It is a known fact(to us at least) that there is a racial disparity in the publishing industry. Many Black writers have complained about book segregation in book stores, lack of review site support, etc. I won't bother to go into detail, because WE already know the deal.
Knowing how rare it is for more "mainstream" review sites/blogs to take the time to review Black writers, nothing hurts my heart more than to see a poor review. See, every time they give us (I say us because when it comes to Blacks, we always serve as a representation of the entire race) it justifies their reluctance to review our work.
How many times have we heard a non-black reader claim that they don't read OUR books because they find them inferior? How many times have we heard Black readers make the same claim? It makes no sense to generalize all our work by one or two, since we all can think of several non-black writers that produce nothing but crap (I won't call names but everybody know). Unfortunately we have to prove our books' worth.
WE NEED TO STEP OUR GAME UP!
We need to stop sending out this poorly edited crap and calling in gold. I know, I know, WE don't get good editors. Well Honey, God helps those that help themselves. Invest in a dictionary and thesaurus, then USE THEM. If your writing still needs help, get an editor. You don't have to invest in those con artist editors, go to a local college and find some English majors. It's amazing the work you can get for $50 bucks. Stop depending on the Company editors, I'm sure they will appreciate the effort put behind your work.
Then we come back to the issue of lack of reviews. First of all, STOP GRIPING about "mainstream" review sites not reviewing you work if you haven't submitted any books. Stop jumping the gun. Don't give me that "I only get a limited number of copies". Pardon me, I know I don't have a publishing credit under my belt and all, but I believe that holds true for ALL authors, Black; White; Plaid with purple polka dots. This is a business which means you are going to have to invest in your BUSINESS. Ever hear the saying "It takes money to make money"? They don't say it just cause it sounds catchy. Buy some extra copies of your book and send them out (it's a tax write-off anyway). You don't have to keep sending to that particular review site if they keep refusing your work. Point is, stop accusing people of "hidden racism" if you haven't given them a fair chance. Now if they act a fool with you, that's a different story.
I'm not saying there isn't racism in the publishing industry. Heck, racism can be found any and everywhere if you look hard enough for it. We need to stop playing victim and take charge of our destiny. Work harder, smarter, produce the best darn book we can. Prove to the "mainstream readers" that Our books are just as good if not better than mainstream. Break down those barriers one at a time. But we can't until We make conscious decision to STEP OUR GAME UP.
4 comments:
This is great advice Ginny. I think we need to do this for sure. We also need to be clear about the very real traces of systemic oppression still around. As our history shows us, we've always had skills but haven't always had the same access. I'm all for taking the positive and proactive route. We need to do that. And this post is a good step in that direction.
On another note, thanks for the link. :-) I'll add your blog to my links as well and I'll be stopping back. I love your blog by the way! I have to get me a pretty blog! :-)
best,
Gwyneth
Thanks. I'm glad that you were able to make sense of my rambling. I guess I'm going to have to find something sensible to say from now on. :)
I really appreciate your stopping by and leaving a comment. You're the first person to comment here.
I totally see what you are getting at. I've been trying to live my life by that very creed. At the end of the day, the only thing you can control is your own actions. You can't make other people do anything, really. But you can make sure that your stuff is tight and above reproach. You can do all you can do to promote yourself and better yourself. I get that on every level and I'm with you. The only thing I would add to it is the realization that things like racism, sexism, etc are still alive and kicking and we need to be aware of them to navigate our way around them.
And how cool, I was the first to comment! Here's to many more people finding your spot in the blogosphere!
I'm glad you stopped by today. It's been a looooong day.
I agree with you on recognizing racism. It is still very prevalent in society. Although, sometimes I don't know if it's always racism and such as much as it is ingrained beliefs and traditions along with a side of ignorance (I will have to follow up on that train of thought when I am more coherent).
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