Breaking down barriers for children’s book creators

UCL Information Studies research has uncovered the complex barriers and enablers to becoming a children’s book creator for people of colour in the UK.

3 February 2022

Around 10,000 new children’s books are published in the UK each year. Yet a recent report, conducted by UCL, found that fewer than 2% of the authors or illustrators of these books are British people of colour.

The research was commissioned by the BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, in a drive to do more to support aspiring authors and illustrators of colour.

To properly understand the issues, they approached UCL Consultants, part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise, for relevant academic expertise.

They chose Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold from UCL’s Department of Information Studies, to investigate. Melanie analysed all children’s books published in the UK between 2007 and 2017 and interviewed 15 writers of colour.

Among the findings of the report was that the percentage of creators of colour was 3.99% in 2007 and increased to 7.8% in 2015. However, there was subsequently a two-year downturn to 1.9% in 2017.

Off the back of the report, the Book Trust announced its own initiative: Book Trust Represents. This three-year project supports and subsidises authors and illustrators of colour to promote their work and reach more readers through events in bookshops, festivals and schools.

Jill Coleman, Director of Children's Books at the Book Trust, concluded: “Our aim is that by 2022, we will have increased the number of authors and illustrators of colour in the UK from less than 6% to 10%.” [TW1]

UCL project lead Melanie added, “Working with the BookTrust and UCL Consultants has helped me gain new perspectives on possible directions and approaches for my research. The only way we can help improve the situation is by taking collective responsibility and working together, cross-sector and industry, to redress the balance.”

Read the full story on the UCL Consultants website

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