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Re: Multiculturalism and the unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty (sigh)
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From: Naomi Lesley <naomil_at_gwmail.gwu.edu>
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 12:22:44 -0500
I mostly lurk in these very interesting discussions, but I did comment last week, in a post that I'm not sure went through--or perhaps it just wasn't of interest, and so did not get any responses. At any rate, I wanted to give one more try, because I've been really interested in this discussion, and especially in the sub-set of threads about the issue of demand. I agree with Barbara that it is an insult to think there is no market or readership among people of color, and that markets can be created by treating them as though they do exist (pharmaceutical companies do this all the time--why don't we think it can happen with readers?). At the same time, Charles makes a valid point in saying that publishing companies and bookstores will not always respond to this rationale, and that arguing with numbers can make a difference (though not, as Christine notes, always enough of a difference, or the difference that one might want).
I wanted to post again my suggestion for a different kind of activism, one that might create this market as a force that publishing houses might see. The PJ Library is a nonprofit organization that partners with local organization in communities around the U.S. to send one free picture book per month, per child, to Jewish families with children between the ages of 0 and 8. This means that they and their partners purchase 10,000-18,000 copies of the books they choose each year. They cycle through a variety of different books for each age range, because the books remain in families and get read by younger siblings. When they started, there weren't a lot of Jewish-themed picture books for younger readers, and how many latke books does one family need? But because so many families were signed up for the program, they have been able to pressure publishers to publish books about holidays like Simchat Torah that mainstream publishers might not otherwise know existed, or might think was too marginal (i.e. not able to be put out at Christmastime) to bother with, plus books that feature many varieties of Jewish life and experience that might not otherwise make it into print. Books have come out of backlists, and new authors have been solicited to meet the continuing need. Small press publishers who are dedicated to Jewish-themed books have gotten more business.
My point is not to be that annoying Jewish person who says, "Oh, we did it, so anyone can do it," or to make unsustainable comparisons. It's just to point out this model that does exist, in our community, and that has had some success. I, as a parent, was not out buying Jewish-themed books for my kid before someone signed me up for this program, nor was I checking them out from the library, because I was tired of latkes and shtetls. Now, I have become part of a market. Some I like, and some I don't, but because there is one every month, there is *variety* that my child can see. Folks on this list, however you would identify your own community...if there were an organization willing to buy books in bulk and distribute them, do you think families would respond? And how would you go about compiling a booklist? For what ages? Do you think it would make a difference?
Thanks for allowing me to try a second time...
Naomi Lesley
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 12:22:44 -0500
I mostly lurk in these very interesting discussions, but I did comment last week, in a post that I'm not sure went through--or perhaps it just wasn't of interest, and so did not get any responses. At any rate, I wanted to give one more try, because I've been really interested in this discussion, and especially in the sub-set of threads about the issue of demand. I agree with Barbara that it is an insult to think there is no market or readership among people of color, and that markets can be created by treating them as though they do exist (pharmaceutical companies do this all the time--why don't we think it can happen with readers?). At the same time, Charles makes a valid point in saying that publishing companies and bookstores will not always respond to this rationale, and that arguing with numbers can make a difference (though not, as Christine notes, always enough of a difference, or the difference that one might want).
I wanted to post again my suggestion for a different kind of activism, one that might create this market as a force that publishing houses might see. The PJ Library is a nonprofit organization that partners with local organization in communities around the U.S. to send one free picture book per month, per child, to Jewish families with children between the ages of 0 and 8. This means that they and their partners purchase 10,000-18,000 copies of the books they choose each year. They cycle through a variety of different books for each age range, because the books remain in families and get read by younger siblings. When they started, there weren't a lot of Jewish-themed picture books for younger readers, and how many latke books does one family need? But because so many families were signed up for the program, they have been able to pressure publishers to publish books about holidays like Simchat Torah that mainstream publishers might not otherwise know existed, or might think was too marginal (i.e. not able to be put out at Christmastime) to bother with, plus books that feature many varieties of Jewish life and experience that might not otherwise make it into print. Books have come out of backlists, and new authors have been solicited to meet the continuing need. Small press publishers who are dedicated to Jewish-themed books have gotten more business.
My point is not to be that annoying Jewish person who says, "Oh, we did it, so anyone can do it," or to make unsustainable comparisons. It's just to point out this model that does exist, in our community, and that has had some success. I, as a parent, was not out buying Jewish-themed books for my kid before someone signed me up for this program, nor was I checking them out from the library, because I was tired of latkes and shtetls. Now, I have become part of a market. Some I like, and some I don't, but because there is one every month, there is *variety* that my child can see. Folks on this list, however you would identify your own community...if there were an organization willing to buy books in bulk and distribute them, do you think families would respond? And how would you go about compiling a booklist? For what ages? Do you think it would make a difference?
Thanks for allowing me to try a second time...
Naomi Lesley
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Received on Mon 17 Feb 2014 11:23:05 AM CST
