The UK Publishing Equalities Charter

During our panel at the Harlem Book Fair, I talked about the UK Publishing Equalities Charter, which is our best chance (I think) for reversing the widespread inequity in the US publishing industry.  I was hoping to interview Shelina Permalloo, Development Manager at DIPNET, but someone beat me to it so I’m going to share this link instead.  Go there to read the entire interview, and read below to get a sense of how this charter would work:

How did DIPNET get started?

DIPNET was established in 2005 by Allison Morrison (formerly Walker Books) and Elise Dillsworth of Little Brown. Both founders felt that there was a significant underrepresentation of people working in the industry from diverse ethnic groups and so set up DIPNET as a way of addressing this issue.

What are its main aims?

Originally the remit was to support ethnically diverse people working within industry through mentoring and networking, as well as raising the profile of diversity in publishing. In 2006 ACE funded DIPNET, and funding has enabled its remit to broaden. DIPNET seeks to redress the balance of equality in the industry by:

• supporting individuals currently in the industry and who are from traditionally underrepresented groups
• supporting individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups in accessing the industry (through the website as well as working with colleges and universities)
• raising the profile of equality within the industry by organising seminars and workshops
• working with industry partners to ensure a collective and cohesive approach to achieving equality in the industry.

It is important to note that DIPNET is not only for ethnically diverse people but all people who have traditionally been underrepresented within the industry.