How we built WriteNow, our flagship inclusion programme

In 2016 we launched WriteNow – our programme to find, mentor and publish talented new writers from under-represented communities.

Three years later it's incredibly exciting that WriteNow has picked up two awards in nearly as many weeks for ‘Regional Impact’ at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards and ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the UK Social Mobility Awards.

Here’s how we did it.

Why we launched WriteNow

For those unfamiliar with the publishing landscape, the books we tend to see on our shelves do not reflect the diverse society of the UK. Missing are too many writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQ writers and writers from working class backgrounds – their stories left untold.

The issue we were trying to solve was complex and ingrained in a decades-old industry.

Before we launched into action, it was essential that we better understood the barriers preventing writers from getting published. We spoke to people, internally and externally, to try and get a better picture of the problem.

There were of course a myriad of issues – from unconscious bias, to a perception that writers from ‘diverse backgrounds’ would not sell, to the fact that the editors, marketers, and publicists buying and promoting our books were not representative of society.

The key ‘supply chain’ problem was that we as publishers were not reaching out directly and connecting with writers on the ground. (For those unfamiliar with the publishing industry, most publishers buy or ‘acquire’ manuscripts from literary agents).

Knowing how to get your book published was also pretty unclear – rooted in who you know, and the London literary scene.

So, we tried to build a programme which addressed both of these issues.

Creating WriteNow

WriteNow was born from a creative brainstorm we held with colleagues across Penguin Random House who were passionate about making a change. Our early brainstorms resulted in a long list of ideas – including some kind of ‘how to get published’ road show, and a mentoring programme for new writers.

We knew that in this space we had to tread carefully and that it was vital we created something which would truly drive change. We invited a number of external stakeholders – including authors, literary agents, and writer development agencies – to a confidential discussion. We shared with them our long list of ideas, and worked with them to whittle this down into something which would have real impact.

As a result, we merged our two ideas – the road show and the mentoring – and ended up with WriteNow (we also abandoned a few others!)

We then worked closely with a few colleagues with experience of the publishing process to help shape how the process and campaign would work.

What WriteNow actually involves

By the end of this year, 450 writers will have been part of WriteNow.

WriteNow essentially aims to do two things – the first is to equip unpublished writers from under-represented backgrounds with the information and inspiration they need to get their book published.

We do this by hosting free day-long workshops across the country – we’ve held 9 so far in cities from Birmingham to Bristol, Newcastle to Nottingham.

At these workshops writers get to hear from publishing industry professionals including an interactive session hosted by literary agents on how to pitch your book, and hearing from published authors who’ve made it including Malorie Blackman, Elif Shafak and Alan Johnson MP.

Most importantly we give writers personalised feedback on their work from one of our expert editors. We also connect them with one another both at the events themselves and via a Facebook community. Writing is a lonely business and often meeting people in the same position as you can be one of the biggest positive outcomes of WriteNow.

Writers apply for the programme – normally around 2,000 each year – and their applications are assessed by our editors, so we know that the writers taking part have real talent and promise. To be eligible, writers need to be unpublished and also define themselves as coming from a background or community under-represented in books and publishing.

Last year, 98% of participants said that being part of these workshops made them more confident in their future as a writer. 

The second aim of WriteNow is to discover exciting new talent who we want to publish. Each year we invite around 10 writers to join our mentoring programme, matching them with one of our editors for a year to develop their manuscript.

By the end of this year over 30 writers will have been part of this mentoring programme.

So far, we’ve acquired books from six of the writers, with many more to come. In essence we have created a new route to publication for Penguin Random House, helping to ultimately change the makeup of our publishing.

What have we learnt?

 So, so much. If I had to distil this into five key things:

1.     Remember the power of the external. Ask for views, and listen to them – even if it’s not what you want to hear.

2.     Think inclusively about inclusion. Whether that’s the language you use, or the adjustments you make to your process or systems to make them accessible to everyone. For example, we’ve provided a remote option for writers with a disability to apply for WriteNow who cannot leave their house.

3.     Don’t go it alone. Tap into the knowledge and expertise of organisations already doing it – for each WriteNow event we work with a local writer development charity.

4.     Nothing exists in isolation. You can’t just launch into an outreach programme like WriteNow without also thinking about how you tackle unconscious bias within your organisation for example.

5.     Constantly evolve and adapt your approach. Each year we’ve made changes to what our workshops look like and how we manage our mentoring programme based on feedback from colleagues and the writers themselves.

What’s next?

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved through WriteNow but it’s vital we don’t become complacent. While WriteNow is helping to equip people writing from the margins with the tools they need to get their foot in the door, and is starting to change the makeup of our publishing, we still have so much work to do.  

Vitally, that includes making sure that the editors who are acquiring new books are themselves from a myriad of different backgrounds, communities and cultures.

Our ultimate aim is that one day we won’t need WriteNow – because the books and those who publish them will be as diverse as the communities we all live in.

With huge gratitude to the people who shaped WriteNow from the beginning – colleagues Joe Marriott, Mainga Bhima, Rebecca Smart and Katy Loftus – two of our biggest author cheerleaders from the very beginning – Nikesh Shukla and Kit De Waal - and to my extremely hard working team, Louisa and Ithaka.