The Bookseller
I guest edited the first two Disability Issues of The Bookseller, the UK's lading trade magazine for the publishing industry. It was an opportunity for disabled authors to speak directly to the publishing industry about the obstacles they face and what can be done to improve accessibility and inclusion.
Click the cover image to download a PDF copy.
Click the cover image to download a PDF copy.
The Bookseller 2021 Articles
You can also find all the articles on The Bookseller website - there's a limit to how many you can look at in a month, but you can return the following month to check out the rest.
- “If words have power, then the people who publish, promote and sell them have the ultimate power. They choose who is heard and who is silenced, who is seen and who remains invisible. Their choices resonate out across society.” My editorial letter for The Disability Issue of The Bookseller http://thebookseller.com/blogs/rewriting-narrative-1281024…
- "The publishing industry holds enormous power and therefore must ensure that everyone is represented" My call for the industry to adapt to bring real change for people with disabilities, with 11 steps to take. https://www.thebookseller.com/features/disability-issue-how-workplaces-can-revolutionise-their-approach-disability-1281033
- "I now realise how damaging that can be for a child, if you don’t see yourself in books or on TV or in the media… It means you don’t value yourself, and it means it’s hard to imagine how your life will pan out.” Rosie Jones speaks to Lucia Osborne-Crowley https://www.thebookseller.com/author-interviews/rosie-jones-i-wanted-write-book-i-needed-child-1281073
- "Change happens one story at a time, reminding the world what autism is from the inside" A fantastic interview by Lottie Cardew with Holly Smale
http://thebookseller.com/profile/holly-smale-change-happens-one-story-time-reminding-world-what-autism-inside-1281069…
- "It’s important publishers recognise the power of these stories. Disability is a normal part of life" Louise Kenward speaks with Judith Heumann about rights, representation and her memoir Being Heumann. https://bit.ly/3ofeZJi
- "I want to tell people what it’s like to have this disability. I want to change their minds, in terms of how they think about disability more generally, because I think we internalise a lot of negativities about it." Maud Rowell talks to Rosario Blue. http://thebookseller.com/profile/maud-rowell-i-want-tell-people-what-it-s-have-disability-1281071…
- The disabled author experience - Paula Knight, Nydia Hetherington and Liz Nugent talked to me about what it’s like to be a disabled author. thebookseller.com/insight/disabled-author-experience-1281050
- “It is normal to be ill. It is not shameful to admit it, or to take a day off … And it doesn’t mean you need to work harder, or prove you have earned your place, if you need more flexibility than others.” Tackling stigma by Hayley Steed http://thebookseller.com/blogs/tackling-stigma-1281026…
- “I have been surrounded by disability and chronic illness all my life. So why is it I don’t see this reflected in fiction as broadly as I do in the real world?” Catherine Miller talks about disability portrayal in books. http://thebookseller.com/blogs/taking-centre-stage-1281027…
- "The burden of representing every disabled child is placed on too few authors" by Lisette Auton https://thebookseller.com/blogs/difference-and-disability-1281046
- "I believed that being pigeonholed would turn off the hypothetical reading public. In my head, this public was non-disabled and uninterested in fiction about disabled people. " The fight within by David Thorpe talks about overcoming his fear of being pigeonholed and how his experience of disability is an important part of all his work. http://thebookseller.com/blogs/fight-within-1281040…
- “Events are an exciting way for readers to meet authors, and vice versa. For many, though, attending them is very challenging, and sometimes impossible.” Keeping events accessible in a post-pandemic landscape by Helen Barrell
http://thebookseller.com/insight/keeping-events-accessible-post-pandemic-landscape-1281041…
- “The publishing industry has been at great pains to increase diversity but the barriers to entry for many underrepresented groups are time, opportunity and money. Disabled writers are unique in often suffering a combination of all of these” http://thebookseller.com/blogs/taken-granted-1281043…
- “It is hard to find memoirs written by disabled and chronically ill writers” Leaving hero culture by J L Hall http://thebookseller.com/blogs/leaving-hero-culture-1281038…
- “Often when diversity in publishing is discussed, disability is left out, so I was keen to make sure the concerns of disabled people were being heard in this ongoing conversation.” Cat Mitchell unveils disability survey for the trade http://www.thebookseller.com/news/cat-mitchell-unveils-disability-survey-trade-1239426
- "Just 8% of trade employees have a disability or impairment, and 14% of those aren’t open about their health condition at work. It’s important that participation in staff disability networks doesn’t require disclosure and is confidential." by Amy Barrett https://thebookseller.com/insight/progressive-or-performative-disability-staff-networks-come-under-scrutiny-1281045
The Bookseller 2022 Articles
- A chance to change by Claire Wade, Catherine Miller & Nydia Hetherington What has changed in the publishing industry since the last Disability Issue of The Bookseller? You would be the best person to judge that: have you noticed a change in the way things are done?https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/a-chance-to-change
- With the launch of Access to Literature, Jamie Hale from CRIPticArts and Ruth Harrison from Spread the Word call on the publishing industry to work collaboratively to dismantle the barriers that deaf and disabled people currently face. Read more about their investigation and the results here: buff.ly/3MAfebR
- "A crucial further step towards fair representation would see disabled journalists appointed as editors of book sections" Scott Jordan Harris writes about why there needs to be more opportunities for disabled people to professionally write and review books: buff.ly/3MvK2dL
- "If somebody is deaf or disabled and has concerns that it will hold you back, don’t try to hide your access need" Caitlin Quinn's important interview with bestselling author Nell Pattison about how publishing needs to change to be accessible to all. Nell Pattison discusses her experiences as a disabled writer and how the industry can be more inclusive. https://www.thebookseller.com/author-interviews/nell-pattison-in-conversation-about-how-publishing-needs-to-change-to-be-accessible-to-all
- Different but equal: tackling biases and discrimination by Pragya Agarwal. We need to move to a framework of publishing where disability is acknowledged as different but accepted as equal. https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/different-but-equal-tackling-biases-and-discrimination
- The stories we tell by Hannah Knowles. The narrative around mental health provision and staff wellbeing in the book trade tallies little with those experiencing it—and we need a fresh start. https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/the-stories-we-tell
- Accessible Books Kate Nash OBE, founder of @mypurplespace, reveals how book publishers can anticipate the needs of disabled readers and release titles that are accessible to all: buff.ly/3MB8sCW
- "The normality of everyday life with a disability is not uninteresting and the industry must see the value of these narratives." Dr Pragya Agarwal's important article on unconscious bias in the publishing industry: buff.ly/3ey8Y7S
- Why querying is hell for neurodivergents by Chloe Johnson Literary agencies have taken steps to make their submissions policies more inclusive—and some simple adjustments can throw the doors wide open.