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Dear Friend,
For decades, book publishers have made periodic promises to expand the number of titles by authors of color. But the goal continues to elude them, with both authorship and the entire publishing industry remaining disproportionately white.
Reading Between the Lines: Race, Equity, and Books, a new investigation by PEN America, shows why this dismal record continues, concluding that it will take a “profound shift” in attitudes and ways of doing business to disrupt the industry and ensure more diverse storytellers, characters, and narratives.
The report describes ingrained biases and ossified thinking that affect every stage of the publishing process and together work against expanding the ranks of racially and ethnically diverse authors. It also demonstrates how authors of color can face the conundrum of being expected to write books that represent their culture, but also being urged to reach beyond "niche" audiences.
Publishers are the curators of America’s stories. As the gatekeepers who decide whose stories will be told and whose will not, they have a moral and social obligation to ensure that the pluralism of American society is presented more robustly in our literary canon. Our investigation makes clear that high-profile hires and author signings represent only one layer of the comprehensive transformation necessary to create a book publishing industry fit to serve all readers.
Sincerely,
 
Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf
Chief Program Officer, Literary Programming
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