As part of our ongoing mission to create a more diverse Jazz industry, we have been contacting publications, authors and journalists to ask if they would share their top tips and guidance to help new writers. We have been thrilled by the response and are very happy to publish some thoughts from Todd Jenkins, author of Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia and I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus

My primary advice would be to evaluate any contract thoroughly to make sure it's as beneficial to the writer as it is to the publisher, and intelligently devised. Before signing, the writer should get a definitive answer as to the pay scale, the list price of the book, the format in which it will be published, and the marketing strategy for the book. All of this should be documented in print before the contract is signed. It might also be wise to guarantee that the writer has input about the cover art.

This comes from my own naivete when I signed a book contract at 25. The publisher normally dealt with libraries and research institutes, and they proceeded with my free jazz encyclopedia as they would with any other reference: they needlessly split it into two volumes, making the cataloguing for sale confusing; they set the list price at almost three hundred dollars (roughly £220); and they didn't market it to *any* jazz publications, organizations, or collegiate music departments. Sixteen years after it was published, they still haven't sold out of the original print run. Not knowing anything about free jazz or bothering to ask me, they even put Miles Davis on the front cover. My Mingus book was issued two years later by a different imprint of the same publishing house. The price was more amenable, but they did absolutely no promotion of it even though they were contractually obligated to do so. A year after it came out, Howard Mandel asked me when it was coming out!

The one positive outcome was that it made me much more attentive to the details of a contract, and more proactive about its execution. I hope that advice will be helpful to your writers.

We are Women in Jazz Media are a team of women passionate about achieving a very clear goal: A equal, diverse, safe and healthy Jazz Industry. We are incredibly grateful for the support we receive and the very kind comments. We wanted to share with you some of the work we have been doing and also how you could support further, if you wanted to. First up, writers.

What we do

We actively seek out existing female writers and support and promote their work

We look for new female writers and offer support

Mentoring scheme for new writers

We work with our partner publications to create a diverse and gender balanced voice and ensure female writers have a place

We have created the Women in Jazz Media bookcase to share and promote female authors

We ask established writers to share their experiences and guidance through our podcast series and our ‘tips and guidance’ resource

We published our first entirely female led and managed magazine platforming women. 60% of the writers were female and 40% were male writers that we invited to contribute.

Since we started, we have increased the gender balance on three Jazz publications and one of those publications now has their first black female writer.

What you can do

Read, support and share the work of female writers

If you are interested in writing, get in touch!

If you are an experienced writer and would like to support new writers, consider applying to be one our mentors

If you are an experienced writer and would like to share some guidance, please get in touch.

If you know someone who you think would be great at writing, tell them, and get in touch!

If you see a publication that is not equal and diverse, let us know and we will try to work with that publication.