Jacaranda Books is a Black-owned British independent book publishing firm launched in 2012 and known for their effort promoting diversity in United Kingdom's publishing industry.[1][2][3]
At the time of foundation, according to professor Claire Squires (Professor of Publishing Studies, and Director of the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling), the English language publishing industry in United Kingdom had a homogenised white, middle-class and Oxbridge-dominated workforce.[8] This was reflected in the content published in the industry as a whole, which mirrored the situation.[9]
Six years later, across 90 per cent of the book publishing industry in the UK the situation remained the same.[11] In 2018, Jacaranda partnered with the creative communications agency Words Of Colour to call for submissions for TwentyIn2020[12] and publish 20 black British writers in the year 2020, which would be a first in publishing history. Later in 2018 11.6 per cent of the workforce in publishing was identified as BAME, reaching 13.0 per cent by 2019.[13]
To mark the company's 20th anniversary in 2022, Jacaranda announced 10 exclusive editions of its most popular titles.[14]
In February 2018, Jacaranda Books released a call for submissions for Twenty In 2020,[12] which started a chain reaction on the industry: Hachette launched Dialogue Books[16] headed by Sharmaine Lovegrove in May 2018 (publicly inspired by Jacaranda Books, and signing Irenosen Okojie[17]), Penguin Random House launched #Merky Books headed by Stormzy in October 2018,[18] and HarperCollins appointed Nancy Adimora to a new diversity area in February 2020.[19]
A year after the call for submissions, the national press made echo of the campaign,[20] and historical partnerships were begun with the London Library[21] and other partners such as Foyles.[22]
As of 2020, Jacaranda's TwentyIn2020 remains the biggest collection of black authors published in the same year, an effort that was recognised in July 2020 when Jacaranda was awarded the title of "Small Press of the Year" at The Bookseller's British Book Awards.[23][24][25]
#AQuickTingOn
In September 2019, Jacaranda announced another campaign A Quick Ting On, a new non-fiction series focused on the black British community, all written by young black British writers.[26] A similar series was later announced by #Merky Books[27] including Anthony Anaxagorou, an author previously published by Jacaranda Books.
#InclusiveIndies and the #BlackLivesMatter movement
In July 2013, Black Lives Matter movement began on social media after the Trayvon Martin case. The book Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin narrates the facts that began the movement, it was published in United States by Penguin, but not in United Kingdom, where it is published by Jacaranda as part of their stand for diversity.
In June 2020, Jacaranda in partnership with Knights Of collected £160k in the crowdfunding campaign #InclusiveIndies. This was an appeal to try to assure their survival in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The appeal won extra traction through the BlackLivesMatter movement of 2020.[28][29]
After the campaign, the founder of Jacaranda was interviewed in 5 News by Claudia-Liza Armah on "Why diverse literature is important for society to tackle racism".[30]
Impact on the industry and culture
In 2013, staff member Jazzmine Breary contributed[31] to the report Writing The Future: Black and Asian Authors Publishers in the Market Place.[32] In 2018 she participated on the jury at the Young British Muslim Writers Awards.[33] As sales, publicity and marketing manager, she was named one of The Bookseller's rising stars in 2020.[34]
^Akbar, Arifa (9 December 2017). "Diversity in publishing – still hideously middle-class and white?". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2020. while there is a greater buzz around inclusive works, it is still largely being produced outside mainstream spaces ... Jacaranda Books have shown dynamism despite limited resources
^"Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd United Kingdom". issuu.com. Retrieved 24 January 2019. ...it is our mission to create a space for lesser known, diverse voices to be seen and heard by new readers
^"Women publishers bringing back diversity". spreadtheword.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019. ... hopes to honour and continue the tradition of black publishers who came before them, particularly renowned figures such as Margaret Busby and Verna Wilkins.
^"BAME and shame: How non-white writers are shunned by the books industry". BBC. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2020. The writer Irenosen Okojie, whose short story collection Speak Gigantular will be out this June (2016), comments that 'it's encouraging to see publishers like Darf, who publish Arabic works in translation, and Jacaranda Books and Influx Press, who are actively looking to publish writers of colour.'
^ ab"Jacaranda Books to publish 20 authors by 2020". voice-online.co.uk. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2020. JACARANDA BOOKS, in partnership with Words of Colour Productions, has announced a new initiative to publish 20 black British writers in the year 2020
^"Sparking the Conversation". littlebrown.co.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2020. In 2018, the imprint officially launched with four exciting debuts
^Cowdrey, Katherine (4 July 2018). "Dialogue Books signs 'fearless' Irenosen Okojie". The Bookseller. Retrieved 28 July 2020. publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove said had partly inspired the new inclusive imprint
^"Cornerstone- #Merky Books". penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2020. The imprint launched with Stormzy's first book, Rise Up, in autumn 2018
^Chandler, Mark (20 January 2020). "Adimora returns to HarperCollins in new diversity role". The Bookseller. Retrieved 28 July 2020. Adimora, who has been named audience development manager, diversity & inclusion, starts on 10th February.
^Breary, Jazzmine (April 2013). "Let's not forget,"(PDF). Writing the Future: Black and Asian Writers and Publishers in the UK Market Place (Spread the Word). p. 30.
