Asians in Media Magazine looks at a new initiative co-sponsored by UK bookstore chains and decibel, Arts Council England’s Diversity Initiative, to target black and Asian customers with in-store author events, window displays, point-of-sale material and prominent displays in-store. Titled ‘Books for All’, and set to launch on May 26, the pilot initiative will be evaluated in a supplement to be published in The Bookseller in September 2007 with a view to providing guidelines for retailers and publishers in reaching this market in the future – especially after recent research has shown that the book industry lacks confidence in marketing to Britain’s ethnic minorities.
Many of the books featured will be by black and Asian authors, but the choice will not be limited to them. The promotion will include fiction, general non-fiction and poetry; books for both adults and children, and both new and older titles. Samenua Sesher, Director of decibel, said: “The impressive range of titles by Black and minority ethnic authors in this promotion reminds us of how much talent there is. Books for All is a great way of showing culturally diverse book buyers how important they are.”