The publishing industry is broad and ever-changing, attracting book-lovers and academics alike – anyone with a creative mind and an interest in communicating important ideas. The industry has faced huge pressures in recent decades, with rapid changes due to increasing use of technology: fewer people are now reading fiction – book sales in this sector fallen by 23% since 2012, and more people are accessing content online (digital sales increased by 6% in 2016 and now account for 35% of total revenues). Nevertheless, publishing, whether in books or magazines, is still a great place to work, offering wide range of roles in a changing industry.

When I think back to the time that I was researching the postgraduate publishing course at Edinburgh Napier University, the work placement module was the most exciting but simultaneously, daunting prospect. How could I, with my incredibly limited knowledge of publishing, blag my way through 10 weeks in a real life office without making a complete fool of myself? Would I even be able to secure a placement?

A recent study this year by Professor Katy Shaw at Northumbria University has highlighted the difficulties faced by people from marginalised backgrounds, including working class, into getting published. This follows on from similar research, like that of Professor Claire Squires at Stirling University, and yet the Arts Council and other publicly funded bodies responsible for the arts appear to be doing very little to address a continuing diversity deficit in publishing.

‘The Asylum’ by Zahid Zaman, published by Arkbound Publishers in 2016, is a dark yet strangely uplifting journey down the rabbit hole of life within the walls of a modern day asylum, and one man’s ominous journey to rescue himself from the clutches of Hell.

George is a member of Bristol Reclaim Independent Living, which gets supported by Arkbound Foundation. He constructed the first poem on the evening of the Sunday after hearing in the afternoon of  the statue being pulled down and placed into Bristol Harbour; the second was on the morning of Thursday having learned that the statue had been fished out by the Bristol City Council.

The regional, social, cultural and economic disparities in the publishing world are overwhelming, as the publishing industry remains dominated by a white, middle class, privately educated cross section of British society. According to ONS figures, 47% of British authors, writers and translators had professional middle class parents, in contrast to just 10% whose parents had worked in routine, manual professions…

The impacts of COVID-19 on all sectors have been immense, but perhaps one of those hardest hit is the independent publishing industry. Already heavily reliant on events to garner income, as well as book sales, with no dedicated financial support from the government, many small publishers across the UK are on the brink of closure.

Steve Mcnaught writes of his personal experience and questions why some forms of prejudice go unchallenged

The climate emergency has been, as it so often is, pushed to the sidelines when more evidently immediate dangers emerge. Global lockdowns have hampered the visibility of the climate movement just at the moment when international climate strikes were making headlines and forcing politicians to take the issue seriously. However, the pandemic and the rising temperature of the planet should not be seen as distinct and separate issues. If anything, the spread of COVID-19 should highlight the immediate dangers and potential future catastrophes of an ever-encroaching global climate crisis.

We are delighted to announce that the Arkbound Foundation has been awarded funding from the National Lottery for its upcoming project: “Power of the Pen: Mental Health & Covid-19“.

Disability representation in publishing is on the rise. The Publishers Association stated in their 2020 diversity and inclusion report that the proportion of people within the workforce with disabilities has risen from 5% in 2018 to 8% in 2020. Despite this increase, disability remains under-represented: according to the Publishers Association, there are 13.3 million disabled people in the UK – just under one-fifth of the population. This disparity, however, can partly be explained by the difficulty in definition…

The aim of this National Lottery funded project was to help individuals tackle these issues and create a new sense of community through a series of creative writing workshops. Some of the participants agreed to share some pieces of the works they produced during the program on our blog:

The Power of the Pen project at Arkbound was dedicated to reaching out to individuals in Scotland who had found their mental health exacerbated by the social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this National Lottery funded project was to help individuals tackle these issues and create a new sense of community through a series of creative writing workshops. Some of the participants agreed to share some pieces of the works they produced during the program on our blog

We have developed a new crowdfunding platform that opens up publishing to a wider range of people, whilst being able to support projects by other organisations that need funding. The website, Crowdbound, was launched on 21^st June 2022 – in line with World Localisation Day – and it represents the only UK-based crowdfunding site with a focus on social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

These introductory sessions explore the general realm of creative writing, focusing on reaching out to those who have currently or previously experienced homelessness or a precarious living situation, and giving them an opportunity to explore the art of writing.

It is perhaps ironic that the one thing that enables so much in the world is an illusion. Its value does not arise intrinsically but instead from a collective belief that it can be used to acquire real things. To create it, governments and banks use an extensive system of inter-exchangeable loans: they, too, accept a belief that more of it will be returned to them in the future, often decades ahead. When that belief comes under question, entire economies come crashing down.

As the nights are drawing in, and the winter months are finally taking their hold, a lot of minds have turned to Christmas. Whilst some may claim it still to be ‘too early’ to worry about such things, there is a definite festive feel in the air! For many of us Christmas brings a time of celebration, especially post-pandemic, it allows us to congregate and celebrate together. Yet this year the usual joy is underlined by a communal sense of worry. With the cost-of-living crisis we are currently facing, and the cold weather only encouraging us to turn the heating up, many are worried about the disposable income needed to treat their loved ones this Christmas time. Well, look no further! Because I have complied some top tips for how your favourite literature can help spread joy this Christmas.

Publishing is a notoriously underpaid industry, and this is only emphasised by the current cost of living crisis, with many young publishers unable to afford to live in the cities that employ them, but are required to come into the office due to strict hybrid working. More flexible and remote options allow for better employees at all stages of their careers, but more so when still trying to start out in the industry.

Put simply, BookTok, short for ‘Book TikTok’, is a subcommunity on TikTok formed by users who specifically make book-related content. Long are the days of going to a bookshop to see the latest reads, now it is as easy as opening an app on your phone. BookTok has become a place for readers to share book reviews, recommendations, bookish memes, and funny videos using trends seen on the app.