At first glance, this may seem like a crazy statement.
However, it is a real issue within the publishing industry. Writers of color
had to fight for years to get book contracts from reputable publishing
companies. Many have had to meet quotas for selling books which has resulted in
possible only getting one work published out of the fifteen or twenty they have
already written. In other words, lack of financial support for a children’s
author work can equal them ending their careers before they begin.
I distinguish between supporting an author vs. financially
supporting a children’s author of color since they are fundamentally two
different things. For example, support a children’s author of color looks like
the following:
You might read their work, check it out of the library, and
get them to do free book readings for children at schools.
However, financially supporting a children’s author of color
looks like the following:
You buy their work with a purpose, write a review on your
purchase, and get them to do paid visits to schools.
The latter will help build the career of an author of color.
The former will take away from the professionalism of the author. I have heard
for years that many children’s authors of color feel that their work is not
respected. The authors are asked to give their work away for free or as a
service. However, mainstream authors are rarely asked to do this unless they
are Indie authors.
The lack of financial support of authors of color is why
there are few books in this genre to choose from in the first place. All publishing
companies function as a business. If the money is not there, it is assumed the
audience and buyers are not there either. Therefore, why should you invest
money in what essentially becomes a money pit?
It cost three times the amount to produce an illustrated
children’s book than it does to produce a novel. Therefore, the investment
needs to be there in order for the publishing companies to invest. Readers that
want high quality books for their children need to invest in these authors in different
ways:
2.
We need more parents to write reviews of these books.
3.
We need librarians to buy more books from children’s authors
of color.
4.
We need more parents to set up blogs that feature
children of color.
5.
We need more teachers to use books by authors of color
in the classroom’
6.
We need more children to read books by children’s
authors of color.
7.
We need more children, parents, and teachers to allow
children to study authors of color in the classroom.
All of these things are a start and they are simple to do.
These small things will guarantee that children’s authors of color will have
access to readers and access to professionalizing their work.
Happy reading!
Tiffany A. Flowers, Children’s Author
