How diverse is the publishing industry?

White contributors accounted for 76% of books released in the 2019-2021 period, significantly higher than the 60% white people comprise in the U.S. general population. The 76% share, however, as PRH noted, correlates closely to the 74% mark that white people represent in the PRH workforce.
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What percentage of publishers are white?

In a Lee & Low Diversity in Publishing survey conducted in 2019, 75% of the publishing industry overall identified as white.
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Why is diversity in publishing important?

Improving inclusivity in the publishing industry is not only a question of promoting diversity in terms of the voices and stories that we read. It's also about fostering an environment where a wider group of writers and professionals have the means to succeed.
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What percent of books are diverse?

According to their most recent 2019 research, 76% of people in publishing are white, 7% are Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/South Asian/Southeast Indian, 6% are Latinx/Mexican, 5% are Black/Afro American/Afro Caribbean, 3% are biracial/multiracial, <1% are Middle Eastern, and <1% are American Indian/Alaskan ...
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Who is underrepresented in publishing?

Native Americans (0.5 percent), and Middle Easterners (0.8 percent) of publishing staff. While all racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented when compared to the general US population, the numbers show that some groups, such as Black/African Americans, are more severely underrepresented.
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Changing the Narrative: Diversity in the Publishing Industry



What is diversity in publishing?

The 2020 study 'Rethinking 'Diversity' in Publishing' found that writers of color are not afforded the same industry access, creative freedoms, or economic value as their white counterparts, and each stage of the publishing process was generally set up to amplify the voices of white and middle-class people.
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How can diversity be improved in publishing?

Characters of Color and Perspective
  1. “We can increase diversity in the publishing industry by normalizing books with characters that aren't white.
  2. When a white character is the star of a children's book, it's universally accepted and deemed appropriate for children of ALL races.
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Are there any Black publishing companies?

Broadside Lotus Press is the current incarnation of two black-owned publishers: Broadside Press, founded by Dudley Randall in 1965, and Lotus Press, founded by Naomi Long Madgett in 1972. Both founded by poets, Lotus and Broadside primarily published poetry by black writers.
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What percentage of writers are Black?

Representing 6.16% of Writers & authors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Writers & authors.
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What percentage of books published are by Black authors?

According to a 2015 study by Lee & Low Books, 79% of those employed by the publishing industry were white and 4% were Black. In 2019, the numbers had barely budged to 76% white and 5% Black.
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Why is the publishing industry important?

Even though there has not been a huge annual growth in the wealth of the industry, it has remained a high-yielding industry that provides many jobs for and keeps us entertained and educated. It's also an industry worth supporting, so keep reading and sharing the books you love with your audience.
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What percentage of authors publish?

Editors and publishers agree that the odds of being published are only 1-2%. That is, they only accept, and publish, one or two out of every hundred manuscripts they receive.
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Who is publishing diverse books best?

Consistent with market share, Penguin Random House held the highest number of titles in the list, but self-published and independently published titles came in at a strong second, followed by HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette (Table 1).
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Is publishing a male dominated industry?

Today, women make up the majority of those employed in publishing, but still tend to dominant in lower-level positions, and typically earn less than their male counterparts.
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How many publishers are white?

The Industry Overall. Race: According to the survey, 76 percent of publishing staff, review journal staff, and literary agents are White.
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What percentage of published authors are female?

In the 1990s, women finally made steady gains on the list over ten years. 2001 saw the highest ratio of all time: 50% women, 50% men, later dipping to 48% in 2016. This is a piece of our answer, and it's good news. Among commercially successful authors in Shirley Jackson's time, men outnumbered women 3 to 1.
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What industry does publishing fall?

The publishing industries (except internet) subsector is part of the information sector.
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Who are diverse authors?

14 Books by Diverse Authors You Need to Read Right Now
  • Behold the Dreamers. by Imbolo Mbue. ...
  • Orhan's Inheritance. by Aline Ohanesian. ...
  • The Turner House. by Angela Flournoy. ...
  • Girl at War. by Sara Nović ...
  • Under the Udala Trees. by Chinelo Okparanta. ...
  • The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing. ...
  • The Pearl That Broke Its Shell. ...
  • The Residue Years.
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Are most authors male or female?

Within the “general and literary fiction” category, 75% were by female authors – 75% female-25% male appearing to be something of a golden ratio in contemporary publishing. The general consensus is that young male writers have given up on literary fiction.
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How many black publishing companies are there?

We are in the process of reviewing the more than 2,600 imprints in our database to identify all of the ones owned by people of African descent, so this list will grow beyond the 172 listed below.
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Where is Amistad publishing?

HarperCollins's Amistad Press is the oldest imprint devoted to titles for the African American market at any major New York publishing house. Amistad was first created in 1967 by Charles F.
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Where is Lantana publishing?

Founded by Alice Curry in 2014 to publish children's books by authors and illustrators from diverse cultural backgrounds, London-based Lantana Publishing has garnered impressive accolades during its first three years.
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How do you disrupt the publishing industry?

So, as we head into a climate-uncertain future, here's how we might truly disrupt the industry and effect meaningful change:
  1. Print fewer books, and find ways to print what we can sell. ...
  2. Find better ways to distribute books to the marketplace. ...
  3. Cancel returns. ...
  4. Sell more digital and audio. ...
  5. Raise the prices of all books.
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What percentage of published books are fiction?

On average, about 11% of books published in a given year were fiction. Without the outlier years, that dips slightly to 10.6%. That gives us a ratio of fiction to nonfiction production within the contemporary book market.
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How many black authors are there?

A list of Over 5,300 Black Authors Profiled on the African American Literature Book Club.
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