Saha, A orcid.org/0000-0001-7704-2493 and van Lente, S (Cover date: Fall 2022) How the marketing and selling of books by authors of colour produces racial inequali-ties in publishing. Mémoires du livre / Studies in Book Culture, 13 (2). pp. 1-31. ISSN 1920-602X
Abstract
Based upon a unique empirical study on diversity in UK publishing involving over 110 interviews with publishers, this paper explores the obstacles facing authors of colour. While the underrepresentation of authors from minoritized backgrounds is generally seen as a problem of acquisition, we identify what political economist Nicholas Garnham calls the “cultural distribution” stage as the most critical for authors of colour. Specifically, we demonstrate how racialized assumptions about audiences as articulated and mobilized by people working in promotion, sales, and retail impede the progress of these authors. We argue that racial inequalities in publishing are a product of how racially and ethnically minoritized audiences are undervalued, culturally as well as economically. Adopting a postcolonial cultural economy approach, we identify the areas where antiracist activism needs to be focused in order to address racial inequalities in publishing in a more impactful way.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Groupe de recherches et d’études sur le livre au Québec, 2023. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial No-Derivatives License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.). |
Keywords: | Diversity, racial inequalities, racism, marketing, book selling |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Media & Communication (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Sep 2022 10:34 |
Last Modified: | 19 Feb 2024 15:11 |
Published Version: | https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/memoires/2022-v... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Groupe de recherches et d'études sur le livre au Québec |
Identification Number: | 10.7202/1100565ar |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190778 |
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