to rely on this inconsistent, informal arrangement to help a sector of thousands of workers. Relying on individuals to self-fund their development and training plays directly into the mechanism of inequality that stops diverse talent joining the industry.

We need a formalised training system, led by a consortium of broadcasters and/or production companies, which recognises that a highly skilled freelancer is beneficial to the sector as a whole, not just that sole freelancer. Solving this not only helps diverse talent but helps the sector as a whole, by unlocking the potential of freelancers at every stage. (NB: I have been to ITF training and am currently attending some of the fantastic free ScreenSkills virtual training courses, so I appreciate that there are initiatives out there for freelancers. I do, however, think lots of freelancers can move through their career without receiving any formalised training.)

Finally, pay. It has been clear for a long time that our lack of collective bargaining has resulted in freelancers’ rates being individually negotiated down, often dressed as a lack of budget. Whilst we all know this is commonplace, the lack of data means evidence is usually anecdotal. BECTU’s move to release a rate card for editorial staff, giving parity with camera and sound colleagues, is welcome, but without in-depth analysis of data from freelancers across the sector – this is a subjective ‘best guess’ and doesn’t consider factors like experience. We need to coordinate ourselves to regularly assess industry rates for roles and join collectively to set minimum levels for roles and agree on annual rate rises. This is perhaps the most troublesome issue for us, as it essentially requires individual freelancers to agree not to take jobs when these rates are undercut – but with strong leadership, from the union or another widely endorsed body, we could weather this storm and see long-term benefits.

Apologies for the length of this post – it’d probably be shorter if I had a job (hint hint). This just scratches the surface, I know there’s more to add and there will be lots of views on these thoughts. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

You can follow Dean on Twitter at @TVsDeanWebster

Here at Creative Access, we had the privilege of speaking to the multi-talented Ingrid Persaud, author of the stunning new novel, Love After Love. Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the BBC Short Story Award, Ingrid gave us an exclusive interview all about her journey from law to fine art to writing, and shares her wisdom for aspiring authors.

Q: Tell us about your background?

I am a Trini to the bone – born and lived there until I was eighteen. Since then London has been my home and I also spend time in Barbados. Regardless of where I am physically my heart and navel string are firmly in Trinidad.

Q: You’re a woman of many talents, from law to fine art. Why did you decide to start writing?

I took my cool time getting to writing. For decades I was hustling with this thing and that thing and never completely at peace with myself. It was only when I moved to Barbados and desperate to carve out a creative space that I turned to writing fiction. It was portable and fitted with my other commitments. Now I’m privileged to write full time.

Q: What is Love After Love about?

It’s the story of an unconventional family – Betty a widow, Solo her son and Mr Chetan their lodger. All is well until one night, after a few glasses of rum, secrets are revealed that tear them apart. To mend a broken family takes all kinds of love – starting with love of the self. Love After Love borrows its title from the poem by Dereck Walcott. If you haven’t read it yet go now. I don’t know what you’re waiting for.

Q: Have you started your next book yet? If so, what’s it on?

I am always writing. When I’m not writing I am thinking about writing. Maybe what I’m working on now will come together and form the next novel. Or not. I’m prepared to discard work if it isn’t good enough.

Q: What do you think about representation of diversity in literature in the UK?

Serious talk now. What we read and who we read moulds us so we can’t let this issue slide. Diversity in literature suffers from both under-representation and misrepresentation.

The under-representation is stark. Statistics show that less than 5% of characters in children’s books are BAME. Fewer BAME writers are being published since 2000 than the previous two decades. Indeed, the Jhalak Prize was created specifically to raise the profile of BAME writers in Britain.

As that wasn’t bad enough we have a next challenge – misrepresentation. Once your name looking little ethnic your work is immediately exotic – “multicultural literature” or “world literature” or some other subset that gets put on the back shelves. It’s hard to simply be considered as writing literature and to have your work compared to your peers regardless of ethnicity.

Q: What’s your advice for aspiring authors?

Respect yourself and your work. That means showing up at your desk and writing every day. Yes, every single day even if it’s for 15 minutes or half hour. None of this waiting for the muse business. For all you know the muse self-isolating. And read, read, read. It’s that simple and that hard.

Q: Something we won’t find out about you from following you on Twitter!

Decide what you’re willing to reveal on social media and leave out the rest. I tweet mainly book related content and a bit of politics. Otherwise, you see me? I keeping myself quiet. But if I had to tell you something personal…Is shame I shame. I’m the only Trini who can’t dance. How I born without rhythm I’ll never understand.

You can buy a copy of Love After Love here.

By Nelima Begum, Editorial & Marketing Assistant at The Literary Consultancy

I’ve always thought the road to ‘success’ was a straight line – you get good grades in school, graduate from university and suddenly the universe will just deem you worthy of your dream job and you get to live your best life. No. Maybe some of you already knew before graduating but I sure didn’t – looking for ANY kind of job post-uni is difficult, let alone the one you want to pursue a long-term career in! And if that career is in a creative industry, well, you may be in for a bumpy ride. When I graduated with an English degree in 2017 (why does that feel like centuries ago now?!), I was having an existential crisis every other day thinking about my career, what I wanted, how far I’d like to go and who I’d want to work for. I. Was. A. Mess. Looking back on it now, those feelings were totally normal – you can’t make a decision like that in a day. When I sat down and made a mind map of things I was interested in, spoke to people about my options and spent many a late night in bed staring at the ceiling, I decided that more than anything, I wanted to work with books. They’d shaped me, changed my outlook on the world and I wanted to be a part of the industry that churned them out: publishing.

How? How does one get into publishing? It was like I’d just decided and now I didn’t know where to go. I started with creating a LinkedIn and then progressed to the jungle that is Indeed.co.uk. Neither really gave me anything substantial and so I thought to Google publishing houses and apply directly through their websites and portals. To keep track of everything, I made a spreadsheet of EVERY job I applied to and had columns for whether I got an interview and whether or not I received an offer. Each stage of progress was marked by red, amber and green boxes and after a while, I realised that the whole spreadsheet was red. All of it. What was I doing wrong? I made it a mission to get in first with every vacancy but everything just got so overwhelming – why were there so many areas in publishing, which role was I best-suited to? I thought you just needed to love books? No one wanted to hire me without experience but no one was giving me the opportunity to gain experience either. It felt like the biggest catch-22 and after a bag of rejections a few train wreck interviews, I was almost ready to give up and NEVER look at another publishing job description again.

Then, just like those moments in cartoons where the clouds part to allow a big ray of sunshine to come through and the birds start singing, a friend of mine told me about a handy little (not little at all) organisation called Creative Access which is dedicated to creating diversity and inclusion in the UK’s creative sectors. Plagued with disappointment, I felt like this was my lifeline and started looking at the opportunities page on their website. I was amazed to say the least – so many vacancies with such big, reputable names in a variety of industries! I starting applying like no tomorrow and was pleased to see my CV and cover letter going further than it ever had before. Suddenly, I was interviewing with places like Bloomsbury and Pan Macmillan! Each interview taught me something different so even if I wasn’t getting the job, I was still getting better each time and growing in confidence, too. I found myself checking the Creative Access website pretty much every day and becoming more optimistic with each application.

Suddenly I landed my first role in publishing – Submissions Administrator for The Future Bookshelf, a creative writing initiative being run across four imprints within Hachette UK, which sought to encourage submissions from writers from under-represented backgrounds. It was something that spoke to my heart and I was over the moon to get it! While there, I had a fantastic manager who, knowing it was my first job, did everything to make sure I got as much experience and exposure to the industry as possible. I was reading submissions, co-ordinating readings for colleagues, getting involved with social media and even putting data together for team meetings. I loved every minute of it and was trying to learn as much as I could. I got to sit in on meetings, have one-to-one chats with people from every department and even pick up skills in copy-editing and proofreading. It was an incredible first job because I had the opportunity to learn a bit of everything and network with smart, creative and talented people who had worked on incredible books. At that point, I’d decided I wanted to work in editorial. Even though I was sad to see my contract end after six months, I knew I had enough to apply for another job. Back to the Creative Access website I went.

My second job was at HarperCollins; I’d applied for their BAME traineeship (through the Creative Access website, obviously) and after 2-3 rounds of interviews and a terrifying presentation in front of company executives, I got a rejection. It was a bitter feeling to say the least BUT, they liked how I came across and kept me in the pipeline, regularly sending me and other candidates they’d liked but not hired, vacancies before they went live on the website. That’s how I landed my second job – Marketing Intern at Avon, a commercial imprint publishing everything from women’s fiction to crime and thrillers. It was great – different, but great! How I’d ended up in marketing, I wasn’t sure but because it was such early stages of my career, I thought to be open to everything. I learnt LOTS when I was at Avon; Photoshop, creating digital content, helping out with marketing campaigns, reading submissions with the team and learning all things social media. It was wonderful but it was another six-month contract and I was nearing the end. At the time, there weren’t any other permanent jobs going, so I thought to do what I always do: go back to the Creative Access website!

Then I saw it – an entry-level role with The Literary Consultancy (TLC), an editorial consultancy based in Farringdon which prides itself on working with writers of all kinds and providing a variety of services, hosting events and creating content dedicated to their development and success. They were hiring an editorial and marketing assistant and I went for it. I feel like my previous roles had prepared me for this moment – editorial AND marketing? It HAD to be for me. I was abroad the week that they were interviewing, but the team were lovely enough to interview me via Skype! I felt very lucky and to this day, am full of gratitude for their time and consideration. Long story short, I got the job and was over the moon. I bid farewell to the lovely folk at Avon and began my new venture at TLC.

I’ve been working with TLC for almost a year now, and there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t feel blessed to be here. I have an incredible team (see pictured) who are so dedicated to overseeing my professional development and are forever creating opportunities for me to get involved with whatever crazy, cool, creative project they’re working on next (watch this space for something exciting in the coming months which yours truly will be doing!) I love working with writers as well as our team of industry experts, having fun with TLC social media, getting involved with marketing campaigns and events and everything in between. This job is a dream and I wouldn’t have this (or any of my previous jobs) without Creative Access. They are an incredible resource and have been a beacon of hope for me for almost two years now! An incredible organisation, I have hope that thanks to their tireless efforts and dedication, creative industries WILL reflect society and WILL progress for generations to come.

Sometimes I feel like my way in was just a happy accident and other times, when I’m being contemplative and thoughtful, it feels like the stars had aligned and I got what was meant for me. My point is that success is NOT linear, but you should enjoy the journey and learn all that you can from it. Every job was a stepping stone and gave me a wealth of experience and knowledge, each one developing me more than the previous role. I’m incredibly excited for my future at TLC and can’t wait to see what else comes my way. My advice to applicants, job-hunters and publishing hopefuls is to work hard (network, volunteer and put yourself out there), be patient, remain optimistic and know that it will happen for you when the time is right…

Oh, and check the Creative Access website on the daily – in case it wasn’t obvious ????

Have a publishing interview coming up but have no clue what to expect? We caught up with our former Harlequin UK intern – turned Head of Zeus Commissioning Editor, and now the Editorial Director for Orion Books, Rhea Kurien, to ask her about her top tips for acing those interview questions…

1. Tell me a little about yourself and your experience to date.

They ask this 9 times out of 10, so do think carefully about how you present yourself. Try and be succinct and tailor your answer to the job you’re applying for. It’s a question that trips a lot of people up, so it’s worth practising this one out loud so you don’t blank when asked.

2. Why do you want to work for us?

Be specific – show them that you know their list, have read their biggest books and are keeping abreast of what exciting things they are doing. Don’t just read their website (websites are usually out of date), really study their social media feeds and search for articles about them on The Bookseller. What are they doing that you feel really passionately about?

3. What have you read recently and really loved?

If you’re fresh out of university, I know it can be difficult to think of any books beyond what you read on your course. However, to work in publishing (especially editorial, marketing and PR), it is crucial that you have read books that have been published in the last year or so. Go into bookshops and see what books are charting, compare that to the kind of books that are featured in supermarkets, look at the Kindle bestsellers on Amazon as often as you can, and then read read read.

Here is a chance to showcase that you have read books on their list, do try and read a couple of their big books of the last couple of months.

4. What is a recent marketing campaign that really stood out to you, and why?

This will depend entirely on which area of publishing you’re looking to go into e.g. commercial, literary or academic. A couple of stand out campaigns for commercial fiction in the last year or so are Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie and Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare. Lots of pre-publication buzz, a really standout and high concept package, great endorsements from other authors and trade publications, lots of visibility both digitally and on the ground e.g. tube advertisements for Queenie at Brixton station. A similar non-fiction example is Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women. With literary fiction, two examples are Margaret Atwood’s Testaments and Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light (did you see when they placed the Wolf Hall Tudor rose emblem on a billboard in Leicester Square?).

You don’t have to use an example from the publisher you’re applying to – they want to know you know the wider market.

4. Why should I consider hiring you?/What makes you the right candidate for this role?

Here, you want to do the same thing you should have done for your cover letter: refer to the job description. Pick out key phrases from this, boring but important things like good at meeting deadlines, managing conflicting priorities, good people skills, and yes, ultimately, that you love and are excited by the idea of seeing a book from concept to finished product.

5. What have been your major achievements to date?

This doesn’t always come up, but if it does, don’t be afraid. It doesn’t have to be work-related, you can talk about something you did at university or something you achieved outside of work or study. Having other interests is a good thing, and having an example that shows you are capable of taking initiative is even better.

6. Any questions?

Always prepare at least three questions for this. You want the interview to be a conversation. Something I always like to ask is which books the interviewers are really excited about publishing this year.

Competency-based questions

With entry-level positions, there is really only so much they can quiz you about the industry. For the most part, if you’ve got to the interview stage, they already think you’re qualified. They just want to know if your work style will fit in with their team. That’s where competency-based questions come in, things like ‘give me an example of when you had to juggle conflicting priorities’ or ‘tell me about a time that you had to handle a difficult client’. This guide will help you construct your answers in this format: the situation, the obstacle you had to overcome, your strategy, and the (successful) outcome.

Your examples can be from situations you faced at university, any part-time jobs, or even previous internships. It doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you highlight that you know how to handle difficult situations. Publishing is all about working to really tight deadlines, working with lots of different people, and multi-tasking so show them you can do these things.

Final tips for interviews

Be your amazing and authentic self, make good eye contact, smile and be enthusiastic about being there, drink water when your mouth gets dry, don’t panic if you need a minute to think about your answer before you reply, and thank them for their time.