DIVERSITY IN ROMANCE PUBLISHING!
DIVERSITY IN ROMANCE PUBLISHING!
EPIC SIDE EYE.
I'm going to be frank, blunt and upfront. I'm tired of this campaign. This campaign to coax skittish mainstream readers to read a romance where the couple falling for one another DOES NOT MIRROR the relationships in the other romance books they usually BUY and READ and DISCUSS. So over this campaign to nowhere. The only romance books with "diverse" couples that are doing booming business are m/m romances. Blog after blog, Review after review. Mainstreamers seem to adore reading about two ripped, hot men going at it. Make it as cliched as possible and it flies off the virtual shelves. Good for the writers. Follow your dream! Make that bank!
Now the 800 lb. elephant in the room is the still stagnate sales of "diverse" romance penned by non-White authors, that feature a HEROINE who DOES NOT possess the characteristics of the average, mainstream reader. And you know what characteristics I'm talking about and you know what the mainstream looks like. And this is where the conditioning creeps in. Take a breath. Stay with me. Buckle that seat belt. Might get bumpy but it's gotta be said.
Non-White romance book heroines are tolerated if they skew Caucasian. Let me say that again. Non-White romance heroines are tolerated and sell a little better if the writer "writes" her Caucasian. Also if the writer writes this chick in the vaguest terms possible. Meaning? If a writer leaves out any, or all references, to experiences or things that would place the heroine firmly in the camp of the "other." That colorblind bull shyte that is anything but. Supposedly a reader needs to identify with the heroine, use her as a placeholder when immersed in the book. Really? So the mention of a twist-out or a samosa or a phrase from someone else's mother tongue takes you out of the story? In this age of Google? Get away from me with that lie. I'm not tryin' to hear that. With the success of m/m romance, you ladies must be leading double lives or got big secrets because the booming m/m romance genre features DUDES getting it on! You can relate to that greatly because the cash register ain't never lied!
So what I'm picking up from industry insiders is, a "diverse" heroine sells more if she isn't perceived as "diverse." And if she's a dude, all the better! As for the differently-abled of any hue or sexual orientation, depictions of those characters do well too.
It's just those pesky Marias and Whitneys, and Jades and Priyankas with all their "foreign" features, getting the guy, or girl, or both, in the end who fall flat specifically those written by writers who resemble them. That kills me too because books with dinos and T-Rexs and inanimate objects as love interests sell like hotcakes. Anything but the non-White female, written by the non-White author, as someone's object of affection, sells? Is reading about the non-White chick, written by a non-White author, getting her HEA so abhorrent? So unbelievable?
AND I'M NOT TALKING THAT WHITE SLAVEMASTER/SLAVE, WHITE CONQUEROR/CONCUBINE, WHITE MERCENARY/SEXWORKER STUFF EITHER!
So either the mainstream reader is plain just not interested? Or biased? Or both? And/or the industry is lying on their readers. I think it's all of the above.
So the utter failure of any breakout new authors of the diverse from the diverse is...sad. Why? Because the traditional romance publishing industry is doing what all good businesses do when demands are made of them. 1) present a facade featuring a handful of authors as shining examples of writing "diversely." Attention! Some of those writers are non-White; most are White. Read the label. 2) string along the outsiders railing against these businesses' hallowed halls by paying lip service to the issue with a flurry of "diversity panels or workshops."
Yeah. A panel will fix it 'cuz we are all a monolith. *facepalm*
Please. And these workshops are for whom? They are not for my benefit or anyone who looks like me. They are for the benefit of writers who live in a plastic bubble who never come in contact with the "other" and therefore need some generic blueprint or shorthand on how to scribble a character not like them. My advice: Get a diverse life.
My remedy? For the mainstream reader who truly is looking for solid romance heroines who aren't all slim, flaxen-haired, green-eyed, eighteen and lily-white of skin presented by writers who possess none of those traits either, I'm dropping a list of non-White romance writers below.
Pardon me if I exclude Octavia Butler and Beverly Jenkins. Most mainstream readers know of these terrific women. In fact, they are probably the ONLY ones they know. The following list encompasses all genres: paranormal, historical, erotic romance, erotica, contemporary, SF/F, etc. The list below should fill all your romance needs. The aforementioned areas are genres.
Let me elucidate: MULTICULTURAL IS NOT A GENRE! IT IS A CONVENIENT GHETTO/DUMPING GROUND/CLASSIFICATION FOR ANYTHING NOT STRAIGHT, NOT WHITE, NOT OF THIS EARTH, OR NOT PERCEIVED AS AMERICAN! Especially on Amazon.
And that's why I'm sooooo over the little diversity campaign that couldn't. I write romance. Period. It's got a mix of people caring for, loving, hating and pining for one another. Like people in any other romance book. You looking for what I have to offer? You know where to find me. And not in the wasteland of multicultural. Remember an author's name. You can do that, can't you? If their style speaks to you, you'll like all their other stuff. You'll find some of what you are searching for on the following list. And remember Regency England wasn't all dukes and earls. Somebody had to clean the manse and polish the silver. And the help wasn't all White either. Just sayin.
List
Lavender Parker
Harper Miller
Seressia Glass
Piper Huguley
Suleikha Snyder
Sharon Cullars
Rebekah Weatherspoon
Lyn Brittan
Vanessa Riley
Alisha Rai
Echo Ishii
That's just a partial list. More coming.
Can I AMEN this??!!
ReplyDeletemaybe we need a 'diverse views' genre:)
We need something and it ain't "diversity training."
DeleteThanks for the spot on discussion here PJ as well as the shout out on this list! I appreciate it and I see a few names to add to my TBR pile. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Piper. And you are welcome. Sometimes the obvious has to be said!
DeleteYou said a word!
ReplyDeleteYep. Too many for some I'm sure.
DeleteBrutality honest blog post. Thank you for the mention PJ! Frankly, it's sad that this topic is still being discussed, but when we reflect on how race and sexuality is dealt with in American society, it's not at all surprising. I'll keep writing the types of stories I want to tell the way I want to tell them. I can only hope interest remains and people keep reading.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad. And what's sadder is that I have been moved to blog on it because the atmosphere seems to have gotten more inhospitable toward those of us who continue to forge ahead, do our thing and expect/demand equal consideration in this game..
DeleteBrutally* damn iPhone just does what it wants! Argh!
DeleteWhat really irritates me is any time an author brings up the topic and opens the floor up for open discussion, it's perceived as divisive. How is it divisive to discuss as you said, the "800lb elephant in the room?" Open dialogue helps bring about change.
There is no equality in the romance genre and the sooner we own up to that the sooner we can move forward. All you have to do is look at a handful of Facebook book clubs just to get a sense of the lack of diversity. Any time a book of the month discussion is open never do I see a book featured that was written by an author of color or a book that features characters who are not straight, or not able-bodied. Never.
The admins don't see an issue with this and I highly doubt many even recognize that they do it. In contemporary romance, there are tons of authors who are writing amazing stories, but if you tend to just stick with the same authors and you don't actively look for different types of stories, then whether or not they want to admit it, these types of readers keep the cycle going.
It's your money and you are most certainly welcome to spend it however you wish, but if you're saying, "the genre needs to change and be more inclusive," but you do nothing to make that happen... well then...
You are part of the problem. Lip service doesn't help. Actively seeking out ways to spice up your e-reader helps. Spending your money wisely helps. Spreading the word about authors you enjoyed who write diverse romance helps. This is how we change the system.
One is always viewed as "divisive" when shady ish is going on. I've heard it all: "You really wanna say that?" "That's not helpful.' Neither is sitting on one's hands, hoping ingrained behavior will change.
DeletePJ, thanks for this and I agree. Yes I am a white woman but I have long enjoyed reading books written by and about all different ethnic backgrounds. You mentioned one in your list, Alisha Rai, I've been reading her work for years and have loved everything she's written. I was introduced to Harper Miller this year and have enjoyed her work as well. So, thank you for your thoughts; it is the readers who needs to change their views and open up their world and see that there are so many great authors out there that offer up excellent books with very diverse characters.Panels on diversity at conferences are a joke; there is diversity out there, people just need to find it. I'm looking forward to checking out some of the other authors on your list.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Slick. Glad you found more authors to add to your list. And for being open-minded in your reading choices.
DeleteDiversity panels...oh lawd...diversity panels. I won't slam them all, plenty of WOC are on the panels and say some good things but largely, yeah, they are a joke. I can't bear any more. It becomes the 'we're not racist' publicity excuse without actually doing anything. Also it takes the focus of of promoting POC writers and POC characters to 'white writers discussing how they are not racist' which IS NOT THE POINT.
DeleteOh yes. yes. yes. The "look-i'm-not-racist-cuz-I-wrote-a-PoC-in-my-book" White writer. The panels become all about how they need help writing a PoC. Which is NOT the point of diversity in romance publishing!
DeleteThank you for your courage to write on this blog topic. Many of us writers who embrace diverse characters in our books are still trying to get the acceptance that Shonda Rhimes gets in her TV productions. It doesn't happen by and large because people react to their reading and viewing media the same way they react to their friendships they make in their real lives. If they perceive that the character isn't relatable, they're not buying. I am hopeful that at some point our book characters (and we as authors) will eventually be judged "by the content of their character and not the color of their skin."
ReplyDeleteYou know, L. V., I hesitated in writing this post. I mean did I really want eyes on me? But then again when truth is spoken, most times it gets ignored because it hurts. All I know is I have nothing to lose. This needed to be said. Again.
DeletePREAAAAAAAAAAACH!!!!!!!!!!! My heart is bursting from all these truth bombs you've just dropped. My blogger friends and I were just speaking on this very issue the other day, and the term "diversity" has become so overused and diluted because it's the new catchphrase in romance. Diversity means different things to different people, but to me, diversity in romance means but one thing: non-white. All the authors you've listed have written some damn good stories and can't get on a "mainstream" bestseller to save their lives simply because their heroines are of color. Let's talk about that because that's a serious-ass problem for me, not only as a blogger, but as a woman of color who enjoys reading these stories and supporting those authors who write those stories.
ReplyDeleteWe are invisible until we open our mouths, then all Hell breaks loose when we do. We are seen as angry." Impatient." I tell readers spend your moolah as you see fit. It is yours. But with each dollar they spend on the similar books leaves less room to sample the kind of book they say they want. Me? I'm past caring. I mean how many "reports' and "surveys" and "polls" do we need to know the real deal? We know it because we live it. All I can say is, I love what I create. I like it. And no one can steal my joy. thanks for dropping by.
DeleteLord, thank you for posting this! I write interracial AND heterosexual and have been trying for years to get an agent and get published. I once guessed that agents/publishers rejected IR romance because they didn't know how to market IR to the "mainstream" (aka a Caucasian reader). When I had that perspective confirmed by a white literary agent at a conference who said, "It just doesn't sell," I said NO, agents just don't TRY to sell it. Marketing 'diversity' means mainstream book professionals need to leave their ivory towers (pun intended) and get out to see that they're missing out on a society that is moving forward. If they were wiser, they would go out on that diversity limb and cash in on good writing from romance writers of all colors.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is much appreciated. The industry is lazy and likes the way it's rolling along until some pencil pusher alerts them that they are losing money because the reading public's dynamic is changing...slowly. Then they'll jump into overdrive trying to make up for lost time
DeleteWell said! I refuse to categorize my (IR) romance novella as "multicultural" or "urban." Might as well slap a label on it, "Warning: Black woman and Asian man might trip and end up on the same page. Enter this book at your own risk!"
ReplyDeleteYes. The categorization is the kiss of death for books that already are marginalized due to both the author and the content not being what some would call the "norm."
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. I'm Black, shopping around a YA romance with two Black leads. So this post is of particular interest to me. I think you hit many nails on their heads. Thank you for illuminating the truth.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the fortitude in the world it's going to take to get a publisher. I see daily on Twitter where the "YA Wars" never cease. Writers of Color relating being asked the most inane questions, by "pros" in the industry, about their choice of characters. And why are said characters "ethnic" or not the usual cast of characters. My advice: Try a publisher outside the U.S. I am part of a mid-sized Canadian publisher's roster of writers in romance. I wasted many years submitting to houses here and submitting myself to insulting treatment. I wasn't asked endless, mind-numbing questions upon submission of my stuff. They accepted on my work on its content.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog. I am very much looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteMy problem with IR fiction is some authors go out of their way to make the woman uneducated and stereotypical black. I can't stand all the billionaire books and pregnancy books. They may sell well but they don't do anything to put a well educated black woman in the spotlight. IMO shifter romance comes to close to bestiality I'll pass on that .
ReplyDeleteAll you say is true. I don't read ANY one's billionaire or pregnancy books. Just not what I want to read. But it is up to the reader to sift out the wheat from the chaff. Right? Romance written by any, and all, authors has its dogs. There are levels of craft, skill, subject matter and ability. Not everything is for everyone. The thing is the reader has to find out what should be dropped from his/her list.
DeleteAlso, not all those "stereoypical" Black chick books are written by non-White writers. There is a big, underground business in churning out tomes of crap with the most cringeworthy titles featuring Black heroines in WTF situations. ALL of those titles in those operations are written by folk who are grabbing the bucks and are chiefly penned by non-Black folks. My advice? If you read or come across these sub-par stories, don't buy 'em. STOP supporting junk with your dollars and propping up the most unflattering of depictions of non-White women. These are the books that get noticed and spotlighted. Not the great stuff. NOT all but ALOT of those types of books are self-pubbed, with little characterization, little editing and shoddy production. If better is wanted YOU must search for it and not accept anything but quality.
Melissa Blue's work is fun, too. I love most of the authors on your list. Have to look up the ones I haven't already seen.
ReplyDeleteWill have to check out that writer's catalog. I have more authors to add. Thanks for popping by.
DeleteLate to the post. Thank you for the list. And the list in the next post. Now, to research and buy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by. It's never too late. Happy reading
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