5 Things Publishers Can Do to Make Publishing More Equitable for Authors of Color

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 am I 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 wrote an article about the first one here and am repeating what I shared in this post as well.

1.    If you find the author of color you are in conversation with is unagented, recommend a few of the best agents you know to represent them before things get too far down the road.

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.

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.

2.    Get to know them and their audience—really.

Go to their events. Attend their churches. Sit in on a workshop. Observe the Q&A afterward or the activity at the book table. Learn. We are aware of a gap in understanding cultures different from our own, so there must be a correction there. How do we close it? One way is through immersion.

Maybe it’s not an acquisitions trip this time and you’re just a member of the audience. Maybe part of this money comes from your publisher’s professional development budget. See what the potential author’s engagement is like firsthand. Join their conversation. Be a fly on the wall.

3.    Plan to allocate a portion of the marketing budget for the author to use toward a special marketing idea.

Could it be that you can allocate $500-$3500 for a few stops on a book tour, recording a book trailer, hiring a social media assistant or a book launch team manager for a few months?

4.    Offer them the option of working with an editor of their choosing.

Do they have an editor friend who looks like them or comes from a similar cultural context that can effectively challenge their assertions and bring out the best in their content? Maybe it’s a writing coach who can work alongside them. You may not be able to diversify your team as quickly as you may be able to bring in outside support along the key areas of the publishing process. Consider doing this for your cover design process as well—is there a designer the author would like to work with who has a better understanding of any cultural implications present in the book’s message or theme.

5.    Build mainstream media relationships with marketing/PR channels outside your usual.

Faith and culture for people of color go hand-on-hand. For example, mainstream R&B and rap artists accepting awards and thanking Jesus. Sacred and secular. See something about faith or walking in the Spirit is not at all awkward for us to see in commercials alongside something that is not about that. Jump in on how and where Black and Brown communities receive information about what’s important, what’s trending, what will better our lives, what will entertain us. One example of this is radio stations in the top 10 markets or areas highly populated by Christians of color. Another example is mainstream print media centering people of color.

Sometimes when starting or pursuing a publishing relationship with an author of color, publishers may be unaware of the trust gap that exists. Give the effort to be transparent and accommodating to the unique ways authors of color connect with their people. Have plans in place that anticipate the needs and unconventional requests.

Be ready to ask, invite, or even give prompts for questions.

Make suggestions for the kinds of things your team is ready to do that may be a bit unconventional but will serve these authors well.

Have it in your mind that authors of color may be reserve. They may appear passionate and confident, but never assume that they’ve said all they need to say or that they even know what to say.

Some of the recommendations in this article may not need to add additional cost to the book’s budget. It could mean a creative reallocation of funds that support your desire to see the author excel.

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 publisher and want to know more about how we may be able to help your team build better relationships with authors of color and build more equity into your acquisitions process, click here for more information about our consulting services.

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.