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Life-changing stories
We must ensure that the next generation – the readers of tomorrow – are given every possible opportunity to plot their own future.
Since the sector I work in is in the business of telling stories, let me start with a chapter from one of my own.
It starts with my grandparents, who embarked from the vibrant fields of Punjab, India, to the bustling streets of west London in the 1960s. Not far from here, in Southall, they planted our family roots. I was raised in the warmth of a tight-knit Indian community, one of eight siblings. Imagine the chaos, the laughter, the endless conversations!
Those early memories are happy ones. The comfort of our community wrapped me up like a security blanket. We lived and socialised with Indians. We hadn’t made a conscious decision to live like this, but on my street, we all ate similar food, wore similar clothes and faced similar issues. And we faced them together. Money was always tight. We couldn’t afford to go on family holidays. And so, I spent my summers lost in stories.
A short walk away, the local library became a portal to other worlds. Books allowed me to dream – they opened my eyes to other people, other cultures, to opportunity. They built me up bit by bit from the inside out. They gave me hope.
And as someone whose first language was Punjabi, they expanded my English vocabulary. And then gave me the confidence, the strength to take these new words out into the wider world and make them my own.
Today, this is my central message to the government:
- Ensure that every child has the chance to access books. Give them books to read purely for pleasure. Because according to research reported by World Book Day, children who read for pleasure are more likely to succeed. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have access to books in my local library, my parents certainly couldn’t afford them.
- Build an education system that gives every child, regardless of background and access to a creative education. Recent cuts mean that parents must pay for that privilege. It should be for everyone. I was lucky enough to able to pursue drama and have music lessons while at school. If my parents had had to pay for these as extra curriculum activities, like I’ve done for my children, the Arts would not have been accessible.
- Get behind inclusion and representation initiatives. The more readers and listeners we engage from all sectors of society, the greater the opportunity to grow our audience base. This can only be a good thing financially.
I believe investment in literacy has to be a priority! An investment in literacy is a commitment to our collective futures with a life-changing impact on millions. Reaching into schools, homes and communities, we must work together to form early reading habits that will last a lifetime.This means tearing down the barriers. Building accessibility. Ensuring that we engage with the working class and neglected communities. To increase literacy and expand social mobility.
We are failing in this pursuit. Disturbingly, the Publishers Association reports that one in seven primary schools lacks a library. Both public and university libraries have faced sustained budget cuts. Literacy is the gateway to education and opportunity. And our sector can help. We must unleash our world-leading publishing industry to get children reading.
It is our duty to seek out and amplify voices from every walk of life. Because inclusivity matters. On our pages. And in our offices
I call on politicians to back our libraries. We should have one in every school. We should have one in every town. We must reverse budget cuts that have paralysed public libraries across the nation. It’s high time to recognise their value. Restore them to their rightful place at the beating heart of communities up and down the country. These should be shared assets where anybody can reach for the shelves and alter the course of their lives forever.
And in return, as an industry, we must ensure that when those readers reach for those books, they find themselves represented. That they feel part of the story. We must honestly and authentically reflect the broadest possible range of people and lived experiences. It is our duty to seek out and amplify voices from every walk of life. Because inclusivity matters. On our pages. And in our offices.
We are already opening our doors, but we can open them a little wider. We are making progress. The Inclusivity Action Plan, developed with Creative Access is an important step forward. But we mustn’t allow the pace of this positive change to slow as we plot a path to a fairer future.
We must make it crystal clear: publishing is for everyone. This presidency is for everyone. I want to sit there, in the audience, in years to come, and see people of every background bringing their lived experience to the fore. Making their mark. Outlining their vision for this industry.
The journey from my west London childhood home is barely 10 miles away, 45 minutes on the Tube. But there is a whole world between that young girl that sought escape through her first library card, and the woman standing here today. A world of adventure and knowledge. A wealth of experience and perspective. All discovered in the pages of countless books, spoken by narrators, brought to life by illustrators. A world of stories that have shaped my own. We must ensure that the next generation – the readers of tomorrow – are given every possible opportunity to plot their own future. The stories we tell change lives.
Perminder Mann is c.e.o. of Bonnier Books UK, and is incoming president of The Publishers Association
