In celebration of Black History Month, the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble in New York City planned to release 12 classic novels with limited-edition covers that re-imagined the characters as people of color. But before the books went on sale, criticism arose from the literary community. Author Angie Thomas tweeted, “Here’s a thought. Promote books by authors of color. Just a thought.” Learn more from The New York Times.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
