A Writing Chance: adjusting the lens on social class and diversity in the UK publishing industry

Katy Shaw*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)
    113 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    A Writing Chance was launched in June 2021 as a new talent development programme open to aspiring writers from under-represented backgrounds. The programme aimed to offer a positive intervention, designed to discover new talent, support writers from under-represented backgrounds to break into the UK creative industries, and empower UK publishers and editors to represent a broader range of perspectives in commercial outputs. Levering resources, experiences and capacity, the programme mobilised an innovative model of partnership working to explore what happens when cross-sector organisations come together to tackle a shared challenge. This article explores the origin story of the programme, its activities and impacts from launch to publication, and offers recommendations on how we can take the legacies of this work forwards to offer others the writing chance that is needed now more than ever in a post-pandemic world.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)441-454
    Number of pages14
    JournalCreative Industries Journal
    Volume18
    Issue number3
    Early online date19 Oct 2023
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2 Sept 2025

    Keywords

    • Publishing
    • creative industries
    • cultural value
    • diversity
    • social class
    • writing

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