Can publishers prioritise both talent and diversity?

The CEO of Penguin Random House, Tom Weldon, says in his letter to The Spectator last week that his ‘diversity’ goals are needed because ‘some authors face more barriers than others in getting published’. Coming after his assertion that talent is the first and foremost consideration for a publisher, the most obvious barrier is surely a lack of it. Rather like a penguin itself, no other publishing yardstick can fly.

This letter appeared in this week’s Spectator