The Black Writers' Guild has said it is "pleased" with the progress made since the publication of its open letter in June, which called on major publishing houses to address the racial inequalities in their organisations.
The Guild is roughly halfway through a series of virtual meetings with publishers and on track to complete them by mid-September. "Robust discussions" have been had, the Guild said, including honest feedback where it believes well-intentioned schemes already underway "may prove futile". It is understood major houses including Penguin Random House, Hachette UK and HarperCollins are among those the Guild has held discussions with, in addition to some independent presses.