Year in Review: The Most Important Conversation

Publishers say they are committed to diversity and inclusion, but concerns linger that their efforts may be performative

Before the pandemic hit and long before George Floyd was murdered, issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion in the publishing industry were not only simmering to the surface but boiling over. The year started off with the launch of Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt (from Big Five publisher Macmillan), a novel accused of inaccurate portrayals and harmful stereotypes of the Latinx community. Controversy over the book—an Oprah selection as well as a Barnes & Noble pick and Indie Next pick—made the front page of The New York Times and resulted in cancellation of the author’s 40-city tour. Ultimately, the publisher met with representatives from the #DignidadLiteraria movement and promised to increase Latinx representation. (Here’s our Feb. 5 coverage.)

At the same time, the RWA was imploding over accusations of racism. By mid-February, the entire board had resigned and publishers had pulled out of the national conference. (Here’s our Jan. 8 coverage.) While the instigating incident was related to a Twitter exchange, it symbolized a much larger problem facing the organization—a problem that, ultimately, plagues traditional publishing: white people and Anglophone culture and tastes are overrepresented, and other communities are underrepresented.

But signs of meaningful change—actions that were something more than performative—arguably didn’t appear until June or later, after George Floyd was murdered and Black Lives Matter protests became widespread. By fall, the biggest publishers had experienced some changes in leadership. Dana Canedy became publisher at Simon & Schuster; she is the first Black person to lead a major publishing house. Lisa Lucas, formerly the executive director of the National Book Foundation, was named publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books, part of Penguin Random House. Macmillan created a new 13-person committee to oversee operations as CEO John Sargent departed. Every month brought a new announcement of an imprint devoted to BIPOC and other underrepresented voices, such as Black Privilege Publishing (Simon & Schuster), Legacy Lit (Hachette), Joy Revolution (Random House), Emancipation Books (Post Hill Press), and Tiny Reparations Books (Penguin Random House).

The big publishers weren’t the only ones called on to change. Bookstores like the Tattered Cover in Denver were challenged when they tried to remain neutral during the protests. The National Book Critics Circle saw most of its board resign when members disagreed over a statement supporting Black Lives Matter. The Poetry Foundation board leadership was called on to step down, which it did; soon the editor of Poetry also resigned. The American Booksellers Association was told by BIPOC members it had more work to do in creating a safe and welcoming community. Major book awards were renamed to avoid glorifying problematic figures. Membership organizations created diversity, equity, and inclusion committees and initiatives to better support and attract BIPOC members. (For more insight into changes underway, see our Oct. 28 item.)

Authors have also been at the center of controversies. Woody Allen saw his memoir canceled by Hachette due to employee protest. Well-known British authors defended JK Rowling—who faces boycott and accusations that she’s transphobic—just as an overwhelming response erupted from many more authors around the globe in support of trans and nonbinary people. George RR Martin was called out for racism at the Hugo Awards. LL McKinney ignited the #publishingpaidme thread to bring attention to disparities in advances paid to Black authors. Major authors and journalists penned a brief letter on “justice and open debate” in response to “cancel culture”—and their letter was immediately ridiculed. Anti-racism reading lists filled social media feeds as some questioned whether such lists were doing any good or if they were yet another performative act.

Bottom line: Concerns over improving diversity, equity, and inclusion are not a trend or a fad that will dissipate in the new year or once Trump is out of office. Everyone is waiting and watching to see if the changes that publishers—and others—have made are meaningful or merely superficial. Only time will tell.