Who Is Publishing Diverse Books Best?

Small independent publishers are frequently lauded as the bastions of diversity, while the Big Five are vilified as the primary contributors to the overwhelming whiteness of book publishing—yet no statistical data has been offered to support either claim. Moreover, the overall percentages of authors of color have remained the same year after year (Low 2016). The following study is a comparison of the Big Five publishers and small independent publishers with respect to author diversity. As social media outlets are now claiming to change the landscape of publishing by making diverse books more accessible to readers, data was sourced from an independent, reader-driven list to determine which publishers—if any—are promoting authors of color and whether their books are making it into the hands of readers.

Curators of Culture: Redefining the Role of Editors

With the trade publishing industry constantly in a state of flux, the role of the editor has continued adapting in order to keep up with these new demands. The below research is an examination of textual critics and theories across the spectrum in an attempt to outline broad goals for the ever-changing role of editors. In light of examining the editor’s relationship to the trade publishing industry, these goals strive to increase editorial awareness and promote a new editorial approach and mindset that transcends the current overly technical state of editing. Ultimately, this research supports a deeper, more nuanced understanding of editing that increases the sociocultural value of both the editorial field and the book.