Andrew Lloyd Webber has commissioned new research into why few black and Asian actors make it to the stage – so why aren’t book publishers doing the same?

British publishing and the stage have a problem with diversity. But when it comes to action rather than words, the theatre leaves book publishing standing. I have been commissioned by Andrew Lloyd Webber to lead research into why few black and Asian actors make it to the stage as he is “deeply concerned” about the lack of diversity, as he said last week.

Though book publishers echo the composer’s concern, no individual or company of similar stature has put their hand in their pocket in the same way. It took the tiny writers’ development agency Spread the Word to pay for a report – Writing the Future, which I edited last year – that blew the lid on why many black and Asian novelists are being failed.

Of course there are overlaps between the two sectors: an automatic default to white norms when casting leads or commissioning books where race is not relevant; over-representation of the white, upper-middle class at every level from drama schools and creative writing courses to casting directors and literary agents; and reliance on a white literary canon that excludes black and Asian actors, audiences and readers.

But there are significant differences, and book publishing lags behind. One agent reported: “In recent feedback on a memoir by a black author several editors asked me, ‘Do enough black people buy books?’ I was gobsmacked, the title didn’t sell to a publisher.” Another source said, “I remember being told to make sure one half of a love relationship was white, because white readers would have problems reading books with ‘foreign’ settings or all-black casts.” We also found a tendency to publish BAME writers as literary fiction rather than genre, where more money is made.

This passivity is rare amongtheatrical agents. They are proactive, signing up young actors of colour while still at drama school. One typical black drama graduate told me he had been in work constantly since being poached by his agent at drama school 18 months ago.

The disparity reflects demand. A boom in money-spinning musicals led by black casts, shows such as Dreamgirls, The Lion King and Motown has seized the West End, leaving casting directors competing for talent.

But what this all reflects is a wider recognition in theatre than in book publishing that a lack of diversity now has long-term implications. Lloyd Webber supports this research because he recognises if theatre is to be sustainable, it needs to reflect the society from which it draws its audiences. By 2051, one in five Brits will be from an ethnic minority. If those people don’t see themselves reflected on page or stage, then theatre and publishing will become increasingly irrelevant.