Building Inclusivity in Publishing 2018 is a half day conference, building on the success of the past two years’ full day events. Much has been achieved in the book industry, from charters, new Inclusion Director roles and new imprints, to BAME traineeships, spare room projects and increasing number of role models. But there is  much more to be done to achieve full inclusion.

All credible analysis  indicates that more diverse teams lead to better problem solving, greater innovation and ultimately, competitive advantage. There is a striking connection between strong commercial performance and cognitive diversity. It’s the right thing to do ethically, but also it’s the right thing commercially.  The London Book Fair, in association with the Publishers Association, remains committed to keep this important topic on the publishing agenda. The cost to attend the half-day includes a number of free places for unemployed publishing professionals; highly discounted tickets for students and sole traders/ consultants and very competitive prices for businesses in the book and wider creative industry worlds.  Topics under discussion this year will be regional diversity, children’s entertainment, and the class ceiling. In addition, for each full price ticket bought, The London Book Fair will make a contribution to the Spare Room Project.  The format will include case studies, inspiring talks, and panels, and speakers will be new voices from books and aligned creative industries.