Marketing and Selling to “US Book Buyers of Color”

A new study investigates the reading and book-buying preferences of readers who are Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American, and/or Indigenous

In the past couple years, as traditional publishers have more actively worked to build a more diverse workforce and acquire books by underrepresented authors, a lingering challenge remains: Many big publishers, who understand and focus on white audiences, urgently need an education in non-white book buyers: who they are, what they read and why, and how they discover books.

In a live session hosted by the Authors Guild on Sept. 13, Peter Hildick-Smith, CEO of book audience research firm Codex Group, shared key insights from his firm’s recently completed survey, US Book Buyers of Color. This is a major national study and the first of its kind to be independently conducted; it was partly underwritten by the Authors Guild as well as traditional publishers. Its purpose: to provide guidance to publishers so they can better address challenges, identify market gaps, and unlock growth. Note that the highlights here pertain only to adult book buyers of color; the children’s market was left unaddressed. For the purposes of the study, the terms of color and BIPOC were used to describe book buyers who are Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American, and/or Indigenous. Also, the survey was conducted during the first quarter of 2021, during an intense period of the pandemic, which could skew results.

One in four adult book buyers are buyers of color. They buy more new books per month, on average, than white book buyers. They skew younger than white book buyers and politically they are more progressive. Just like white buyers, reading books ranks as their number-one priority in terms of daily activity.

Book buyers of color are open to many more reading formats than white readers. They are “not as locked into the formal concept of the book but looking to get stories in a myriad of formats,” Hildick-Smith said. Book buyers of color are more likely than their white counterparts to listen to audiobooks, read graphic novels or comics, and read serials and shorts. They’re also more purposeful in reading—it’s less about entertainment and more about learning and improving. “There is typically a goal” in reading, Hildick-Smith said.

While loyalty to an author or series typically plays the most important role in selling a book to a white book buyer, that effect is less pronounced for book buyers of color. Hildick-Smith thinks that may be due to a lack of representative authors for them to develop loyalty to. As far as purchasing books in categories specifically associated with color, the majority of book buyers of all races say that such books (both fiction and nonfiction) should have an author who is from that race, ethnicity, or background. Also, 95 percent of all book buyers agree that it’s important for authors of color to be identified as such in the marketing. Hildick-Smith advised that publishers and authors be clear about this in the book description or jacket copy. If it’s too subtle, there’s a chance buyers won’t realize the book is by an author of color.

While mystery, thriller, and suspense dominate today’s bestseller lists, there is a big gap in terms of Black reading. Hildick-Smith described this as a “big opportunity” for publishers and suggested there is a major market gap in developing thriller authors of color. Other underdeveloped areas—where publishers have more work to do—include science fiction and fantasy and literary fiction. In nonfiction categories, cooking is a category where publishers have a significant opportunity to close a gap; crafts and collecting, among others, also represent opportunities. Black buyers tend to be more active in the nonfiction categories of money and investing and entrepreneurship. They also buy more urban fiction, romance, poetry, and YA fiction than white buyers.

Book buyers of color are more likely to use social media to discover books. Hildick-Smith was quick to point out this isn’t simply about age difference in the market. Even among older BIPOC book buyers, online discovery was more important when compared with white buyers. Publishers and authors who wish to reach this market need to pay close attention to their digital marketing efforts. Hildick-Smith said one discovery point is not sufficient; buyers need to see something multiple times before they buy. He emphasized that authors who wish to reach readers of color need to be doing their own marketing, particularly to reach Black buyers of fiction.

Physical store discovery is not working for book buyers of color, at least during the first quarter of 2021, when the survey was held. However, this is a long-term transformation in the market; Hildick-Smith said that 10 years ago, physical stores amounted to about one-third of all book discovery. Now, he said, it’s about 10 percent—the single biggest marketing factor that’s changed this decade. Discovery now happens among many, many small sources. “Discovery is a tough thing to solve for because it is so highly fragmented,” he said.

As far as place of purchase, Amazon is preferred more by white book buyers than any other category of buyer, with lowest market share among Asian Americans. (Amazon wins most among book buyers 75 and older and least with book buyers between 18 to 24.) Buyers of color are more likely than white buyers to shop for books from mass merchants and dollar stores.

Bottom line: Hildick-Smith said that bestselling authors often have a fanbase that reaches across all races and ethnicities, with some authors reaching across race boundaries better than others, of course. “There aren’t really any [bestselling] books that are just appealing to one audience or another. It’s bringing all those reader groups together. That makes these books as powerful and successful as they are.” He also commented, “One important factor in the way the market currently works is what we’ll call the ‘crossover sales factor.’ Most of the big bestsellers that we’ve seen in recent months, that we’ll call ‘books within categories of color,’ have a substantial white audience as well. Is that the only way to be successful? I’m sure it’s not, but that’s explaining a lot of what we’re seeing in the market today.”