#BooksSoWhite: How publishing fails readers
Author Bali Rai is speaking out about the book world’s lack of diversity.
he award-winning writer, who has Indian heritage but was born and grew up in Leicester, echoes critics of Hollywood and the Academy Awards when he suggests gatekeepers are only recognising a narrow band of talent and ideas, which does not properly reflect society.
He explains: “Publishing in the UK is a white, middle and upper class monolith. Britain is 14 percent non-white, yet how many authors reflect that? If it’s more than 0.5 percent, I’d be shocked,” Rai tells AFP, in an interview ahead of his appearance at the Hong Kong Young Readers Festival.
“It is a sad fact that non-white people, the LGBT community and many more do not see themselves in UK fiction from childhood. So many — including me to begin with — grow up thinking that books are about middle and upper class white people,” he adds.
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2 responses to #BooksSoWhite: How publishing fails readers
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Obewon March 7th, 2016 at 09:36
Most modern writers today create apps, websites and ebooks instead of pre-printed books that are already outdated when available. Oracle database book authors nowadays include many esteemed experts originally from India, etc.
Mensa Member March 7th, 2016 at 09:55
I’m a school librarian and I work hard to make our library “look” like our students.
The good news is that books by diverse authors are out there — often from independent publishers or self-published. But, those are harder to find and buy. And they are often more expensive.
(eBooks help but for smaller children, we prefer they have a physical book in their hand.)
Since I’m librarian, I can’t help but give you a book recommendation: “Brown Girl Dreaming” and “The Crossover” both had mainstream success last year and are excellent. They are both written in verse which the hip hop generation loves.