...us publishers and publicists to improve where we can. I have few/no easy answers, but just wanted to suggest that while we obviously get to know the people at EIBF as we pitch to them every year, and we're mostly all of middle class standing, we're not 'lobbying' and it's not a 'stitch-up' IMO...
Systemic bias in the publishing and pitching process? Likely, but I hope McGarvey checked with his, I assume, London-based publicist that they did indeed pitch his book to EIBF as if they didn't, that's a whole other conversation on internal bias. But I digress. We pitch, we win/lose, we move on.
I’m also sure the claim that working class people don’t get platformed at the festival would be news to at least two of the five people on stage last night at the Fierce Salvage event. But we’re all queer so we don’t- [a shepherds hook emerges to drag me away before further discourse continues]