03/08/2021

Earlier this year the University of Queensland Press (UQP) won the ABIA Small Publisher of the Year award. As part of our series exploring the initiatives behind this, here they outline some of their efforts to becoming a more inclusive employer, and the commitment the press has made to diversity and inclusion:

From diverse stories to diverse staff

‘UQP’s commitment to publishing diverse voices and connecting readers with their stories is fundamental to who we are as a business,’ says UQP Director Ben James. ‘In 2021, 45% of our adult list is authored by First Nations writers and over the last couple of years we’ve been working hard to become a more inclusive employer.’

In January 2020, UQP launched its Indigenous Placement Program, an industry leading paid twelve-month program to offer an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander undergraduate a pathway into publishing. ‘We created our program with a long-term commitment to building career opportunities,’ says Ben. ‘Successful candidates become UQP employees and have a genuine opportunity to influence our organisational culture and contribute to many of our projects.’

Now in its second year, the Indigenous Placement Program employee reports to the UQP Marketing and Publicity Manager Louise Cornegé and works across the sales, marketing and publicity functions in a critical role as Communications Assistant. The program fully complies with the Anti-Discrimination Act and Fair Work, and also offers one day each week as paid study leave; if a candidate is not already studying, they are offered an opportunity to undertake a relevant qualification to their career aspirations. Further, UQP tailors each internship so that the goals are aligned to each candidate’s career aspirations.

The current Communications Assistant, Yasmin Smith, is immersed in all aspects of the business, by shadowing publicists on book campaigns, attending acquisitions meetings, working with editors on edits and proofreads, and subbing in as a bookseller on occasion at local Brisbane bookshops, Avid Reader and Riverbend. The program also offers the opportunity for the Communications Assistant to be mentored by industry leaders outside of UQP.

‘My placement at UQP has sharpened my understanding of how small, innovative publishing houses can harvest a wealth of literary gems to share with the world – so far, it has been an invaluable experience to be mentored by a team with insatiable curiosity, an abundance of industry knowledge, and a commitment to giving life to books which purposefully alter and diversify the current landscape of Australian publishing,’ says Yasmin.

Diversity and inclusion takes many forms

UQP also partnered with Vision Australia in 2020 to give a person with low vision the opportunity to intern for three months. Chrissy Brincat, now completing a Masters of Writing, Editing and Publishing at the University of Queensland, worked within the editorial team, managing submissions and being given opportunities to work on manuscript edits.

Chrissy wrote about her experience at UQP for Books + Publishing, saying:

'It was invaluable to learn how all the facets of a publishing company— sales, marketing and editorial—work together to create the wonderful books we get to read. Working at UQP was a phenomenal opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a traditional publishing company.'

The learning went both ways, with Chrissy also helping inform how UQP approach accessible publishing.

UQP will continue its relationship with Vision Australia, becoming an employer of choice for those with low vision keen to pursue a career in publishing.

‘Diversify amongst our staff is incredibly important to our ongoing success and to our strategic objectives,’ says Ben James, ‘as well as it fundamentally being the right thing to do. We look forward to continuing to recruit a more diverse workforce in the future. We are also prioritising diversity amongst readership, and our marketing and publicity team work hard to reach new readers via the UQP website and their targeted marketing and publicity campaigns that has seen them collaborate with outlets such as SBS Voices, Blackfulla Bookclub and NITV.’

Learn more

You can find out more about UQP on their website, and an overview of other UQP initiatives in this article. UQP Publishing Director Madonna Duffy spoke about some of their Diversity and Inclusivity initiatives as part of the BookUp Conference.