'It's exhausting having the same conversation - lack of Black presence in publishing has to change' - Susan Pitter

The lack of representation of black authors, illustrators, stories and characters in the UK publishing industry is, sadly, nothing new. But what’s alarming is it’s getting worse.

It was in the news again recently after Bath Children’s Literature Festival came in for criticism from a number of children’s authors over a lack of diversity in its upcoming line-up.

The situation was exacerbated when one of the festival’s founders contacted the writers asking them to delete their social media posts criticising them, which in turn led unsurprisingly to an online backlash.

The festival issued a statement saying it had listened to people’s comments on the matter, adding it would “work harder to ensure we have greater representation to tackle this industry-wide problem.”

It’s a salutary lesson in how not to finesse your way out of criticism, especially when it’s valid. But I will give them this – the problem goes beyond any single organisation or event.

Lack of representation isn’t just about festival line-ups, it sits stubbornly across a publishing industry that has the power to decide which writers are picked up, whose books will sell, how much marketing, time and support to invest in them, how many books to make available, and who is worthy of literary prizes.

The latest CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) Reflecting Realities survey, published last November, reported that 24 per cent of children’s books in 2024 featured racially minoritised main characters. A big jump from seven per cent in 2023 but that’s still 76 per cent that don’t.

Meanwhile, The Bookseller’s recent report of a dip in sales by Black authors was met with some consensus across the ensuing social media response that the appetite is definitely there – the industry just needs to feed it.

The publishing world is made up of a whole host of different components – publishers, literary agents, booksellers, programmers, festival organisers and so on – whose decisions can make or break a writer’s career.

The 2020 killing of George Floyd in the US brought the Black Lives Matter movement to the world’s attention and led to an industry clamour to publish more Black writing, and yet six years later we’re still hearing ‘we want/plan/need to do better’. It’s a decades-long promise, resurfacing loudly after moments of Black trauma, report publications, or a literature event being called out over a lack of diversity.

It’s clear to me that continuing to do the same things, make the same decisions, have the same structures, work with the same people in the same spaces, will only produce the same results. And frankly, it’s exhausting having the same conversation about the lack of representation over and over again while nothing really changes.

Black authored book sales are in decline. But it’s not down to a lack of talent or because there isn’t the demand – Out of Many People, the Leeds-based arts and culture organisation rooted in Black heritage and storytelling Dawn Cameron and I co-founded – can attest to that.

Earlier this year, we held the inaugural Likkle Lit Fest – Out of Many People’s festival of Black literature for children and young adult readers – at Leeds Central Library. It was joyful, with over 600 children and adults attending interactive workshops and readings featuring 25 writers, storytellers and artists, including Ashley Thorpe, Selina Brown, Salomey Doku, Trish Cooke, Dapo Adeola and Corinne Bailey Rae.

We chose to programme Likkle Lit Fest as a stage for Black writing and Black illustrators for all children to enjoy. But we’re not the first nor the only ones making a difference. Organisations like the Black British Book Festival, Free Books Campaign, Dope Readers and Afrori Books, are all doing brilliant work, debunking the myth that only Black audiences are interested in Black stories.

They certainly dispel any notion that there isn’t enough Black literary talent out there from a spectrum of brilliance that cuts across genres and generations.

So if there’s the demand and talent, then why aren’t there more platforms afforded to them, and better representation and visibility? The answer definitely isn’t more ‘must do better’ report cards in the wake of the latest controversy, or another action plan that ends up under delivering.

If we want meaningful change we need representative leadership among key decision-makers, and we need ongoing and equitable investment. We need to see more Black talent being commissioned and we need to see industry leaders, funders and sponsors showing that representation really does matter. In other words, we need less talk and more action.

All children deserve to see themselves in books and the diverse world we live in, to connect with characters, to be inspired by authors that look like them, or perhaps don’t. Surely that’s something everyone can get behind. Until then, the work continues. It’s up to the publishing industry to choose to play its part too.

Susan Pitter is co-founder of Out of Many People, a Leeds-based organisation that curates and promotes Black storytelling through arts, heritage and cultural programming in the North.