CCBC-Net Archives
Re: next round of research and numbers
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From: Rosanne Parry <rosanneparry_at_comcast.net>
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:18:34 -0800
On Mar 3, 2014, at 6:45 AM, Norma Jean Sawicki wrote:
> What has been utterly depressing, and disheartening, is…. in my mind, I sometimes read a post by a person of color about mainstream publishers and translated it into…what if that that post had been written, word for word, by a white person and was directed at a publisher of color….those posts would have generated outspoken and silent rage…..It is hard, very hard…for a writer and/or illustrator to publish a book that has slow, or lousy sales….it is a fate not confined to people of color and in my bones, has little, if nothing to do with color….Norma Jean
Thank you so much for saying this Norma Jean. I've been traveling and trying to catch the conversation as I can. And I do believe that although numbers and the bottom line matter, they are not the primary motivator of people who work in the book industry. If it was they'd probably be in banking. Here are two examples.
Powells books in downtown Portland is in a neighborhood with many homeless teens, many of them are LGBTQ or in the process of figuring that piece of their life out. Knowing this, the booksellers, in the newly expanded YA and MG sections, have made a point of making shelf talkers for LGBTQ books and regular face out and end cap placement. Between the welcome of these books and the large, clean, and unlocked bathrooms, the store is a haven for queer youth. Not because those kids are going to buy the books or because they are advertising this aspect of their corporate culture but because they care. They are not just a company but members of the community. This action is consistent with their values and they're happy to do it without expectation of reward.
In May, I'll be in Taholah, Washington to visit the community upon which my recent book is based. To thank them for their role in making the story possible Random House is sending me 9 boxes of books to give away. Not mine, a variety of books at all levels, enough for every child in the K-12 school. This is not a publicity move, nor is it the first time they've sent free books to a low income community where I'm doing a school visit. They care. And sometimes that care extends to publishing a book without the expectation of profit.
Unfortunately an author cannot make a career of writing books that sell poorly. Many many writers of every age, and background fail to capture an audience in spite of good writing and all the resources of a major publishing house. Racism may come into play but capitalism is ultimately to blame. The truth is it's a hard and often disheartening business for a writer and I, for one, would have packed it in long ago if the bottom line was all that mattered. I've stuck it out all these years because I'm proud of the work of my colleagues and inspired by the difference one book can make in the life of a child.
Rosanne Parry
Written in Stone, 2013 Second Fiddle, 2011 Heart of a Shepherd, 2009 www.rosanneparry.com
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Received on Mon 03 Mar 2014 08:19:20 PM CST
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:18:34 -0800
On Mar 3, 2014, at 6:45 AM, Norma Jean Sawicki wrote:
> What has been utterly depressing, and disheartening, is…. in my mind, I sometimes read a post by a person of color about mainstream publishers and translated it into…what if that that post had been written, word for word, by a white person and was directed at a publisher of color….those posts would have generated outspoken and silent rage…..It is hard, very hard…for a writer and/or illustrator to publish a book that has slow, or lousy sales….it is a fate not confined to people of color and in my bones, has little, if nothing to do with color….Norma Jean
Thank you so much for saying this Norma Jean. I've been traveling and trying to catch the conversation as I can. And I do believe that although numbers and the bottom line matter, they are not the primary motivator of people who work in the book industry. If it was they'd probably be in banking. Here are two examples.
Powells books in downtown Portland is in a neighborhood with many homeless teens, many of them are LGBTQ or in the process of figuring that piece of their life out. Knowing this, the booksellers, in the newly expanded YA and MG sections, have made a point of making shelf talkers for LGBTQ books and regular face out and end cap placement. Between the welcome of these books and the large, clean, and unlocked bathrooms, the store is a haven for queer youth. Not because those kids are going to buy the books or because they are advertising this aspect of their corporate culture but because they care. They are not just a company but members of the community. This action is consistent with their values and they're happy to do it without expectation of reward.
In May, I'll be in Taholah, Washington to visit the community upon which my recent book is based. To thank them for their role in making the story possible Random House is sending me 9 boxes of books to give away. Not mine, a variety of books at all levels, enough for every child in the K-12 school. This is not a publicity move, nor is it the first time they've sent free books to a low income community where I'm doing a school visit. They care. And sometimes that care extends to publishing a book without the expectation of profit.
Unfortunately an author cannot make a career of writing books that sell poorly. Many many writers of every age, and background fail to capture an audience in spite of good writing and all the resources of a major publishing house. Racism may come into play but capitalism is ultimately to blame. The truth is it's a hard and often disheartening business for a writer and I, for one, would have packed it in long ago if the bottom line was all that mattered. I've stuck it out all these years because I'm proud of the work of my colleagues and inspired by the difference one book can make in the life of a child.
Rosanne Parry
Written in Stone, 2013 Second Fiddle, 2011 Heart of a Shepherd, 2009 www.rosanneparry.com
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Received on Mon 03 Mar 2014 08:19:20 PM CST
