This week - The Booker Prize shortlist & Nicholl Screenwriting Fellows announced! Debut author deals. The Spirit Awards now include TV. And the WGA & big agencies still at loggerheads.
Hello. Thank you so much for all the knowledge and advice you've shared.
I was wondering if there were imprints targeting the adult market, at least for the major genres like romance, fantasy and horror, with the aim to promote diverse stories and voices. Or are those moves only happening in the YA industry?
Hi Kada! It's not a silly question at all! From what I've read, seen, and researched, pretty much every major publisher (and some independent publishers too) are trying to broaden their mandate to be more inclusive. Now, whether or not they just put out a press release, or they actually decide to create new positions and departments to focus on the issue, we'll have to see. But this article highlights some of the big players who've made more significant moves towards increasing diversity.
And if the publisher makes diversity a mandate, then it should trickle down to the various imprints. Penguin Random House comes up most often in these discussions. But apparently Hachette, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins have all hired someone internally to try and address the problem.
I think the best thing to do when you're ready, is look at authors with books like yours who are actively being promoted by their publisher and work backwards from there. Marketing dollars speak volumes in publishing. And also specifically search for BIPOC initiatives when you're researching to see what any particular company has done.
There's a lot of work still to do, but I think this year has been a wake up call for most in the industry, so all the players are looking for some way to improve diversity in their list (if they're agents) and in their house (if they're publishers.)
Hello. Thank you so much for all the knowledge and advice you've shared.
I was wondering if there were imprints targeting the adult market, at least for the major genres like romance, fantasy and horror, with the aim to promote diverse stories and voices. Or are those moves only happening in the YA industry?
[I hope this isn't a silly question. XD]
Hi Kada! It's not a silly question at all! From what I've read, seen, and researched, pretty much every major publisher (and some independent publishers too) are trying to broaden their mandate to be more inclusive. Now, whether or not they just put out a press release, or they actually decide to create new positions and departments to focus on the issue, we'll have to see. But this article highlights some of the big players who've made more significant moves towards increasing diversity.
https://locusmag.com/2020/10/diversity-in-publishing-initiatives/
And if the publisher makes diversity a mandate, then it should trickle down to the various imprints. Penguin Random House comes up most often in these discussions. But apparently Hachette, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins have all hired someone internally to try and address the problem.
I think the best thing to do when you're ready, is look at authors with books like yours who are actively being promoted by their publisher and work backwards from there. Marketing dollars speak volumes in publishing. And also specifically search for BIPOC initiatives when you're researching to see what any particular company has done.
There's a lot of work still to do, but I think this year has been a wake up call for most in the industry, so all the players are looking for some way to improve diversity in their list (if they're agents) and in their house (if they're publishers.)
I hope this helps!
You did help a ton! It also gave me hope. Thank you so much.