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A collaborative ebook on the effects of the Brexit vote on the UK's cultural sector and its agents: "It's not just the economy, stupid! Brexit and the Cultural Sector", edited by Gesa Stedman and Sandra van Lente. Our contributors come from a broad range of cultural and artistic practice and many of them worry about two aspects which have come to the fore in the context of Brexit: the stark social rift which separates the Leave and Remain camps, and the nasty rise of xenophobia and insularity in all its different shapes and forms. Although our authors do not intend to be read or viewed as all-encompassing, and although they differ in respect to the focus they chose for their essays, poems, or statements, one aspect unifies their utterances: passion. Passion for the multi-faceted characteristics of culture, language, exchange, dialogue, border-crossings, passion for an outward-looking approach to both Britain, its different nations, and its neighbours close and far. A passionate fear of what Britain might lose in the process of departing from the EU. And the fear of loss does not concentrate on the loss of revenue or even on the probable obstacles to travel and artistic exchange once Brexit is in place. But the loss of ambivalence and ambiguity, the loss of conflicting opinions, texts, stances, diversity, in short: everything that culture, which is free to find its own forms of expression, is valued for.

Based upon a unique empirical study on diversity in UK publishing involving over 110 interviews with publishers, this paper explores the obstacles facing authors of colour. While the underrepresentation of authors from minoritized backgrounds is generally seen as a problem of acquisition, we identify what political economist Nicholas Garnham calls the “cultural distribution” stage as the most critical for authors of colour. Specifically, we demonstrate how racialized assumptions about audiences as articulated and mobilized by people working in promotion, sales, and retail impede the progress of these authors. We argue that racial inequalities in publishing are a product of how racially and ethnically minoritized audiences are undervalued, culturally as well as economically. Adopting a postcolonial cultural economy approach, we identify the areas where antiracist activism needs to be focused in order to address racial inequalities in publishing in a more impactful way., Le présent article explore certains obstacles auxquels se butent les autrices et auteurs de couleur. Il s’appuie sur une étude empirique de la diversité dans le monde de l’édition au Royaume‑Uni rassemblant entre autres quelque 110 entrevues menées auprès d’éditrices et d’éditeurs. La sous‑représentation des autrices et auteurs issus de minorités est la plupart du temps perçue comme un problème d’acquisition; selon nous, l’enjeu le plus critique pour les autrices et les auteurs de couleur est plutôt ce que l’économiste politique Nicholas Garnham qualifie de « distribution culturelle ». Plus précisément, nous montrons de quelle manière ces autrices et auteurs sont affectés par les présomptions racisées que formulent et entretiennent, à propos des lectorats, les personnes travaillant à la promotion, à la distribution et à la vente des livres. Nous postulons que les inégalités raciales observables dans le monde de l’édition sont le produit d’une dévaluation des lectorats issus de minorités ethniques et raciales, dévaluation à la fois culturelle et économique. Partant d’une approche de l’économie culturelle qui se veut postcoloniale, nous identifions les lieux qu’aurait intérêt à investir le militantisme antiracisme afin de s’attaquer à ces inégalités de façon plus efficace.

Led by Dr Anamik Saha and Dr Sandra van Lente in partnership with Goldsmiths Press and Goldsmiths, University of London, Spread the Word and The Bookseller, Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in Publishing is the first academic study in the UK which looks at how cultural production itself might disadvantage writers of colour. \ud \ud Across the publishing industry, various initiatives have been designed and implemented to diversify the composition of the workforce, based on the assumption that this will automatically lead to ‘diverse’ output that will reach wider audiences. But is this assumption correct? \ud \ud The research looks at how cultural production itself might disadvantage racial and ethnic minorities. Using the British publishing industry as a case study and focussing on literary fiction, crime/thriller and YA, it explores how writers of colour experience the publishing process. Each stage of production is examined – from acquisition, to editorial and design, to marketing & PR, to sales, to retail – to see the particular challenges (or at times, opportunities) writers of colour encounter. \ud \ud Since May 2019, over 100 people working in the publishing industry have been interviewed, including authors, agents, publishers, editors, experts in marketing, PR and sales as well as retailers and festival curators. \ud \ud The report, with a foreword by Bernardine Evaristo, provides an overview of the findings and calls to action for the publishing industry and wider literature sectors to work better with writers from underrepresented backgrounds and reach wider audiences in the process.