Trade bodies launch updated industry statement on professional values

An updated industry statement on professional values and behaviours has been launched today by the Publishers Association, Society of Authors, Booksellers Association and Association of Authors’ Agents.

The document, originally launched five years ago, has been updated by representatives of the industry associations in consultation with their memberships.

A number of new organisations have also endorsed the statement, including; Association of Illustrators, Translators Association, Publishing Scotland, Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), Writers Guild of Great Britain.

The statement offers a clear, updated and robust set of professional values aimed at uniting and taking the industry forward. The overall structure of the document has been changed so that it now encompasses ten points, with additional emphasis on areas such as mental health. More reference to online behaviour and social media discourse has also been incorporated.

Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association said: ‘Continued collaboration between our organisations on the issues that matter most to our industry is vital. Five years on, the time felt right to reconvene and look carefully at this document to see what could be done to further improve and embed it. We will all be taking this opportunity to raise further awareness about this strengthened statement within our memberships and throughout the industry.’

The associations involved are clear that they are not standards bodies, but that they “believe that an industry commitment of this kind can support an industry-wide culture we can be proud of – one which is welcoming to all, respectful of all, and supportive of all.”

Literary agent Natalie Jerome, co-convener of an industry EDI Forum in which the updated statement was developed, said: ‘Building on the foundations of the original 2018 statement, this new version lays out our commitment to celebrating and actively promoting diversity and inclusion in all its forms, and a zero tolerance approach to abuse and the incitement of hatred of any kind. Post BLM and Me Too, we wanted to address the need for an expanded and robust set of professional values and we hope this will unite and take the industry forward. We will continue to look at ways in which together, we can improve upon, amplify and engage the industry with this vitally important, ongoing work.’

Read the Industry-Wide Statement on The Book & Publishing Industry’s Professional Values.