Neurodiverse Children’s Books

Will Chalk talks to 3 recent graduates from our Media, Journalism and Publishing BA

Ugne Matuliauskaite,Ciara Myton andAnnabelle Coleman all work at Sweet Cherry Publishing, a multi-award-winning children’s book publisher. They all share their experiences with our podcast host, Will Chalk.

Will Chalk talks to alumni, Abby Shaw

Abby Shaw - is a recent graduate from Media, Journalism and Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. Abby is an Editorial Assistant at Bloomsbury, in the Childrens Division.

Neurodiverse Children’s Books

Children’s books that accurately reflect neurodiverse characters and themes have been hailed as “the latest publishing trend” in 2023, as publishers begin to realise the commercial potential of a previously underserved reading market. At a time when more and more school children are being diagnosed as having special educational needs, research shows that class study of neurodiverse books can be helpful to foster inclusion and greater understanding of these conditions. In this podcast, Richard Woolley asks to what extent neurodiverse books are making their way into secondary schools, with expert commentary from the frontline of teaching from Jen Owen.

Transforming the YA Publishing Industry

In this podcast episode, Lily Carreiro covers the trends following the rise in popularity of Young Adult book subscription boxes among readers, from their redefinition of the book as an immersive, collectable product, to their ability to draw together an active community of bibliophiles on social media. The widespread book publicity and online exchange of ideas that have followed among new generations have urged industry professionals to reconsider the YA book market’s own trajectory, but what can publishers do to adapt and thrive in the face of tenacious and assertive young consumers?

Inclusivity in Children’s Books for SEND

In this episode ofOxford International Centre for Publishing Podcast, Associate Trainee Tugce Bicakci-Syed dives deep into the topic of inclusivity in children’s & YA publishing. Drawing on the results of CLPE’s Reflecting Realities research, Bicakci-Syed explores how simply increasing diverse representation is not enough on the journey towards true inclusivity, particularly for children with SEND. Featuring the publisher Sanjee De Silva from Sweet Cherry Publishing on a discussion about their new imprint Every Cherry, the episode highlights the significant role of real-life experiences in achieving authentic representation and the research behind designing an imprint tailored for children with SEND.