Is the Literary Industry Racially Diverse?
Gabriela Castro
July 2024
Did you know that 95% of fiction books published in the U.S. between 1950 and 2018 were written by white authors?[7] Considering the fact that 10.5% of the U.S. population were minorities in 1950 and that percentage has only increased in the years since, this shows a historical underrepresentation of authors of color in literature.[3][4]
Contemporary BIPOC Authors are Persistently Underrepresented
Needless to say, efforts to understand and address the racial disparity of authored works have been sluggish. Only two of the infamous Big Five publishing houses–which control over 80% of the publishing market–have just begun to show transparency in surveying the diversity of its authors.[7] Penguin Random House–arguably the biggest literary publishing conglomerate–published a survey review which found that 23.5% of its authors who published between 2019 and 2021 were people of color.[7] By comparison, in 2022 Hachette publishing disclosed its third annual report on diversity that 34% of book acquisitions were written by minority authors in 2021, an increase from 29% in 2020, and 22% in 2019.[7] Considering the fact that racial minorities make up about 40% of the U.S. population, this shows a persistent underrepresentation of authors of color in literature despite recent efforts by these two literary publishing agencies to amplify and publish BIPOC writers.[4]
Pervasiveness of Whiteness in Publishing
A review of the literary agencies demonstrates that this diversity issue isn’t limited to authors. According to Lee and Low, approximately 72.5% of publishing, review journal, and literary agency staff are white.[5] While this report noted a moderate improvement from the 79% of publishing, review journal, and literary agency staff who identified as white in 2015, this data is misleading as minorities make up a 63.8% majority of literary interns but hold less than 30% of executive, editorial, sales, marketing, book reviewing, literary specialist, and literary agent positions.[5] It is dubious to claim that diversity in publishing has truly improved if minorities are holding the majority of entry-level literary positions but are lacking in associate positions or higher.
Not only are writers of color historically and persistently marginalized in the literary industry, but this disenfranchisement is pervasive in the staffing of those involved in the publishing industry. To underscore this issue, the vast majority of literary employees are straight (68.7%), nondisabled (83.5%), and/or cis women (71.3%), highlighting the need for LGBT+, disabled, and gender nonbinary personnel in the literary industry.[5]
Representation in Literary Content
Among youth-centered literature, recently published books themselves have diversity on par with the population. In 2023, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) found 40% of total books for children and teens have at least one BIPOC primary character (fiction) or human subject (nonfiction).[8] This is also considering the fact that many published books may not include human characters or subjects since they are imaginative and intended for kids.[8] In terms of content, the CCBC noted that 49% of the children and YA books had significant BIPOC content, an increase from 46% in 2022.[8]
The caveat to diversity in children’s and teen’s books is that it comes in the wake of scrutiny and pushback in the form of book bans.[6] While it is important to be critical of media consumption, especially for the safety of children, the drastic extent of book censorship can create an overly sanitized and homogenized selection of literature for readers to choose from.
These book bans can hinder critical thought from young readers by preventing children’s exposure to an identity they would not otherwise understand outside of verbal opinion. In other words, banning books on the basis of them being “too diverse” or controversial leaves children susceptible to others’ bias and unable to form opinions of their own. Denying access to books that address social issues such as racism, sexism, or discrimination leaves children and readers in general liable to internalize and perpetuate stereotypes they hear or witness elsewhere. This can be mitigated by reading books related with various social transgressions. Books that are related to real-life issues can give children examples of ways people interact with each other that are not positive, or healthy. Such books can be used as lessons for children to learn how to productively and prosocially interact with others. This is supported by the fact that reading fiction books fosters empathy.[2] Giving children access to them the faculties and compassion to live inclusively with others.
Additionally, readers from all backgrounds, but especially marginalized backgrounds, can benefit from being immersed in literature that focuses on characters both like and unlike themselves. Having more diverse authors allows room for more diverse experiences and creative stories. This way, young readers are exposed to literature written by authors who know from experience that they are not a monolith, but complex individuals with unique backgrounds, invaluable cultural backgrounds, worthy of being seen as they are and in places beyond their imagination.[1] It is important to inspire future leaders and adults of tomorrow.
Conclusion
To summarize, the vast majority of books published in the US have historically been written by white authors.[3][7] Not only have publishing agencies been reluctant to publish author demographics, but these disparities persist despite efforts by publishers to close such gaps.[4][7] The majority of staff in the literary publishing industry are white, cisgender, women, straight, and non-disabled, with racial minorities being concentrated in entry-level positions.[5] While we see a significant uptick in children’s books written by POC writers, these have equally been challenged by book bans in school districts across the country.[6][8] These book bans prevent children from learning about social isues, dismantling social issues in their own day-to-day lives, and simply seeing themselves or their peers represented in the literature they consume.[1][2] It is imperative to address obstacles to diversity in publishing because it is important for consumers and publishers of literature to see themselves in literary contexts and for people to practice the golden rule–-treating others how they would like to be treated.[1][2]
References
[1] Adichie, C. N. (2009, July). The Danger of a Single Story . TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?subtitle=en
[2] Bal, P. M., & Veltkamp, M. (2013). How does fiction reading influence empathy? An experimental investigation on the role of emotional transportation. PLoS ONE, 8(1), e55341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341
[3] Bureau of the Census. (1953). 1950 Census of the Population Advance Reports (Series PC-14 No. 13). U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/pc-14/pc-14-13.pdf
[4] Ghosh, I. (2020, December 28). Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race [News Site]. Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-u-s-population-by-race/
[5] Lee and Low Books. (2024, February 28). Where is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2023 Diversity Baseline Survey Results. Lee & Low Blog. https://blog.leeandlow.com/2024/02/28/2023diversitybaselinesurvey/
[6] Meehan, K., & Friedman, Ph.D. , J. (2023, April 20). Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools. PEN America. https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/
[7] Reading Between the Lines: Race, Equity, and Book Publishing. (2022, October 21). PEN America. https://pen.org/report/race-equity-and-book-publishing/[8] Staff, S. L. J. (2024, April 4). BIPOC Representation in Children ’s Literatures Continues Its Slow Rise, According to CCBC’s Diversity Statistics. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/BIPOC-Representation-Childrens-Literatures-Continues-Its-Slow-rise-According-CCBC-Diversity-Statistics
