Diversity in Publishing – Studies & Stats

— Last checked August 2025 by Doris Fiedrich.

The Basics

• Low, Jason. “Where Is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2023 Diversity Baseline Survey Results.” Lee & Low Books. Read Article
• Pope, Colin. “We Need to Talk About the Canon: Demographics in ‘The Norton Anthology’.” The Millions, Apr. 29, 2019. Read Article 

A Deeper Dive

• Akbar, Arifa. “Diversity in Publishing: Still Hideously Middle-class and White?” The Guardian, Dec. 9, 2017. Read Article
• Chong, Kevin and Tregebov, Rhea. “Diversity in Canadian Writing: A 2020-2021 Snapshot.” Writers’ Union of Canada, May 2022. Read Report
• Colyard, K.W. “How Diverse Is Children’s Literature?” Bustle, Sep. 14, 2016. Read Article
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “CCBC Diversity Statistics.” Includes books by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color, Diversity Statistics FAQs, Resources, etc. Visit Site 
  
• Larrick, Nancy. “The All-White World of Children’s Books.” Saturday Review, 1965. 63-65. Read Article
  
• Lindner, Jannik. “Diversity in the Book Industry Statistics.” Gitnux, Apr. 3, 2024. Read Article
• Milliot, Jim. “Penguin Random House Authors and Creators Skew Heavily White.” Publisher’s Weekly, Nov. 18, 2021. Read Article
• Rawson, Casey. “Are All Lists Created Equal?: Diversity in award-winning and bestselling young adult fiction.” The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, Jan. 2011. Read Article
• “The 2018 Black SFF Writer Survey Report.” FIYAH-Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. Visit Site
• Welch, Brynn. “Missing Adventures: Diversity and Children’s Literature.” TEDxEHC, 2016. Watch video
• Yorio, Kara. “Survey Shows ‘No Discernible’ Progress Diversifying Publishing.” School Library Journal News & Features. Jan. 28, 2020. Read Article

Reports and Surveys

• “2022 Canadian Book Publishing Diversity Baseline Survey – Summary Report.” Association of Canadian Publishers in partnership with the Canadian Publishers’ Council, 2023. Read Report
• “Demand for Diversity: A Survey of Canadian Readers.” BookNet Canada, May 1, 2019. Read Report
• “The Diversity Baseline Survey: Taking a Look in the Mirror.” Lee & Low Books. Feb 10, 2016. Read Article
• “Further Reading: Demand for Diversity.” BookNet Canada, May 17, 2019. A list of resources, surveys, etc. collected by BookNet for the book industry after their survey. May have some applicability to magazine publishing. Visit Site
• Shah, Angilee. “A survey of who works in the book industry gives us a clue about why it’s not diverse.” Public Radio International, Jan. 28, 2016. Read Article
• “Stella Count.” Analysis, Melinda Harvey and Julieanne Lamond. The Stella Count assesses the number of books written by men and women in Australia. Read 2019/2020 Report
• Zenev and Associates. “The State of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in the Canadian Magazine Industry.” AMPA/MagsBC, July 2021.
  The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) and the Magazine Association of BC (MagsBC) partnered September 2020 to August 2021 with Zenev and Associates to create and distribute a Canada-wide survey January to March 2021 on diversity, inclusion and equity in the magazine industry and evaluate the results. You can find more information and French and English summaries here, as well as a link to request the full survey report, all by Zenev and Associates.