One Important Thing Publishers Can Do to Increase Equity for Authors of Color
From the desk of Embolden Media Group founder and CEO, Jevon Bolden
Recently, I had breakfast with a publisher and during the meal they asked me, like many have, "What can publishers do to better serve authors of color?" and "What are you seeing that other publishers are doing to uniquely serve authors of color?"
The answers are a bit different for each question because the ideas I have for what publishers can do are somewhat different from what many are doing. But there is some overlap, and the efforts have been encouraging.
After thinking it over a bit, I answered the questions with about five things I think publishers can do to make publishing more equitable for authors of color. I will write an article about all five, but I want to share one important thing right now.
Right Recommendations Make a Difference
When a conversation progresses with an unagented author of color and an offer seems to be the right next step, stop and recommend to the author agents you know who take good care of their clients and encourage the author to get representation.
In my experience as an acquisitions editor, I saw the clear disparities between white authors and authors of color, male authors and female authors (which had been a big gap in Christian publishing), but especially between agented and unagented authors. Agented authors often get better deals and have more positive publishing experiences than unagented ones, because they have someone advocating for them the whole way through. The potential disparity is compounded for unagented authors of color and unagented women authors of color.
If the truth be told, publishers sometimes are OK with acquiring unagented authors because they know they can offer a smaller advance, lower royalties, less of a buyback discount, and the retaining various other rights and option clauses in the contract that agents help an author negotiate. But is that OK—especially when we’re talking about making publishing more diverse and then more equitable for diverse authors?
It’s also important to be aware that authors of color may be less knowledgeable about the book publishing world due to an historical lack of access to the industry and conferences and resources that offer the needed education. They may also be less likely to have author friends, less likely to have access to attorneys and others who may advised them about their options.
They may also be unaware of or less confident about asking for what they need and could potentially leave much more on the table, leading to a poor publishing experience, unmet expectations, less-than-stellar book launches, disappointing sales, and an overall perpetuation of the inequities we claim to want to fix and limiting beliefs (read “stereotypes”) we hold about these authors and readers of color.
Opportunity to Learn and Improve
A downside for the publisher when they negotiate with an unagented author of color is that it can be a lost opportunity to learn and improve. By negotiating on more equal planes, publishers can learn from the author and their agent what kinds of unique things are needed to make their book successful—unique ways that they may want/need to engage with their audience, for example; what policy changes do they need to make that better reflect their efforts to diversify their lists; what contract clauses contain biases they hadn’t considered before; and more.
Sitting down at the negotiating table with an author of color and their agents, listening to the needs and requests, asking questions, and working out creative ways to meet their needs where possible, can take the publisher one step ahead into bettering offers and opportunities for authors of color they may want to publish in the future.
Close the Gap
Too often, there is a trust gap between institutions like publishing and marginalized authors and creators, along with their fears about not wanting to mess up a good opportunity, not wanting to seem too difficult or like they are too much, not wanting to seem ungrateful, etc.
Inequities and gaps like these do not have to persist. Going further than perhaps suggesting they have an attorney read their publishing agreement, you can encourage an unagented author of color to seek literary representation, which will provide more personalized support that will carry them from the initial publishing offer through the publishing process and, if all remains well, their writing career, ensuring less disparity in pay, treatment, and overall satisfaction, which could positively impact sales performance.
Yes, agents ask for more than what’s offered and recommending that an unagented author seek representation may feel like you are working against your own bottom line or your company’s best interest. But racial inequality, patriarchy, and white supremacy are intricately woven into things like acquisitions, deal points, contracting policies, and even the ways sales projections are calculated, and there must be intentional, persistent, and concrete efforts to dismantle them. Of course, you can’t change these things about the publishing world at large by yourself, but recommending that the promising new author from an historically marginalized community you are courting find a good literary agent is something you can do that is practical and within your power. Just this one extra consideration will give a talented writer who deserves a place in the industry a better fighting chance and more equitable starting place.
So, now, I’d like to pose these questions to you:
What are some of the things you see publishers doing to increase equity for diverse authors?
What are some things you wish publishers would to better support marginalized writers?
If you are an author of color who stumbled upon this post, check out my workshop “What Every Writer of Color Needs to Know About Book Publishing.” It’s available for free on my YouTube channel.