Do you have the foundations in place to make books inclusive?
The Inclusion Incubator will ensure that you and your team have what you need to transform the bookshelves of the future.
"It's thought-provoking, informative, comprehensive, and motivating, and has already started to have an impact on the way I work."
Judith Wilson, Senior Publisher
Inclusion and diversity. It's all everyone is talking about. And you get it. You know that publishing isn't inclusive enough and you want to be part of the change.
You've made sure that the characters in your books are ethnically diverse, and maybe one or two books include a wheelchair user. Maybe you've even published a book (or books) that 'celebrate' difference.
But you don't want to just tick boxes. Deep down you know that there is more you could be doing to make your books inclusive. You want to truly effect change but you know it takes more than just good intentions.
You've got some ideas about how you could do more, but you're worried about getting it wrong. You've attended various diversity panels but you need to know how to take practical action and how to make a difference in the projects you are working on right now.
You are not alone. This is exactly the position I was in 15 years ago. Wanting to do more but not knowing how or where to start. Then I came across a tiny article that changed everything. It was transformational because it didn't just change what I did, it changed how I thought about inclusion and how I approached making books inclusive. The Inclusion Incubator offers you this same transformation.
Transform your good intentions into truly inclusive books and alleviate concerns about making mistakes and causing offence
The Inclusion Incubator provides you not only with the foundations you need to make books truly inclusive but with the practical steps to enable you to take action right away. Making inclusive books is not just about putting a diverse range of characters in books. It's HOW you include them and represent them that makes a book truly inclusive.
If you don't have these foundations in place, it's likely that the impact you have is the opposite of what you intend. Instead of including characters who are marginalised, you might actually be further 'othering' them. (Well-intentioned or inauthentically inclusive books can cause more harm than good.) And I know that's not what you want.
The Inclusion Incubator will alleviate concerns about making mistakes or causing offence. Not because it will provide you with all the answers, but because it will ensure you know when answers need to be found and how to find them.
The fear of getting it wrong is no longer an acceptable excuse for inaction. If you allow it to be an excuse, things will never change.
The Inclusion Incubator isn't just about changing what you know and understand, but about changing how you think, and my clients have found the mindset work really powerful.
"Beth ran her training programme with a large number of our publishing and editorial team. It was a very collaborative experience from the moment I started to discuss this with Beth and throughout the delivery of the programme itself. It’s an extensive and thought-provoking programme and participants could apply their learning straight away as well as discussing and sharing what they were learning. I would not hesitate to recommend Beth."
Claire Varlet-Baker, UK Schools Director, Oxford University Press
12 weeks to lay the foundations that will impact every single book you publish
The programme takes place over 12 weeks with a powerful combination of online video training, consultancy sessions and a discussion space for your team.
Each week you'll be given access to pre-recorded content covering the Inclusive Approach, Disability Dynamics, Constructions of Gender, Beyond Heteronormativity, Ethnicity and Culture and Ways of Being. Implementation activities will help you explore where you are and start to apply what you've learned to current projects, including prompts for working on your mindset around inclusion and inclusive books.
To help you take what you are learning and make it work for your team and the publications you work on, we'll have regular consultancy sessions to discuss the topics further in relation to current projects. In these I'll gently push you out of your comfort zone and encourage you to think bigger. I'll hold you to account but also hold your hand.
A discussion area will provide a space to share and discuss responses to the tasks and topics, both with myself and other team members, in between sessions.
What you get:
-
Access to learning platform with drip-released video training.
-
Downloadable PDFs of content.
-
Implementation tasks for each piece of training content.
-
Mindset activities to change how you think about inclusive books.
-
Four 90-minute consultancy sessions.
-
Access to an exclusive discussion space for your team to talk about anything that comes up.
"I feel much more confident and even more committed to inclusivity in children's books. Where I perhaps had a hunch or a gut instinct about something not being right, I have the tools to articulate why that is, and to propose solutions."
Rose Hall, Writer and Editor, Usborne Publishing
Is it right for my team?
If you believe that inclusion in children's books is essential and want to make a difference, this programme will be a game changer, whether your knowledge around inclusion is basic or whether you feel like you are already making good progress in this area.
The Inclusion Incubator was created with children's picture and illustrated books in mind as the content looks at illustrations and text. Signing up a team ensures that everyone working on a list is on the same page and allows for peer to peer support and consolidation of learning.
The content is written with picture books in mind, but the learning can be applied to other types of publications, I've worked with various teams from secondary humanities to ELT, so get in touch to discuss if it might be right for you.
(If you are self-employed, check out my similar programme, Foundations for Inclusion.)
"This programme is invaluable to anyone directly involved in influencing the path of the next generation."
Karra McFarlane, Publisher
What's the investment?
The Inclusion Incubator is an investment for the books you and your team are working on now and in the future. You will develop an understanding and awareness of issues regarding inclusion, and how to apply these to real projects, as well as pointers from each unit that you can use as guidelines. going forwards.
It will transform how you approach making books inclusive.
The investment depends on the size of the team and we can discuss the specifics for your team on a call. As a starting point for budgeting, the investment is currently £9400 for a team of five and £11800 for a team of eight.
FAQs
What's the breakdown of the programme?
-
Welcome video
-
Eight pre-recorded videos of teaching content released in weeks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11
-
Implementation and mindset tasks to challenge thinking
-
Four 90-minute consultancy sessions in weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12
-
Discussion space for sharing responses and peer support
How much time will participants need to dedicate to the programme?
The programme is designed to fit around work responsibilities, although you will need to block out time to dedicate to it. At least 1.5-2 hours a week would probably be sufficient.
-
The videos are 20-30 minute long and the tasks will take about an hour.
-
Consultancy sessions are 60-90 minutes long and to get the most out of them it's advised that you consider what you want to discuss in advance and supply any specific questions and PDFs 24 hours prior to the session so that I can prepare.
-
Time spent in the discussion space is dependent on how much each participant shares, the peer support each person gives and receives and the number in the team. Further reading is also recommended but is optional.
How will the consultancy sessions be hosted?
All the sessions will be hosted in Teams and recorded for later or repeat viewing.
Can I expect responses to my posts in the discussion space?
Yes. I will aim to respond to posts in the discussion space within 72 hours, Monday-Thursday.
What size teams can be accommodated?
To get the best out of the consultancy sessions, the ideal team size would be six people. For larger teams the group would be split for the consultancy sessions.
Will I receive any evidence I've completed the programme?
Participants who engage with the tasks, share their responses in the discussion space and complete the evaluation form will receive a PDF certificate of completion.
I'm self-employed. How can I get this support?
If you are self-employed in the publishing industry/children's book world, I have a similar programme designed just for you. Check out Foundations for Inclusion.
If your question hasn't been answered above, please get in touch.