Hachette UK aims to be the publisher and employer of choice for all people, regardless of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality or socio-economic background.
Changing the Story is the programme of policies and initiatives through which we will achieve this aim, chaired by publishers Sharmaine Lovegrove and Nick Davies, and overseen by our Diversity and Inclusion Manager Saskia Bewley. We are committed to Changing the Story not just within Hachette UK, but across the publishing industry, in which we believe greater diversity and inclusion enriches creativity and means better books for all people.
Here are just some of the things that Changing the Story means to us.
Employee Networks
Since Changing the Story was founded by David Shelley in 2016, we have established ten employee networks. The networks enable employees to support each other, share their views and suggest actions to make Hachette an even better place to work. The majority of employees have joined at least one network, and any employee can create a network. The networks have been instrumental in a number of our diversity and inclusion projects, and all make contributions to Changing the Story in various ways such as informing our Gender Pay Gap reporting and championing BAME recruitment.
Publishing Traineeship and Diversity in Recruitment
As of 2021, in an industry first, Hachette UK is proud to launch a new traineeship programme in partnership with literary agency Curtis Brown and booksellers Waterstones! This traineeship will offer candidates from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds and particularly men from both of these backgrounds the chance to apply for a 12-month programme offering insight into the publishing industry.
The trainees will spend the entire year within one of the trade divisions or the education business. They will specialise in either editorial, marketing and publicity, or rights, and they will also spend time in Hachette UK’s central departments, such as contracts and sales.
To find out when applications are open, be sure to follow Hachette Careers on Twitter.
In addition to these schemes, we have a number of initiatives which encourage diversity in recruitment. We ensure that all internships are paid above the London Living Wage and ensure a minimum salary for all roles, and offer interest free loans to staff for rental deposits along with some subsidized accommodation in partnership with BTBS.
You can find out more about working at Hachette UK, including how to apply for work experience and a list of our current vacancies, on our careers pages.
The Future Bookshelf
The Future Bookshelf aims to demystify publishing and guide you through the process of writing, editing, submitting and publishing, so you know what to expect and how to succeed. Whether you are just beginning to write or you want to further develop your writing skill, whether you are writing for fun or have more serious aspirations, we hope that you will find something to support you here. Whether you want to know how pick a genre or setting, how to plot your novel or create characters, or how to outsmart writer’s block, whatever your story, we can help you tell it.
Volunteering, Outreach and Partnerships
All Hachette staff are allowed time off to volunteer for charitable causes and community projects. Many staff choose to volunteer for Hachette initiatives including reading schemes in schools in underprivileged areas, mentoring students of various ages, and running workshops both in schools and at Carmelite House. We have a dedicated outreach group that works with schools, colleges and universities, and a number of partnerships with external organisations that help us achieve the aims of Changing the Story. These include the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, Inspire!, World Book Day and Samaritans.
Dialogue Books
Dialogue Books is an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group. Founded by Sharmaine Lovegrove in 2017, Dialogue Books publishes stories for, about and by underrepresented voices, including BAME, LGBTQI+, disabled and working class writers.
Follow Dialogue Books on Twitter.
Diverse Future Leaders Mentoring Scheme
In addition to our main mentoring scheme, available to all staff, we offer staff from backgrounds underrepresented on the Hachette UK board the chance to be mentored by a board member. This scheme aims to develop the careers of junior staff and to ensure a diverse and dynamic management at Hachette in years to come.
THRIVE Portfolio Review Sessions
THRIVE, Hachette UK’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) employee network, has partnered with the design departments in its trade divisions to launch a series of free portfolio review sessions for designers and illustrators from BAME backgrounds. The sessions aim to help improve diversity in the creative industry and forms part of a wider programme of diversity and inclusion initiatives at Hachette UK known as Changing the Story.
The programme, which opens for submissions on 28th September, will offer designers and illustrators the opportunity to meet with an in-house designer from one of Hachette UK’s trade divisions for a virtual one-to-one portfolio session, during which they will be offered feedback and guidance on their work.
To apply, please submit either a portfolio or up to six artworks to ThrivePortfolioSessions@hachette.co.uk with the email subject header ‘Portfolio Session submission’. Candidates must be over 18 and must be based in the UK and IRE.
We encourage everyone to enter and no prior book design experience or formal art training is required. The sessions will be on offer until the end of 2020.