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.

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.