CALLING ALL PUBLISHERS, LITERARY AGENTS, AND REVIEW JOURNALS: JOIN US FOR DIVERSITY BASELINE SURVEY 3.0

Four years ago, Lee & Low Books released the second Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS 2.0) to measure inclusive hiring among the publishing industry’s workforce, looking specifically at race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. 21,753 publishing employees took the survey in 2019 — that’s 2,609 review journal workers, 17,100 trade publishing staffers, 1,528 university press employees, and 516 literary agents. The results of the DBS 2.0 inspired many conversations and initiatives to help build a more inclusive book industry.

It is survey time once again. This is an OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPATION to trade, educational, and university publishing houses, review journals, and literary agencies of all sizes. Will your company participate in 2023?

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 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 over time. With the proliferation of book challenges and bans, the unifying message that our industry has a long-term commitment to becoming an inclusive industry is critical.

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. We also need companies that have participated in previous DBS surveys to participate again.

Participation is free and easy, and simply entails sharing secure survey links 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 rest assured survey data will only be released in aggregate form—never individually or by company. The survey will be managed by Toluna, a professional survey company and the data will be aggregated by two academics from Boston University. Individual answers to the survey will remain completely anonymous. Lee & Low will never have possession or have access to of any of the survey data.

Download the Diversity Baseline Survey Overview PDF to share with a decision-maker at your company and to advocate for your company’s participation.

OK, We’re In. What Happens Next?

• Have your company representative or point person for the survey, email Jason Low, Publisher of Lee & Low Books, at dbs@leeandlow.com to confirm your company’s participation. Individuals need not reply, as we are surveying entire companies.
• Toward the end of May 2023, your company’s designated contact person will receive survey links to distribute to your staff. Full instructions will be included. We will provide wordage you can include about why the survey matters, encouraging employees to participate and affirming that their answers will remain anonymous. The survey deployment date is June 1, 2023 and the survey will remain live for approximately one month.
• The survey data will be aggregated in late 2023 by two academics at Boston University and the results will be publicly released in at the end of January 2024.

Who’s Already In (as of 5/5/2023):

Trade Publishers (47 trade publishers participated in 2019)

1. ABRAMS
2. Annick Press
3. Beacon Press
4. Candlewick
5. Capstone
6. Charlesbridge
7. Chronicle Books
8. Creston Books
9. Disney Publishing
10. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
11. Enchanted Lion Books
12. Feeding Minds Press
13. Hachette Book Group
14. HarperCollins Publishers
15. Holiday House
16. Just Us Books
17. Kids Can Press
18. Lerner Publishing Group
19. Lee & Low Books
20. Levine Querido
21. Macmillan
22. Mango Publishing Group
23. Microcosm Publishing
24. The New Press
25. Nosy Crow
26. Owlkids Books
27. Peachtree Publishing Company
28. Penguin Random House/Bertelsmann
29. Pomelo Books
30. Quarto
31. Readers to Eaters
32. Red Comet Press
33. Saffron Press
34. Scholastic
35. Simon & Schuster
36. Tradewind Books

Book Reviewers (8 book reviewers participated in 2019)

1. Bayviews
2. Booklist
3. Bookpage
4. Foreword Reviews
5. Horn Book
6. Kirkus Reviews
7. Library Journal
8. Los Angeles Review of Books
9. Publishers Weekly
10. School Library Journal

Literary Agents: (63 literary agencies participated in 2019)

1. Aevitas Creative Management
2. Andrea Brown Literary Agency
3. Ayesha Pande Literary
4. Azantian Literary Agency
5. The Bent Agency
6. Bradford Literary Agency
7. Bookends, A Literary Agency
8. The Cat Agency
9. Cheney Agency
10. Copps Literary Services
11. Curtis Brown, Ltd.,
12. Donaghy Literary Group
13. Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
14. Erin Murphy Literary Agency
15. The Ekus Group
16. Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.
17. Full Circle Literary
18. Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency
19. Jill Grinberg Literary Management, LLC
20. KT Literary Agency, LLC
21. Ladderbird Agency
22. Laura Gross Literary Agency
23. Mckinnon Literary
24. Odom Media Management
25. P.S. Literary Agency
26. Red Fox Literary, LLC
27. Rees Literary Agency
28. The Rights Factory
29. Root Literary
30. Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
31. Serendipity Literary
32. Stonesong
33. Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Inc.,
34. The Tobias Literary Agency
35. Transatlantic Agency
36. TriadaUS Literary Agency
37. WM Clark Associates
38. WordWise Media Services

University Presses (35 university presses participated in 2019)

1. Amherst College Press
2. Arte Publico Press
3. Duke University Press
4. Gallaudet University Press
5. Getty Publications
6. Louisiana State University
7. MIT Press
8. Marine Corps University Press
9. The Ohio State University Press
10. Oregon State University Press
11. Princeton University Press
12. Temple University Press
13. University Press of Colorado
14. University Press of Florida
15. The University of Georgia Press
16. University of Illinois Press
17. University of Michigan Press
18. University Press of Mississippi
19. University of North Carolina Press
20. University of Pittsburgh Press
21. University of Toronto Press
22. University of Wisconsin Press
23. Vanderbilt University Press

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