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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 13 February 2020
Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort

By HILLEL ITALIE failed to acknowledge our Ink. HarperCollins imprints
Associated Press own limits," Miller wrote in a include Amistad Press, one
NEW YORK (AP) — As de- recent press statement. of the country's oldest Afri-
bate rages around "Ameri- According to a new study can American publishers;
can Dirt," the bestselling by the multicultural chil- and the Native-focused
novel criticized for its por- dren's publisher Lee & Low, Heartdrum, scheduled to
trait of Mexican life and the industry is around 75% begin in 2021.
culture, publishers are white, and mostly female. Amistad's editorial direc-
pledging to change a his- No publisher who spoke to tor, Tracy Sherrod, says she
torically white industry as The Associated Press disput- hopes to publish around
critics question whether it ed those numbers, which 20-24 books this year, dou-
can truly transform. were roughly the same as ble what Amistad was re-
Diversity has been an issue those in a Lee & Low survey leasing when she joined it
in publishing for years, but released four years earlier. eight years ago. Amistad's
perhaps never so urgently "Even though there may be books range from Jacque-
as in the past few weeks, more awareness of diver- line Woodson's novel "An-
when Mexican American sity issues, the numbers on other Brooklyn" to Jennifer
authors and others have the industry side aren't re- Lewis' memoir "The Mother
cited "American Dirt" as ally changing,'' says Lee & of Black Hollywood."
evidence of a publishing Low publisher Jason Low. "I first came into publish-
culture where white voices "It's still a very homoge- ing in the 1980s and at that
are valued above others. neous industry, especially in time it was believed that
Critics say flaws in Jeanine some of the executive and black people didn't read.
Cummins' narrative about gatekeeping roles." That statement was made
a Mexican mother and CEOs including Sargent, Mi- to me multiple times, so
son fleeing to the U.S. were chael Pietsch of Hachette we've come a long way,
overlooked by the book's Book Group and Carolyn This cover image released by Flatiron Books shows "American a long way baby," she
editorial and promotional Reidy of Simon & Schuster Dirt," a novel by Jeanine Cummins. said with a laugh. "We're
team and the many writers say longtime barriers to di- (Flatiron Books via AP) growing as an industry, but
and booksellers who were versity in publishing include 40 are more diverse than texts, mostly by and about there will be some growing
early advocates. the self-reinforcing net- those over 40; those who white people, were left the pains."
"Of course, we've had a lot works of a historically white, work in children's publish- same. After widespread Since 2016, the trade
of conversations, looking at upper-class industry, and ing are more diverse than criticism online, with many group the Association of
diversity and ways — as we the stress of being the only those in adult books divi- wondering why the pub- American Publishers has
always do — to address the non-white member in a sions. lisher and Barnes & Noble partnered with the United
recruitment and publishing room. The industry's low sal- "Children's librarians and didn't simply promote writ- Negro College Fund for a
of Latinos," says John Sar- aries, "often from $36,000- educators have been at ers of color, the program paid internship program
gent, CEO of Macmillan, $40,000 in one of the world's the forefront of urging pub- was canceled. that places around 10 stu-
which released Cummins' most expensive cities, can lishers to diversify the books "These recent events un- dents each year. The activ-
novel last month through its also make it hard to retain we offer," Pietsch says. derscore the critical impor- ist organization WeNeedDi-
Flatiron Books division. good people. All of the so-called "Big tance of the work we have verseBooks works with pub-
Marketed in part as a new "They don't necessarily see Five" publishers — Penguin to continue to do togeth- lishers and agents to recruit
"Grapes of Wrath," the John a career path. They can Random House, Simon & er," says Penguin Random interns; the program began
Steinbeck novel which get burned out and a little Schuster, Hachette, Mac- House US CEO Madeline with five interns in 2015 and
helped define the Great exhausted," says Nicole millan and HarperCollins — McIntosh, adding that the will likely place 15-20 this
Depression, "American Dirt" Johnson, executive direc- have for years had diversity publisher would ``recom- summer. Out of 44 interns,
was lauded by an industry tor of the activist organiza- efforts, including internships mit" to a "full range of per- 39 have since graduated
that is predominantly white, tion WeNeedDiverseBooks. and outreach programs, spectives, experience, and from college and 30 have
liberal, anxious to make a Jennifer Baker, an author and in-house initiatives like expertise." found full-time work in pub-
profit and eager to make and editor who in 2014 cre- mentoring and require- Earlier this week, Myriam lishing, according to the or-
a difference. A book that ated the "Minorities in Pub- ments that all job openings Gurba, David Bowles and ganization.
Cummins and Flatiron had lishing" podcast, says the include a diverse range of other prominent critics of Recent interns who spoke
thought would personalize book world faces structural candidates. "American Dirt" met with to The Associated Press
the experience of immigra- issues common to a wide In 2019, Penguin Random Flatiron executives. In a had positive memories and
tion instead became an range of industries. Asked if House announced a "Strat- press release issued after said they learned valuable
example to some of its own she had seen signs of signs egy Plan" with goals in- the meeting, the writers lessons.
distance from the issue. of progress in publishing, cluding the diversification — members of the activ- "It made me want to con-
Publishing executives and she said she saw "no clear of employees and a more ist group #DignidadLiter- tinue pursuing a career in
editors often shy away pathway to correction, inclusive work culture. But aria — said Macmillan had publishing," said Michaela
from discussing diversity adding that "Bottom line," the publisher faced its own committed to developing T. Glover, who interned at
on the record, but Flatiron there won't be "sustainable embarrassment last week. an "action plan" within 90 Candlewick Press in 2018
president and publisher change" without fully tak- It had collaborated with days. Sargent declined to and is now an intern at
Bob Miller bluntly acknowl- ing on the system itself. Barnes & Noble on "diverse" offer details but confirmed Heineman. Among other
edged they had not antici- Several publishing execu- editions of such classic lit- there was "an agreed upon things, she said she read
pated the "anger that has tives agreed on a rough erature as "Frankenstein," effort" to address diversity. a few "tremendous manu-
emerged from members of outline of industry demo- "The Wizard of Oz" and "Ro- Imprints dedicated to di- scripts" and contributed to
the Latinx and publishing graphics: Entry level posi- meo and Juliet" to honor verse voices have been the illustrator meetings.
communities." tions, notably in public- Black History Month, which around for decades and "I am still seeking to be a
"The fact that we were ity and marketing, are the takes place in February. continue to be formed, part of publishing and striv-
surprised is indicative of a most diverse, while high- The covers featured illustra- among them One World ing to have more diverse
problem, which is that in level editorial jobs are more tions of the main charac- at Penguin Random House and inclusive stories and
positioning this novel, we white; employees under ters with dark skin, while the and Simon & Schuster's 37 environments," she said.q