Five years ago, Lee & Low Books launched the first Diversity Baseline Survey to examine four aspects of diversity among publishing industry staff: race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Administered to over 13,000 publishing employees at thirty-five different publishing companies and eight major review journals, the Diversity Baseline Survey inspired many conversations and initiatives to help build a more inclusive book industry.
Five years later, it is time for us to redo the survey to see what has changed. We have big plans this time, including a Kickstarter (launching early 2019) to raise money to hire a professional survey/evaluation company and an initiative to include literary agents, who play an important role in gatekeeping.
We are putting an open call out to publishing houses and literary agencies of all sizes: will you participate in 2019?
Why is the Diversity Baseline Survey Important?
Without data, all our conversations about diversity in the publishing industry would be based on anecdotal evidence alone. The Diversity Baseline Survey allows us to discuss our industry’s lack of diversity in a more concrete way, with a true understanding of the scope of the problem. The data also allows us to track progress as our industry grows and evolves.
Why Should Our Company Participate?
High industry participation in the Diversity Baseline Survey sends the message that our industry takes inclusion seriously. In order for the Survey to be a success, we need the participation of as many publishing companies as possible.
Participation is free and easy, and simply entails sharing a special survey link with all your employees. By committing to participate, you are demonstrating that your company cares about diversity and is invested in finding solutions. All participating companies will be acknowledged publicly, but you can rest assured that survey data will only be released in aggregate form—never individually or by company. Data will be collected and aggregated by professional outside survey experts and will remain completely anonymous.
Feel free to download this short one-page Diversity Baseline Survey flyer to share with your company to encourage participation.
OK, We’re Onboard. What Happens Next?
- Email Jason Low, Publisher of Lee & Low Books, at surveysays@leeandlow.com to confirm your company’s participation.
- In spring 2019, your company’s point person (usually someone from either HR or leadership) will receive a survey link to distribute to your staff. We will provide a note you can include about why the survey matters, encouraging employees to participate and affirming that their answers will remain anonymous.
- The survey results will be aggregated in late 2019 by a professional survey company and released in early 2020.
*Who’s Already In:
Publishers
Abrams
Albert Whitman & Company
Annick Press
Arte Publico Press
Beacon Press
Bharat Babies
Bloomsbury Publishing
Capstone-Coughlan Companies
Candlewick
Charlesbridge
Chronicle
Cinco Puntos Press
Coffee House Press
DAW Books
Dead Rabbits Books
Disney Publishing
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Fitzhenry and Whiteside
Groundwood Books
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins Publishers
Heinemann
Holiday House
Imogin Group
Just Us Books
Kane Press
Kids Can Press
Lee & Low Books
Lerner Publishing Group
Levine Querido
Literary Wanderlust LLC
Macmillan
Mango Media
Microcosm Publishing
Milkweed Editions
The New Press
Owl Kids
Page Street Publishing
Peachtree Publishers
Penguin Random House
Pomelo Books
Readers to Eaters
Saffron Press
Scholastic
Simon & Schuster
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
Tradewind Books
Workman Publishing Co., Inc.
University Presses
Abilene Christian University Press
Cambridge University Press
Columbia University Press
Cornell University Press
Duke University Press
Gallaudet University Press
Harvard University Press
Louisiana State University Press
Michigan State University Press
Minnesota Historical Society Press
MIT Press
Northwestern University Press
Princeton University Press
State University of New York Press
Syracuse University Press
Temple University Press
The University of Arizona Press
The University of Arkansas Press
University of California Press
University of Chicago Press
University of Illinois Press
University of Kentucky Press
University of Michigan Press
University of Massachusetts Press
University of North Carolina Press
University Press of Colorado & Utah State University Press
University Press of Mississippi
Northwestern University Press
NYU Press
University of Ohio Press
University of Regina Press
University of Virginia Press
University of Washington Press
The University of Wisconsin Press
Wayne State University Press
Review Journals
Bayviews
Booklist
Foreword Reviews
The Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
Literary Agencies
Aevitas Creative Management
AKA Literary Management
Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Barry Goldblatt Literary
The Bent Agency
Bookends, A Literary Agency
The Book Group
Bradford Literary Agency
Cheney Agency
CookeMcDermid
Corvisiero Literary Agency
Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Donaghy Literary Group
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
Einstein Literary Management
Erin Murphy Literary Agency
Folio Literary Management
Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.
Full Circle Literary
Fuse Literary Agency
Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency
HSG Agency
The Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Jill Grinberg Literary Management, LLC
Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Kimberley Cameron & Associates, LLC
The Knight Agency
KT Literary Agency, LLC
Laura Dail Literary Agency
Liza Dawson Associates
MacKenzie Wolf
Marie Brown Associates
Marsal Lyon Literary Agency LLC
Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents
Nelson Literary Agency, LLC
New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.
Painted Words
Park Literary and Media
Philip G. Spitzer Literary Agency
Pippin Properties, Inc.
P.S. Literary Agency
Red Fox Literary
Red Sofa Literary & Red Sofa Books
The Rights Factory
Root Literary
Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
The Seymour Agency
Sheldon Fogelman Agency, Inc.
The Science Factory
Spencerhill Associates
Stonesong
Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Inc.
Talcott Notch Literary Agency
Transatlantic Agency
TriadaUS Literary Agency
Upstart Crow Literary
Wernick & Pratt Agency LLC
Westwood Creative Artists
WM Clark Associates
WordWise Media Services
Writers House
Zimmermann Literary
*as of 9/18/19
