White people uphold systemic racism in publishing by not doing the right thing sometimes when it means doing the right thing will benefit people of color and especially BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people of color) in publishing more than it will benefit white people. Upholding systemic racism happens with both actions and inactions. The latter is what we’re focusing on here, which is to say, doing nothing. The only thing necessary for systemic racism in publishing to triumph, is for authors and other publishing professionals to do nothing.
Tag: publishing
The 2 kinds of diversity advocates in publishing
You might have noticed that a 9,000-member literary organization has been in the news since it wrongfully censured author Courtney Milan on December 23, 2019. I’m a member of that organization and a white woman, and I am still watching as other members who are also white women, over and over again, refuse to believe women of color. Click the title above to continue reading.
Action plan for making Publishing representative #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Author Melanie Greene wants your thoughtful suggestions for her document, Changing the Romance Genre for the Better. As I moderate the comments for anything that could make this space unsafe, I’ll be erring on the side of caution. After Melanie incorporates feedback, I will post the revised document here. Thanks and happy reading! Click the title above to continue reading.
Is your book cover photogenic? #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Increasingly, readers are photographing books and posting said photographs on social media and book blogs. This in mind, I asked my super talented photographer friend Sarah if there were qualities that could make one book cover not quite as photogenic as the next. She and I hit a bookstore to find out. Click the title above to continue reading.
Why book marketing is a numbers game (#IWSG Blog Hop)
I feel like it’s the job of every high school math teacher to drone on about how no matter a student’s desired profession, they’ll need math, and it’s the job of every right-brained student, myself included, to believe that teacher is lying through their teeth. Years later, I found out that marketing is intertwined with so much math, I had to take seven courses steeped in numbers before they would give me my diploma. Click the title above to continue reading.
Using marketing research to set up your author platform #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Marketing research is accomplished in five steps, step three being what I workshop in this post for three pieces of the author platform. Click the title above to continue reading.
The 4 Ps of marketing for authors (#IWSG Blog Hop)
The ‘4 Ps of Marketing’ form a pie chart also referred to as the ‘Marketing Mix,’ which I break down in terms of how it relates to selling books. Click the title above to continue reading.
Twitter pitch parties: pro tips, etiquette, and character-counting template (#IWSG Blog Hop)
I share Twitter pitch party tips, some general etiquette, as well as a free Excel/Google Docs template in which I’ve already added character-counting formulas. Click the title above to continue reading.
How to think like your future book buyers (#IWSG Blog Hop)
Marketers train their brains to think like their targeted consumers. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to get in the mindset of your future book buyers. Click the title above to continue reading.
How to plot a marketing education into your author goals (#IWSG Blog Hop)
How can you develop a self-guided marketing curriculum that A) is reasonable in terms of time commitment; B) involves the most relevant study material; C) teaches you enough to successfully market your books; and D) keeps you on top of marketplace changes? Click the title above to continue reading.
Raimey Gallant 