Diversity in Publishing: 2015.

Diversity Baseline Survey 2015, from Lee & Low Books.

Diversity Baseline Survey 2015, from Lee & Low Books.

As you probably know, Lee & Low books has been working to put together a Diversity Baseline Survey of the book industry for over a year now:

Countless panels, articles, and even conferences have been dedicated to exploring the causes and effects of this lack of diversity. Yet one key piece of the puzzle remained a question mark: diversity among publishing staff. While the lack of diversity among publishing staff was often spoken about, there was very little hard data about who exactly works in publishing.

At the beginning of 2015 we decided to conduct a survey to establish a baseline that would measure the amount of diversity among publishing staff. We believed in the power of hard numbers to illuminate a problem that can otherwise be dismissed or swept under the rug. We felt that having hard numbers released publicly would help publishers take ownership of the problem and increase accountability. We also felt that a baseline was needed to measure whether or not initiatives to increase diversity among publishing staff were actually working.

Their infographic above will give you a quick snapshot of where we're at, but do please, PLEASE click through for more information, including methodology and analysis. This is important stuff.

Books, NewsLeila Roy1 Comment