Author Lionel Shriver attacks Penguin publisher's inclusion policies

Shriver says the new measures will make 'literary excellence' secondary 'to ticking all those ethnicity, gender boxes'

Lionel Shriver, the famed author of We Need To Talk About Kevin, has called Penguin Random House “drunk on virtue” after the publisher announced new measures to further inclusively and diversity among their writers.

The organisation has pledged that their employees will reflect the UK population by 2025, their website stating that they will be “taking into account ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social mobility and disability” for future hires.

Writing for The Spectator, Shriver says the new measures will make ”literary excellence” secondary “to ticking all those ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual preference and crap-education boxes.”

“Drunk on virtue, Penguin Random House no longer regards the company’s raison d’être as the acquisition and dissemination of good books,” she wrote.

Penguin Random House have added a new measure where employees are no longer required to have a university degree, something Shriver also called “alarming”.

“If an agent submits a manuscript written by a gay transgender Caribbean who dropped out of school at seven and powers around town on a mobility scooter, it will be published, whether or not said manuscript is an incoherent, tedious, meandering and insensible pile of mixed-paper recycling,” the author wrote.

“Good luck with that business model. Publishers may eschew standards, but readers will still have some.”

The publisher has reasoned that the measures are necessary as the publishing industry “does not currently reflect the society we live in”. They add that inclusivity is “both a cultural and commercial imperative.”

A writer for Penguin Random House, Candice Carty-Williams, has since defended the company, supporting their efforts to increase diversity.

“It’s been proven that more diverse workforces foster a more innovative and creative environment and results,” she told the BBC.

​Carty-Williams argues that there are currently multiple barriers preventing people from minority groups getting into the industry, adding: “How will this change unless initiatives are put in place to redress this balance?”

Penguin Random House have issued a statement on the new policy, saying they ”recruit on talent and potential”.

“Our company-wide goal is driven by our strong belief that the books we publish should reflect the diverse society in which we live. After all, books shape our culture, and this should not be driven only by people who come from a narrow section of society,” the statement reads.

“We acquire all our writers on talent, first and foremost. However, in setting this goal we recognised that we needed to do more in actively seeking out talented writers from communities under-represented on the nation’s bookshelves. Through our WriteNow programme, for example, we are now reaching communities of writers we haven’t before.

“Similarly, we recruit on talent and potential, not qualifications or former experience; in order to open up our roles to a more varied candidate pool at a time when lack of diversity is an issue affecting not just the publishing industry but the creative industries more broadly.

“We firmly believe that giving a platform to more diverse voices will lead to a greater richness of creativity and stories, rather than stifling them.”