The Rejectionist asked me to write a guest post for her blog, and I repaid her kindness by submitting an examination of the role race plays in publishing. Do only “the very best writers” make it into print? Would more writers of color get published if they just worked harder and had “the right attitude”? Following Peggy McIntosh’s approach, I came up with a list of 16 advantages that white writers can count on when they venture into the publishing arena. Here’s a sample:
4. You can be pretty sure that your book—if it’s lucky enough to get reviewed by the major outlets—will be assessed by someone of your race who operates with an appreciation of your culture’s particular literary tradition(s).
5. You can attend numerous children’s literature conferences with programming that reflects your interests and/or your culture, you can network with industry professionals who share your race, and otherwise feel comfortable as a member of the majority.
6. You can write about anyone who lives anywhere and be accepted by many as an extraordinarily creative person and/or an expert on topics outside of your lived experience.
7. You can participate in a literary event and trust that your invitation was based on the merits of your book, not your race.
8. You can be pretty sure that the person responsible for acquisitions and programming at most schools and public libraries shares your race.
9. You can be pretty sure that most major award committees are composed primarily of people who look like you.
10. You can trust that disappointing sales for your book will not be attributed to your race (or to members of your race being unable/unwilling to read).
Fledgling 
I read your post and I think it’s very good. I would add however a point that I’m not sure is relevant to what you’re saying but possibly… that an important element in publishing decisions is avarice that probably transcends race (although generally coincides with whiteness). Why else would such garbage be published as a book by Kate Gosselin when even publishers would have to concur that it lacks the quality that say, a work by a talented black author might have? If Whitney Houston came out with a tell-all about Bobby Brown, I imagine it would get published right away as well, regardless of her color.
Hey, Jill–in adult publishing, I think that’s true; YA lit is less driven by scandal, but can be just as commercial…my problem with the greed model is that publishers could make a LOT of money if they produced books for the fastest-growing segment of the US population: Latinos! Yet less than 1% of kids books are by or about Latinos…I would think there’s money in Spanish-language books, but how many presses are pursuing that market? We know people of color spend money, we know they read; so if it’s really just about profit, publishers should be working harder to “capture” those markets…and they’re NOT.
Ah yes, great point. So actually with YA and children’s, you see more of the “true” nature of publishing. You seem always have an ability to see meta!
“like”
It would be absolutely wonderful if the industry were to discover some greed for Latino works.
I’m torn on that point, L. Maybe it’s naive, but I want publishers to pursue Latino writers b/c it’s the right thing to do–not just b/c they can see dollar signs ahead. I know some editors believe that everything will change as soon as a writer of color winds up on the NY Times bestseller list. But many white writers NEVER make the list, and no one then concludes that whites should no longer be published…I guess I want publishers to be in business to make beautiful, important books, whether they’re bestsellers or not…
A very insightful post! As an aspiring author of children’s literature, I myself am frequently faced with some of these burning questions:
– Does a foreign-sounding writer’s name (if s/he refuses to write under a pseudonym) close more doors than opening them?
– Does a book/manuscript truly stand on its merit alone always?
– Is it imperative that a multi-cultural manuscript (even in children’s lit.) have some ‘sensational element’ to it in order to grab attention in the publishing world?
– Is it a defeatist attitude on the part of writers of foreign origin to begin their writing venture thus burdened?
and so on…
Your post answers some of these questions and touches upon a few others… Thanks!
Zetta, your post is so needed. I’m glad that you’re speaking up on the subject. A lot of people are not aware of the privileges that are on their side, and do not realize the prejudice POC writers face.
I would add that even if/when a writer of color makes it to the NYT (I’m thinking of Cynthia Leitich Smith for example, who is Native Indian, and writes about POC characters, of course there is Jacqueline Woodson, Nikki Grimes), the industry seems slow to move and to pick up on that…
Don’t know if you saw this in today’s NY Times, about a new book on Henry Aaron. The author of the review, who is a POC, begins his review by writing:
“I’m not sure what this says about America, or about publishing or baseball or sports writers, but it has taken 36 years for a proper full-dress biography of Henry Aaron, the man who, in 1974, broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, and did so as a black man playing for Major League Baseball’s first franchise in the Deep South. His is a great American life, and Howard Bryant’s “Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron” rises confidently to meet it.”
*********
I haven’t seen these sorts of comments in The Times before….
That is encouraging, Jill–thanks for sharing…
Nathalie–you could add Sherman Alexie to that list, too. What I find publisher do is to focus on that one author, rather than actively seeking out other voices…or those “new” voices are expected to mimic the proven “stars”…
Jill, I love the beginning of that review!
Zetta, I agree. It sends the wrong message, as if these authors are an exception and their successes incidental…