@twistedlittlepuppy

4 months ago

As an aspiring YA author who is also a Black woman, this story has irked me to no end. Over the years, there has been a much-needed push to publish more diverse books by more diverse authors. I grew up in a time (90's) where books RARELY featured BIPOC characters and, when they did, the book was written by a White author and the characters rang false. So the "We Need Diverse Books" movement was born, along with the "own voice" hashtag. Publishers and agents made a concentrated effort to publish BIPOC authors. Agents created pitch contests to scout out new BIPOC talent. However, more than a few White authors got it in their heads that the increased calls for diversity meant their books would have no chance of being published. Never mind the fact that books by/about BIPOC are still woefully underrepresented. I've had people legit tell me to my face that I would for sure be published because I'm Black and "publishers don't want to publish White people anymore." It reeks of "oh, you only got this job or got into this school because you're Black." There is no affirmative action in publishing, just a realization that children who are BIPOC/LGBTIA+/disabled/from underrepresented religions and cultures deserve to see themselves. For people like Cait Corrain to come over and yank the chair away from these debut marginalized authors when they JUST NOW got to the table is foul (especially the rumor that she targeted debut authors who got higher advances/better deals). We keep telling ya'll, it's not pie, everyone can get a piece, no one is taking anything away from you. Sadly, I don't see it getting better because the insecurity amongst us authors is real and racist misinformation runs rampant online.

314 |