In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests across America and the world, books by Black authors and about anti-racism gained popularity. The Twitter hashtags #BlackoutBestsellerList and #BlackPublishingPower were used in June by Black publishers and authors encouraging readers to purchase the books. The goal was to spread awareness about the prevalent issues while supporting Black authors.
The movement was a relative success, with all ten spots on the New York Times Bestseller list filled by books concerning the subject of anti-racism on the week of June 21, most by Black authors. These rankings and rising sales seem to indicate a real, sweeping change—a desire for knowledge, education, and support that would lead to larger revolution outside of the pages.
However, the Twitter tags served a dual purpose, aiming to benefit not only the books’ readers but also their authors. Many of the books boosted in these tags were written by Black Americans, and purposefully so. As another tag, #PublishingPaidMe, points out, supporting these works makes a big difference in an industry that is often unfair to Black authors and authors of other minority groups.
Novelist L.L. McKinney (@ElleOnWords on Twitter) began the tag on June 6, saying that the goal was to “highlight the disparity” between what Black authors and non-Black authors are paid. McKinney told NPR in an interview that the conversation between Black authors about racial disparities has been ongoing for years, but she was inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests to take more direct action. Through Twitter, she called for authors of all races to share what they were paid by publishers. “It took what happened in the streets to get the support that we now have,” said McKinney. “And that we’re hoping is sustained.”
As the tag picked up traction, more and more authors revealed their numbers and joined in on the conversation. Popular authors, including Roxane Gay and Matt Haig, participated. The movement revealed huge racial disparities, with Black women being paid far less than any other group. The tag even spread into other Twitter circles, exposing pay disparities in the comics industry as well. McKinney revealed that she was shocked by how large the gap was after comparing the numbers. “[We] knew the hole was deep. But none of us knew it was that deep,” McKinney said.
Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin revealed her own figures in a Tweet. Many were shocked to see that the advances for her books—which have won Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards, among others—were dismally low, especially in comparison to lesser-known white authors. Jemisin’s works are well-known and highly acclaimed in the science fiction and fantasy genre, and she was the first African-American writer to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel. Having her voice added to the hashtag helped carry the conversation further.
Jemisin continued to use the tag and her platform to educate her followers on the publishing process. She revealed that, though the books may actually sell well, the publishing industry gives advances beforehand based on how it believes the books will sell. Marketability becomes a subjective matter, and it allows publishers to assign lower numbers to Black authors. Jemisin ended her informational thread by saying that advances are a good indicator of the racial disparities in the publishing industry.
Jemisin added in a separate Tweet to keep in mind that “there are risks that white authors can take, which BIPOC and especially black authors sometimes can’t.” Her comments point to the larger picture: racism, as it appears in our larger society, is also reflected and ingrained in the publishing industry. From payments to getting their foot in the door, authors of color face difficulties at every turn.
Fantasy writer Tochi Onyebuchi was an active participant on the hashtag. Similar to Jemisin, he pointed out in a Tweet that advances are “an ideal metric for measuring pay disparities because of their function.” Onyebuchi worked with McKinney to take the conversation past Twitter and systematically organize the data. On June 26, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Twitter posted a questionnaire organized by Onyebuchi, encouraging authors to anonymously share their data and acknowledging both McKinney’s and Onyebuchi’s contributions to the movement. As of now, the questionnaire is still open for data collection and analysis.
What are these Twitter threads and surveys hoping to accomplish? The authors involved believe that pay transparency will go a long way. In the publishing industry, where data is often hidden and hard to measure, having authors be open about their incomes and experiences exposes unfair treatment. McKinney made it clear during her interview with NPR that the tag was not meant to pressure Black authors into sharing their numbers; in fact, her goal was the opposite. She wanted Black authors to understand when they are being treated unfairly and encouraged them to “fight for what [they] are worth.”
Though #PublishingPaidMe is no longer trending, the authors involved wish for the movement to be more than just a trend. With the knowledge taken from this tag, the fight for equal pay and treatment in the publishing industry promises to push forward on every front. Support and continued participation from writers and readers alike can ensure a swifter victory in this ongoing struggle.
Sanjana is a second-year undergraduate student at Drexel University pursuing a degree in English with a concentration in Writing. She enjoys playing video games, cracking open a new book, and daydreaming. She writes poetry, short fiction, articles, and essays.