The Future of Publishing is Melanated
Call this a journal entry, a blog, an article, doesn't matter. At its core, this post is focused on reexamining the way we pursue change and the need ...Show more
Being Black often means watching as your white counterparts are called revolutionary for adopting the same messaging and patterns that your work has always been rooted in. And I think it is important that we unpack that.
Before I go any further, I want to be clear that this post is not about the actions or choices of any other person. I am not upset with anyone and there is not some random author or publisher that needs to become thread's next conversation. We're not doing that. We are talking about a deeply engrained pattern in western culture and discussing what we, as a community, can do about it. I also want to just be up front and say that this post is not meant to make you feel sad, it is meant to make you consider whether the way we are advocating for change is effective. Ok, with both of those things in mind, let's dive in:
I love when people take a stand and do something that matters. Genuinely and full-heartedly. And I think that every time someone stands up and decides that it's time to make a difference, they should be celebrated and supported. It matters and I refuse to diminish that. That is not what this post is about. What I want to do is highlight how much harder it is to garner that same support when people are so used to your position that they don't notice it anymore.
I often talk with my Black and brown friends about how ridiculously hard it is to thrive as a bookish creator because publishers and bookish businesses know that we will show up and support Black and brown authors whether they recognize and compensate our work or not. Despite knowing the marketing power we bring to the table, they are able to exploit us because they know we will always show up. We are in community with creators who make a real living doing the exact same work we do because they can afford to stand up for themselves in a way that we can't. Because for us, not showing up often means Black and brown authors not having the support they need...which means less progress for us all. And that is a burden that is uniquely difficult for Black and brown creators--especially Black creators.
And that is a pressure I greatly feel in every space I am in. Including Bindery (that is not a critique on Bindery or the white influencers who share this space with us, it is a commentary on the way western culture works). When you see me pushing and fighting and hustling to grow this community and to fight for authors, it is absolutely because I believe in the vision I have spent the last few years talking about. But it is also because I feel an incredible pressure to always prove I am worth the access I fought for because I don't want the door to close behind me. It is one of my goals in life. To never walk through a door that I don't hold open for the people behind me. It's a pressure I talk about often with my friends and fellow creators. Like I often say to you all, I don't believe we can bring change to this industry without opening the door for more Black and brown people to be decision makers in the industry. More Black and brown authors IS progress, but a publishing industry that Black and brown people don't have to fight for access to is change. Which means that there is honestly never time to sit in the work I'm doing, because my eyes have to always be fixed on who and what are next.
Which brings me back to my original observation.
I, along with a lot of the Black and brown people in this industry, feel a constant pressure to work tirelessly to succeed because we know that this industry is unforgiving...and yet every single time a white creator shows an ounce of willingness to fight for change, the very community that forces us to fight for every inch of support we get throws itself at them, ready to burn the world down in their defense. And while I love seeing change be championed, it really is devasting to watch the work Black and brown people have been consistently doing be picked up by others and generate support with an ease we know we will never receive.
And I want to be clear, I am not saying Black and brown people do not receive support. We do. What I am challenging is the amount of work that we must commit to in order to receive that support. Year after year, month after month, week after week, I watch as Black and brown people throw themselves into creating change while being consistently outpaced by anyone who is willing to listen to us. And ya know what, not only is that not fair... it's not effective.
When we say "listen to Black people", I need us to start adding, "and then tell everyone else to."
I am not sharing this because I feel like I am behind. I'm not behind. In fact, I am exceeding expectations. So, this is not a pity party or woe is me. This is a strategic conversation because I want to see real change in this industry and for that to happen, we have to let Black and brown people in the room without forcing them to outperform every single person who was already given access. We are constantly being asked to compete with people who don't even know they are in a race, and that is not a competition we can ever win. The goal has to be to change the race, itself.
If we have to keep forcing doors open so that we can do this work, we will. Trust that. But we would get a whole lot further if this community would come together and just agree to stop trying to hold them closed to begin with.
And just for clarity, I am not suggesting that bookish spaces hate Black and brown people or don't care about progress. I think it cares very much. But as a community, we have gotten used to Black and brown people standing our ground without help. It has become normal for us to win when we fight, and so no one feels the need to race to our corner when they see us in the ring. And as a result, you sometimes miss just how exceptional this work, and our victories, are. You are so used to hearing us fight for change that no you longer even notice how much it costs us to make ourselves heard. That's what I want us to reexamine. This work matters. This work is hard. This work needs to continue. And this industry needs change. But we won't get to it if we don't reexamine the way we are fighting.
My challenge to you is to help us carry the burden of bringing that change. Instead of watching as we force doors open, actively involve yourself. Because together, those doors don't stand a chance.
Practically, what am I asking for?
I am only asking for you to actively pay attention to the pressure Black and brown people are under and to consider whether you have the space and resources to help carry it.
First, let me speak for this community, because that is my first responsibility here. Left Unread started as a space where we could come together to fight for Black and brown authors and to work toward change in the publishing industry. And it will continue to be that, even as we reexamine the way we are doing the work, the tools at our disposal, and the individual goals we are working toward. The core of our mission will never change. Right now, I am very focused on pushing the envelope and helping to redefine this next era of publishing. As I have publicly said multiple times, I am working very hard to grow our paid subscriptions so that we have the necessary budget for a much more aggressive publishing schedule. Right now, we have one book coming out in Fall of this year, another coming out in Spring of 2026 and one we are working to acquire for Fall of 2026. If we want to move past that limit, we need to grow this community. So, if it is at all feasible for you, consider upgrading to the $5 or $12 tier right now and help us to nudge this door wider so we can get more Black and brown authors through. And if you got it like that, feel free to go a little wild and hit that $25 dollar button.
But if you are reading this from a link on social media and cannot commit to $5 a month, subscribe for free. Our community is more than just a budget. Subscribe and be ready to help us push these books out there. I regularly share bookish thoughts, articles, blogs and opportunities to advocate for marginalized authors. So hit that "follow" button and then read the emails you get a couple times a week. Everyone can participate in change.
(Also, consider pre-ordering our first publication. It is available HERE for 15% off with discount code: LOVEBOOKSELLERS)
NEXT
As I said above, I am not only focused on building this community. I also want to see other Black and brown imprints succeed and I want to see more Black and brown imprints being started. At the end of this post, I will be sharing a list of the other Black and brown imprints and tastemakers, and my hope is that you will go choose at least a few to follow. Whether you have another $5 you can commit or you go subscribe for free, it helps them to grow and to reach their goals more effectively.
Because here's the deal: You will see that there are plenty of creators of color here. Bindery IS committed to having space for us. But there is no space where the work is not harder and where access is not less readily available. That is the design of this country and it won't change until we change it. If this community is diligent, Bindery can become a successful contender in the publishing industry...and a publishing company where Black and brown people thrive.
As it stands right now, there are several of us that are thriving here. We are working tirelessly to overperform and to demonstrate the incredible resilience and creativity that we bring to the table. We are proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that marginalized does not mean stoppable. But the goal is for that pressure to not be on us at all. Black and brown communities are the blueprint for western art. So, the industries that produce that art should be filled with our voices. Help us take the Bindery model and make sure that diversity remains the standard. Which you can do by supporting the Black and brown people who are already in the room, fighting to bring change to this industry.
Bindery's goal is to disrupt the publishing industry. My goal is to make sure that disruption is unbelievably melanated.
Consider this your invitation to conspire with me.
PUBLISHERS:
CREATOR'S WORKING TOWARD PUBLISHING IMPRINTS
writtenreveries.binderybooks.com
justpeachypress.binderybooks.com
jemilabereadin.binderybooks.com
adeebareadsandwrites.binderybooks.com
sapphicandproud.binderybooks.com
2
Apr 10
Connect to the Community
Comments
Add comment...