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Diversity Initiatives
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From: Daniel Nayeri <daniel_at_workman.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:17:08 +0000
Dear friends and colleagues,
I'd love to say just three things, not all of them impertinent.
1. If I took the award committee for the Newbery or Caldecott of almost any year and give each individual a book deal, it would be the most homogenous frontlist I have ever published in my entire career, and I would be rightfully skewered for it.
2. The much-maligned CBC Diversity Committee is meeting today, after speaking with the heads of HR at many of the larger houses to continue real and tangible efforts to increase diversity hires (I’m a recent one, for example). And our members are attending the Baruch College career fair to actively recruit minority students as well. (Trust me, I've watched Andrea Pinkney take time away from her work & family to attend after-school programs--and when the creator of Cheetah Girls tells a room full of minority kids to consider publishing, they listen, and it's more than "just talk"). These are two walk-the-walk examples from this week alone. They represent just a fraction of the efforts of our committee. If you'd like to support the efforts, just let us know—there's room for every shoulder—and most of us have social graces well beyond my own. I’m going to put a smiley-face here for tone: :)
3. There is no scrupulous way for publishers to "pressure" or "push hard," against the award-winners of YALSA prizes. That is not, nor should it ever be taken as role of the Diversity Committee. It would be a disaster and the results would be to make all the big budget bestsellers into the award winners as well (look at the massive "For Your Consideration" campaigns movie studios run for movies like Avatar...they work). I adore the integrity of that divide in the book world.
If a book has won that you disagree with, then the best recourse would not be to open the floodgates of publisher input (from me alone you'd get a list of opinions long enough to make Martin Luther blush :) ). The make-up of the committee and their decisions are a wonderful area of discussion, but I imagine the people with the most educated and influential input would be the librarians themselves.
With much gratitude and good attitude, Daniel Nayeri
Author of: Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow<http://vimeopro.com/plywoodpictures/strawhouse> Read<http://www.danielnayeri.com/> :: Friend<http://www.facebook.com/danielnayeri> :: Follow<https://twitter.com/DanielNayeri> ::
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:17:08 +0000
Dear friends and colleagues,
I'd love to say just three things, not all of them impertinent.
1. If I took the award committee for the Newbery or Caldecott of almost any year and give each individual a book deal, it would be the most homogenous frontlist I have ever published in my entire career, and I would be rightfully skewered for it.
2. The much-maligned CBC Diversity Committee is meeting today, after speaking with the heads of HR at many of the larger houses to continue real and tangible efforts to increase diversity hires (I’m a recent one, for example). And our members are attending the Baruch College career fair to actively recruit minority students as well. (Trust me, I've watched Andrea Pinkney take time away from her work & family to attend after-school programs--and when the creator of Cheetah Girls tells a room full of minority kids to consider publishing, they listen, and it's more than "just talk"). These are two walk-the-walk examples from this week alone. They represent just a fraction of the efforts of our committee. If you'd like to support the efforts, just let us know—there's room for every shoulder—and most of us have social graces well beyond my own. I’m going to put a smiley-face here for tone: :)
3. There is no scrupulous way for publishers to "pressure" or "push hard," against the award-winners of YALSA prizes. That is not, nor should it ever be taken as role of the Diversity Committee. It would be a disaster and the results would be to make all the big budget bestsellers into the award winners as well (look at the massive "For Your Consideration" campaigns movie studios run for movies like Avatar...they work). I adore the integrity of that divide in the book world.
If a book has won that you disagree with, then the best recourse would not be to open the floodgates of publisher input (from me alone you'd get a list of opinions long enough to make Martin Luther blush :) ). The make-up of the committee and their decisions are a wonderful area of discussion, but I imagine the people with the most educated and influential input would be the librarians themselves.
With much gratitude and good attitude, Daniel Nayeri
Author of: Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow<http://vimeopro.com/plywoodpictures/strawhouse> Read<http://www.danielnayeri.com/> :: Friend<http://www.facebook.com/danielnayeri> :: Follow<https://twitter.com/DanielNayeri> ::
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Received on Thu 06 Feb 2014 09:21:34 AM CST
