The SYP meets every year in January in the wonderful setting of the Stationers’ Hall to say goodbye to an old committee and welcome in the new. As part of the evening we hold a panel discussion tackling some of the topics that are most relevant to the industry; this year our theme will be diversity.
There is a ‘worrying lack’ of diversity in publishing. The Diversity in Publishing report published by AsianMedia.org found that ‘while 28.8% of the working population of London are Black or Minority Ethnic (BME), only 7.7% of those working in publishing are from a non-white background.’ The recent trebling of undergraduate tuition fees and stagnating entry-level salaries are also a barrier to entrants from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
This is a concern for publishing because who we are has a direct impact on what we publish. An unrepresentative industry will not engage with a wider population and will become increasingly uncompetitive.
Publishers are taking steps to address this problem and there are many examples of good practice such as the Equip Publishing Equalities Charter, the Creative Access programme and paid summer internship schemes.
Join us on the 13th January 2015 to meet our new committee and contribute to one of the most important conversations publishing can have.
Confirmed speakers include:
Seonaid Mcleod is Publisher Relations Executive for the PA with a focus on trade and international publishing. The PA currently manages the equality in publishing project Equip.
Suzanne Collier is owner and founder of BookCareers, a leading publishing careers consultancy. She is the recipient of a Pandora Award and has worked in publishing for 30 years.
Crystal Mahey-Morgan is a freelance digital marketer and strategist. She was previously group online/digital account manager at PRH. She was responsible for the creative strategy for Jamal Edwards’ book Self Belief: The Vision.
Members: Free
Non-Members: £4