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Pressure points
"Surprise, bitch—I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.” For some, this issue of The Bookseller might feel like the literary version of that “American Horror Story” meme, where Emma Roberts’ character (spoiler alert) comes back from the dead. Reactions to us working on this second iteration of last year’s award-winning Black Issue, expertly edited by Black Agents and Editors’ Group founder Marianne Tatepo, have been mixed. For some (including our painfully honest contributors) there is a risk of tokenism and othering in such dedicated issues. The same criticism has been levelled at the Discover Preview that I curate each month.
However, it is The Bookseller’s job to report on and reflect the industry as it is, not as we want it to be. While there are still pitiable numbers of people of colour working across publishing, bookselling, agenting—and at The Bookseller—and while the publishing and promotion of books by people of colour seems to be cyclical and trend-led, such deep-dives are not just necessary, they are part of the work we all must do. There is an element of celebration here, of course, but also of building a body of evidence for analysis, discussion and focus. There is a reckoning too. And perhaps even, at last, a realisation. Did you know that in March, when the Nigerian-Irish actor Obioma Ugoala took to the stage as Kristoff in the “Frozen” musical, four audience members walked out? This work is real, it’s necessary and it’s urgent.
It was a loud year in 2020, and loud years can be misleading. In 2021, there was a sense of momentum building, with the number of books being published looking better, perhaps even good. But this year, flatlining seems to be the new, erm, black, with the output lacking the energy of last year. Is it that the novelty of publishing Black writers is wearing off? We must not only hope it isn’t, we need to ensure it isn’t. We also need to talk money. Last year, we made the point that the Black Issue was a great vehicle through which to support Black talent commercially. We make the same point again.
What we are pushing for in the industry is for the lived experience of millions of people in our society to be built into the fabric of an industry that is said to represent them
This issue features many mentions of this month being the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. While this was definitely a turning point that has sent needed shockwaves throughout society as a whole, big moments that rely on suffering and pain aren’t humane and aren’t sustainable. What we are pushing for in the industry is for the lived experience of millions of people in our society to be built into the fabric of an industry that is said to represent them.
A common theme across this issue is people in publishing not seeing spaces or routes for them in the industry, so they are creating their own: Valerie Brandes did it with Jacaranda, Jasmine Richards is doing it with Storymix. That fighting spirit has to be commended, but we shouldn’t have to fight for a seat at the table. Neither Yewande Biala nor Eric Collins thought that they would ever write a book. Ray Shell did, with great success, but then disappeared. These are the voices we know about. There are others. This is why this exists.
Onwuemezi guest edited The Bookseller’s Black Issue 2022
