Despite its gentle and mild facade, I think publishing is an industry with plenty of murky and unpleasant stories to be told. This post is not about these stories – not directly. Instead, I thought I’d revert to my old habit and prepare a list of 7 projects or ideas which could make anyone’s publishing job better next year.
These are in no particular order. The list is not exhaustive. It is very UK-centric. And not always written 100% seriously. Here we go.
1. Joining trade unions, and unionising publishing houses
Niamh Mulvey writes about it. The Nation writes about it. #PublishingPaidMe (the parts about in-house staff salaries) tweeted about it.
Publishing houses with recognised trade unions treat their employees differently. The CEOs and management of such companies need to have different conversations about pay, conditions, diversity, strategic decisions.
If you’re not sure where to start, please use this public Trello board. Then get in touch with a trade union of your choice.
2. Publishers moving out of London
This is a tricky one. I know many people love and miss their London offices, and for good reasons. And when things go back to normal, I feel many of us will enjoy not having to work from our bedrooms any more.
But at the same time, I feel like so many publishers missed a chance to say to their staff: “2020 taught us things. Go and live anywhere you like. Come to the office twice a year / once a month / whenever.” And as a result of this, maybe more publishing companies would set up in a city which isn’t London – or not a city at all?
3. Figuring out digital
Looking at you, educational publishers. Digital delivery is no longer the Cinderella of your family. Print failed to reach so many schools and learners this year – and any 2021 recovery remains dubious.
If you sell to schools, treating digital as an add-on or an afterthought is no longer excusable. (Get in touch if you need a hand.)
4. Sticking it up to Amazon
What’s worse than spending a year in lockdown? Spending a year in lockdown while helping Jeff Bezos get even richer as a result of it. These Amazon Prime deliveries add up fast.
Bookshop.org exists. Hive.co.uk still exists, too. Local distributors need your business. Amazon will be fine without you – heck, it will survive even if you were to actively discourage its use.
5. An industry-wide ban on Trump-related book deals
Everyone in the White House probably can’t wait to get back home for Thanksgiving, unplug the wire, and start getting their tapes transcribed. Everyone in the Trump administration probably has a book they could write. And thus, his name would still monopolise the search results, news feeds, social media, long after any shred of relevance is faded and gone.
I don’t want a book about Trumps. Nobody should want a book about Trumps. Trump can’t probably even read a book about Trumps. Can we not have these books, please? Kardashians, will you allow yourselves to be so out-Kardashianed?
6. More punk publishing
In about a month from now, I will find a PDF with a Year Compass which I completed as I was about to enter 2020. This’ll be a laugh. What were my plans? What did I think was never going to change? Will anything matter?
Here’s why I mention this: almost everyone was wrong about almost everything about this year. Business, politics, health, stories, learning, books – you name it, 2020 messed it up.
It’s scary, of course. It’s grim in so many cases. And it’s making a lot of people angry.
I still hope that 2021 can be the year when many new publishing projects get started – just because people decide to do so, and because they realise it’s never been easier, and because they’ve seen the facades crumble and fall off the “big” and “eternal” players of the old normal.
Do it, if you’ve been contemplating it. What’s the worst that could happen? And, given the year we’ve had, hasn’t it happened already?
7. More multilingual publishing
climbs tea crate
loudspeaker cracks
Hello – well yes – I believe that ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE THESE DAYS AS A PLANET IS THAT FOR WAY TOO LONG WE TOLERATED THE COMPLICATED LINGUISTIC FICTION WHICH MADE US BELIEVE THAT ANYONE WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH AS THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE IS AUTOMATICALLY RIGHTER, CORRECTER, AND RELEVANTER THAN ANYONE ELSE, AND WE FAILED TO ADJUST COURSE EVEN AFTER THE SOCIOLINGUISTIC SLOW-MOTION FAKE-NEWS DOUBLE WHAMMY DISASTER OF BREXIT/TRUMP 2016, SO WHAT I’M REALLY HOPING FOR IN 2021 IS THAT PUBLISHING DIVESTS OF THE NOTIONS OF “NATIVE SPEAKERS” AND “RIGHT/WRONG WAY OF TRANSLATING” AND “TRADITIONAL READERS” BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, IF YOU MANAGED TO READ THE THREE COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES SEVERAL LINES ABOVE AND GET MY POINT, THEN YOU SHOULD SEE WE COULD DO BETTER, READ BRAVER AND PUBLISH FAIRER WITH ALL THE ENGLISHES AND ALL THE OTHER LANGUAGES WE CAN NOW ACCESS oh hello officer
loudspeaker cracks
descends tea crate
What would make your 2021 in publishing more tolerable?
I am an editor, author, translator and teacher based in the UK.
I am always looking to get involved in new projects. My areas of expertise:
ELT publishing – print and digital
Language learning
Translation – POL-ENG-POL, non-fiction
Editorial project management
Does it look like we could work together? Download my CV or get in touch via e-mail.