Jacaranda pledges to publish 20 black British writers in 2020

Jacaranda Books, in partnership with Words of Colour Productions, has launched an initiative to publish 20 Black British writers in the year 2020 across adult fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

The publisher, which prides itself for being diversity-led, said it was looking to focus its vision for the development and exposure of black British talent.

Jacaranda founder Valerie Brandes, who recently made the Powerlist 2018 for her contribution to diverse and inclusive publishing, said it was her "unwavering belief there are so many more talents to uncover" that had fuelled the initiative.

"We have been very fortunate to publish outstanding writers both abroad and here at home," she said. "To have Black British writers such as Stephen Thompson and Irenosen Okojie on our list, each at very different stages in their careers, enabled us to contribute directly to what we see as a growing pool of excellence in Black British writing. Driving this ambitious publishing initiative is our unwavering belief there are so many more talents to uncover, and our continued determination to provide a platform for such voices."

The press will be working on the initiative with Words of Colour Productions, a creative communications agency founded by Joy Francis that promotes, facilitates and develops writers of colour across genres and collaborates with arts and creative industries to increase cultural inclusion.

The open submissions period will run from 28th February through 31st August 2018 with submission guidelines to follow.