# Minorities in YA?



## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

I'm a new author on the board,  I've just recently found kboards and I was a lurker but decided to join because there's a lot of helpful topics.  I've been working on my first real published novel and it's going to be YA.  But lately I've noticed there's virtually zero main characters in YA that are minorities.  Not just black but Asian, Hispanic, etc.  Is there a reason for this?  My main character is black but this book isn't "African-American Literature" it's a normal YA novel with a main character who happens to be black.  Even on Amazon in the ya section I wasn't able to find one book with a minority as a main character.  Why is this?


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Welcome to the forums, Barbie!
What you say is too often true   Hopefully, indie publishing will and is changing that aspect of YA publishing. (My main male character is black (half Australian Aboriginal), my main female character is Hispanic and one of my other main characters is Indian.)


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I don't physically mention any features of Megan, my heroine in the angel series, other than her hair is long enough to be tied back. It's written in first person, and I wanted every teen to imagine they could be her.

I have two males Johnny, the good angel looks hispanic, and Sam, one of the good guys, is darker. 

My heroines in The 15th Star, are Grace Wisher a 13-year-old, who was a real life African American indentured servant to Mary Pickersgill who both worked on the Star Spangled Banner, and Keiko Zorben, a Japanese twenty-something going for her master's. 

No one has thought to mention race in my reviews.


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

Anya said:


> Welcome to the forums, Barbie!
> What you say is too often true  Hopefully, indie publishing will and is changing that aspect of YA publishing. (My main male character is black (half Australian Aboriginal), my main female character is Hispanic and one of my other main characters is Indian.)


Thank you!  I hope it does too.



LisaGraceBooks said:


> I don't physically mention any features of Megan, my heroine in the angel series, other than her hair is long enough to be tied back. It's written in first person, and I wanted every teen to imagine they could be her.
> 
> I have two males Johnny, the good angel looks hispanic, and Sam, one of the good guys, is darker.
> 
> ...


That's good to read, I always worry that diversity hinders some people from reading certain books.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Good fortune with your novel   It would be wonderful to see more YA and MG fantasies with diverse casts. They're out there, but there isn't a large enough presence as of yet. Methinks, the market has yet to realize these stories are regular fantasies/urban fantasies/PNRs and not "urban lit." 

Whether or not mine have been marked as African-American or not (under another pen name), they've moved best when I did other promotions. There are a few more authors here who have fantasy books with Black/POC characters that might chime in on their experiences. 

There are blogs out there that focus on diverse lit. I published a similar blog and zine some years back before I buckled down to complete the current works in progress/to-do list. It might take some time or a book that hits the market with a splash before buyers purchase books with POCs on the cover the same way they currently buy books that don't feature POCs prominently.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> I don't physically mention any features of Megan, my heroine in the angel series, other than her hair is long enough to be tied back. It's written in first person, and I wanted every teen to imagine they could be her.


This is the approach I like.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

I have to go back through some old links to find some of the blogs that were championing diverse lit when I was more plugged into blogging/social networking and etc. but I've found a fairly current list of diverse YA/MG for the time being:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16026.Diversity_in_Young_Adult_and_Middle_Grade

It's all about raising awareness at the end of the day *-^ The books are being written. Selling them is another matter that may call for creative and persistent promotion until the market is more accustomed to these titles.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Willo said:


> I have to go back through some old links to find some of the blogs that were championing diverse lit when I was more plugged into blogging/social networking and etc. but I've found a fairly current list of diverse YA/MG for the time being:
> 
> http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16026.Diversity_in_Young_Adult_and_Middle_Grade
> 
> It's all about raising awareness at the end of the day *-^ The books are being written. Selling them is another matter that may call for creative and persistent promotion until the market is more accustomed to these titles.


Yes, the books are being written, but whether they are making it onto blogs or being reviewed is another matter.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> Yes, the books are being written, but whether they are making it onto blogs or being reviewed is another matter.


That's the issue precisely which is why creative and persistent promotions are important with POC books especially. Reader expectations are also a sizable factor in whether these books are supported with buyer dollars, as well. There have been massive efforts to break down the wall, but they've largely remained underground and on a scattering of blogs, dedicated bookstores, and the like.

When certain readers learned one of the characters in Hunger Games was Black, things got pretty ugly because they thought she was white.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122714/The-Hunger-Games-hit-racism-row-movie-fans-tweet-vile-slurs-casting-black-teen-actress-heroine-Rue.html

It's a pretty serious undertaking. I write a lot of Afro/POC fantasy lit (under a few pen names), but those YA/MG and NA works haven't yet come anywhere near the sales where the character races are obscure.



jljarvis said:


> I found this disturbing, so I checked with a YA librarian, who pointed me to the following. This Tina Kugler illustration is based on the findings of a study by the Cooperative Children's Book Center. A link to the study, itself, is included below.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The unfortunate truth.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

First off, welcome to the boards! Lurk no more! We are thrilled you're here!



Barbie Hall said:


> But lately I've noticed there's virtually zero main characters in YA that are minorities. Not just black but Asian, Hispanic, etc.


There is absolutely a void and, I think, a wonderful opportunity. I hope you keep chipping away at that novel of yours. The world needs it! I remember how startled the publishing industry was that someone by the name of J.K. Rowling could write a children's book, A CHILDREN'S BOOK by gum!, that could become a bestseller. Prior to that, children's books were thought to be a money wasteland. And look at where we are now!

Looking at the current landscape... if I was a betting woman, I would put down money saying that the next mega-hit will come from the realization that young minorities buy books, too. It is an untapped demographic, and a growth opportunity in a saturated market. So lead the charge! There is a community that is hungry for what you have to say!


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Barbie Hall said:


> I always worry that diversity hinders some people from reading certain books.


It can but promotions can help overcome that (excerpts and interviews helps readers know what they're buying). I've had thoughts of doing a 'diverse fantasy' group promotion for awhile now (probably by or after August when I release my YA/NA series fantasy). Is your book in the fantasy/paranormal/magikal realism arena by any chance? If enough authors can be rounded up, this thing can be tackled head on (maybe seasonally). Beyond doing something like that or a huge breakout book with a main POC character, I don't know how long it will take this market to change on it's own.



jljarvis said:


> And then there's the problem of YA books that are actually written about people of color, but the publishers whitewash the covers.
> 
> http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/12/10/it-matters-if-youre-black-or-white-the-racism-of-ya-book-covers/


All the time. Even Gail Carriger's Soulless series features a character with skin that's described as dark, but they wouldn't depict her character that way on the covers.

There's been uproar over this sort of thing but no changes. Publisher's stick to what they think works, and in the end, we see no change, and reader perspectives remain the same (for the most part anyway).

Great link, by the by. I remember the uproar over the "Liar" book. There are definitely some readers who will take a stand.


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## jhendereson (Oct 22, 2010)

Personally, I don't think the reason publishers whitewash covers is due to racism. The sad fact is certain genres sell fewer books when a POC graces the cover. Primarily, I think, because there are far more white readers within most genres, except urban and African American romance, and white readers as a whole prefer to read about white characters. Put an African American on a western and watch it never get off the saddle. Another headache regarding an African American novel is once it is categorized as African American and is not romance or urban, it suffers because the majority of AA readers are women who love romance. I started writing primarily to entertain young African American males, but the audience is not there. One day I hope it will be, but right now it is not. So all you can do is write the best novel you possibly can. A novel you would love to read again and again. If it's an interesting tale and word gets out about it, it won''t matter who's on the cover. Best of luck!


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

KateDanley said:


> First off, welcome to the boards! Lurk no more! We are thrilled you're here!
> 
> There is absolutely a void and, I think, a wonderful opportunity. I hope you keep chipping away at that novel of yours. The world needs it! I remember how startled the publishing industry was that someone by the name of J.K. Rowling could write a children's book, A CHILDREN'S BOOK by gum!, that could become a bestseller. Prior to that, children's books were thought to be a money wasteland. And look at where we are now!
> 
> Looking at the current landscape... if I was a betting woman, I would put down money saying that the next mega-hit will come from the realization that young minorities buy books, too. It is an untapped demographic, and a growth opportunity in a saturated market. So lead the charge! There is a community that is hungry for what you have to say!


Thank you! You've really pushed me to work even harder on my book. <3



Willo said:


> It can but promotions can help overcome that (excerpts and interviews helps readers know what they're buying). I've had thoughts of doing a 'diverse fantasy' group promotion for awhile now (probably by or after August when I release my YA/NA series fantasy). Is your book in the fantasy/paranormal/magikal realism arena by any chance? If enough authors can be rounded up, this thing can be tackled head on (maybe seasonally). Beyond doing something like that or a huge breakout book with a main POC character, I don't know how long it will take this market to change on it's own.


I will definitely promote it as much as I can when it's released , and no it's not any sort of fantasy or paranormal but your idea for a diverse promotion group does sound good.



jhendereson said:


> Personally, I don't think the reason publishers whitewash covers is due to racism. The sad fact is certain genres sell fewer books when a POC graces the cover. Primarily, I think, because there are far more white readers within most genres, except urban and African American romance, and white readers as a whole prefer to read about white characters. Put an African American on a western and watch it never get off the saddle. Another headache regarding an African American novel is once it is categorized as African American and is not romance or urban, it suffers because the majority of AA readers are women who love romance. I started writing primarily to entertain young African American males, but the audience is not there. One day I hope it will be, but right now it is not. So all you can do is write the best novel you possibly can. A novel you would love to read again and again. If it's an interesting tale and word gets out about it, it won''t matter who's on the cover. Best of luck!


This is pretty much my opinion but I have to disagree wholeheartedly about there being more white readers I'm sure there is a lot but I'm also quite sure there's a high number of other people who read as well and not just in the urban/African-American areas. I don't have any statistics so it's just what I believe.


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## Charmaine (Jul 20, 2012)

Jhendereson, I agree that the audience isn't there, for YA just yet.
The books I see that have POC as main characters and are successful, tend to be middle grade books. 
In general middle grade books are always more diverse.
Barbie, I know what you mean about wanting a statistic. I feel like there is one, in the back of my head, but I can't remember it.
I know I read somewhere, this may have been 2-3 years though, that when they did a poll, researchers found that black teens are the group that reads the least. So emphasizing a POC main character would be a bad move on their part, business wise.

Also, I have found threads (around the web) that discussed this question in some depth. 
These were librarians wondering why they can't get POC books off the shelves. 
One of the popular hypothesis had to do with the covers. In short, POC book covers are usually treated differently.
Most often, you'll see a close up of the MCs face and they're usually very plain covers.
IMO people have been conditioned to believe that when you see a POC on a cover, it has to be a story strongly related to their ethnicity. 
They think it's ethnic based literature, even when it's not.
And why not? The only information the reader is getting from the cover is that the story is about a POC.

The only stories that have been successful with POC characters are the ones that treat their ethnicity as a non-issue.
_"Yes, he or she is black, but that isn't what this story is about."_

PS: Oddly enough, I think the picture represents the actually readers pretty well. I have no doubt that it's skewed, but it's something like 60-70% readers are white women? I really have to find that data :/


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Barbie Hall said:


> I will definitely promote it as much as I can when it's released , and no it's not any sort of fantasy or paranormal but your idea for a diverse promotion group does sound good.


There are actually a good amount of underground blogs that have been working to change conditions for readers interested in diversity for years.
This is one: http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/

A black teen started it several years back, and she does focus on YA I believe (not just fantasy). There's another that focuses on diverse female images, but I have to look for it. "BlackTeensRead2" might be someone for you to contact about your book before it comes out (for a review/feature).

I do think the black readership that's out there is used to books about white teens, and that's what a lot of them buy. So I do agree to an extent with JHenderson, as well (from experience), but there is a readership among Black folks/POC and White folks who have actively asked for more diversity in their reads. 
Branding yourself well will help. It worked for Zetta Elliot. She's done fairly well with her YA. I agree diverse MG books are an easier sell, and they're tons of fun to write, but YA can be tapped when the right eyes are aware of it.

ETA: Found the other one I was thinking of! There was a badge right on Reading In Color's page (BlackTeensRead2):
http://coloronline.blogspot.com/

It hasn't been updated since May of last year sadly. I'll keep looking for the old haunts for useful links.
If your book is a romance, this could be useful to you, as well: http://sormag.blogspot.com/
SorMag has been around for a long time. They have a solid readership.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Barbie Hall said:


> I'm a new author on the board,  I've just recently found kboards and I was a lurker but decided to join because there's a lot of helpful topics. I've been working on my first real published novel and it's going to be YA. But lately I've noticed there's virtually zero main characters in YA that are minorities. Not just black but Asian, Hispanic, etc. Is there a reason for this? My main character is black but this book isn't "African-American Literature" it's a normal YA novel with a main character who happens to be black. Even on Amazon in the ya section I wasn't able to find one book with a minority as a main character. Why is this?


Barbie,

If current YA offerings lack sufficient diversity, then I'd just take that to mean we need more folks like you writing novels about their own experiences in YA!

I think in pre-indie days, one might have said there were barriers put up by the Big 6 publishers, who were afraid (for largely nonexistent reasons, I suspect) that if a series involved a lot of diversity, then it might not sell as well. Whatever... it was stupid thinking, I think, and often forced writers of different backgrounds to write books that fit "publisher's expectations" of what a book about Irish characters, or black characters, or Hispanic characters, or Native American characters, or whatever, had to be.

But hey! We're indies! There's no Big 6 to boss us around when we're on our own out here, so write exactly the novels that are in your heart to write! Don't play to tired industry-dictated stereotypes! Write the stories you want to write, the way you want to write them. Focus on the common truths, if you wish, rather than the cultural differences!

For my own part, my first novel (Most Likely) didn't have much diversity, but my second book, a novella (SHADA) had some Native Americans in the story. I tried to focus on them being a group of four girls, not on which ones were what background. They were all specific characters with specific lives. That kinda-sorta sounds like your approach, maybe... so perhaps we have that in common.

At any rate, whatever your approach, go for it!

Welcome to the indie fold. Write great stories! That's what counts. Be the change you wish to see!  That's the adventure we're all on.

(Note: there are some folks doing this sort of thing already. There's always room for more.)


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

In my YA/MG time-travel books, the two main characters are caucasion, but on some of their adventures they're accompanied by their cousin, who's black. Since the cousin (Sally) is based loosely on a member of my own family, I really wanted to reflect the variety represented by the word "family." I introduce the character very organically.. I don't come right out and say "Sally is black," but the information comes across in the course of conversations and casual references to description, background, etc. (She has an interesting conversation with Harriet Tubman, by the way!)

Like others, I try not to describe any of my characters too specifically, as I want readers to imagine the characters in any way they like. My main female character Kristen is being described as having long brown hair, and I think that's as specific as I get. (Same with her brother.)

IMHO, any way we can encourage promotion of books with POC main characters is a 'win' in my book. I have a hard time believing that non-whites read _that much_ less than whites... if that's the only other explanation, I prefer to think there's not enough promotion of such books, which is more easily solved.


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

I'm currently plotting out a YA series, in which I intend my protag to be a seventeen year old American-Asian girl. Her older brother will also be one of the main characters too. 

I'm stock/cover-freak. When I begin to plot a new series I head over to stock sites to scope out my 'characters'. And, wow, the lack of Asian guys between 18-22 years old is incredible. Let alone the kind of 'poses' I was looking for. So much so, I'm now thinking about illustrated covers.

Writing a 'white-girl' seems easier (from the book premonition-side, I mean), but I stand fast in my decision to change things up a little. Haha. Plus there are a few plotlines surrounding her heritage, and I don't want to give them up either.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)




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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

Right what you know.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

My characters in all my books are Asian. 

With the adult series launching next month, it's girls of all ages. (plus a few guys)

The series that is my WIP is an Asian girl and boy of about 16-17. I plan to market it as YA.


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## tensen (May 17, 2011)

A friend of mine came back from the VONA/Voice conference last week and talked about how many novels are automatically called Magical Realism instead of fantasy if there is a POC involved. And I think it doing so, they cull out these literary fiction novels from the general YA market.

Personally from a publisher standpoint, I want to read more where there is diversity.


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

It's funny that this thread gets started around now because a few days ago, I started working on my own YA urban fantasy series. And despite having built this world over the last eight years almost, I just realized that with the exception of one, all of my central characters are white.

Which was particularly shocking to me, considering that I'm _not_. 

Personally, I feel like there's this expectation in society that if a book has a POC protagonist, the story is ultimately about race. That if your main character is black, for example, then you HAVE to talk about it, and quite frankly, that pisses me off. I just want to write my stories and not have race be an issue. As a result, 99% of my characters thus far have been white. Writing is my happy place, and I don't want to poison it by bringing in an issue that only ever seems to make me angry.


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## Jonathan C. Gillespie (Aug 9, 2012)

Charmaine said:


> The only stories that have been successful with POC characters are the ones that treat their ethnicity as a non-issue.
> _"Yes, he or she is black, but that isn't what this story is about."_


I would say that was because the authors set out to _write a story first_, and treated race as irrelevant a detail as hair color or favorite food. That's what I think is the best approach, ultimately--race is not something that sets characters apart, as it should be nothing that sets any of us apart. Instead, it is something completely irrelevant to the story--unless one's tale illustrates racial tensions, civil struggles, etc.

_Revenant Man_ features as many races as one could ask for, should this be something someone seeks out. But that's because it was appropriate for a future world (that is the apex of globalistic), and for the background of the main character (who happens to be mixed-race). I didn't set out to write about a heroic, if unstable mixed-race character. I set out to write about human beings, about the cycle of nations and revolutions, about themes of ambition and betrayal that define the human experience.

My philosophy is simple: it it makes sense for a character to be a certain race, so be it. YMMV, as always.


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## RoseInTheTardis (Feb 2, 2013)

The lack of diversity in YA is troubling. There's a tumblr dedicated to celebrating and promoting diverse books (with POC and/or LGBT main characters) run by Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon: http://diversityinya.tumblr.com/ . But there's definitely a need for more books with protagonists and main characters that are non-white and LGBT.


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

Zachery Richardson said:


> Personally, I feel like there's this expectation in society that if a book has a POC protagonist, the story is ultimately about race. That if your main character is black, for example, then you HAVE to talk about it, and quite frankly, that pisses me off. *I just want to write my stories and not have race be an issue.* As a result, 99% of my characters thus far have been white. Writing is my happy place, and I don't want to poison it by bringing in an issue that only ever seems to make me angry.


Totally innocent question here: isn't race an issue in the general lives of people of color? I'm obviously coming at this from a totally different perspective and experience than you are, which kind of makes the point. A black kid walking into a convenience store is going to have a different experience than a white kid walking into the same store. Your story might not BE about that different experience, but to be a truthful storyteller you have to illustrate the experience honestly, even if not comparatively. And a white reader may read it as an "issue" scene, even if that's not the point.

I don't know what it's like to be a black kid in a convenience store in Cape Cod anymore than I know what it's like to be a 5'4" woman in a packed, standing room only biker bar. I can write, to an extent, what I _think_ the experience may be, but that experience will likely be fueled by race or gender. And may come off as an issue piece.


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

I was just talking to my sister (a YA author) about this yesterday, about how there's a void there.  Fill that void, Barbie!


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

Here's a still great infographic that took on minority characters on YA covers in 2011:

http://www.katehart.net/2012/05/uncovering-ya-covers-2011.html

I wish the author would do it for 2012 and 2013 too but I doubt very much as changed.


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## RoseInTheTardis (Feb 2, 2013)

Malinda Lo does a whole series of posts at the end of every year, including infographics: here's one of them from 2012 based on the YA Best Sellers: http://www.malindalo.com/2013/04/diversity-in-2012-young-adult-bestsellers/

And here's the tag http://www.malindalo.com/tag/diversity-in-ya/


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## Shana Norris (May 31, 2011)

Regarding covers, sadly in my experience it is harder to get readers to buy books with POCs on the cover. I also had noticed the lack of minorities in YA and wanted to write a book with a character that my cousins could relate to. So in my book Surfacing, the narrator is biracial (mother is black, father is white) and my original cover featured a stock photo of a darker skinned model who looked similar to how I imagined the narrator. The book sold almost no copies at all. When I changed the cover months later to the one featuring the silhouette of the mermaid, sales went up and have stayed up. The first book now has almost 1 million reads on Wattpad and no one has ever commented that they had a problem with reading about a minority character. I'm not sure why readers are more reluctant to buy books with minorities on the cover if they don't have a problem reading about minorities, but in my experience, there is an issue here. Maybe, like others have said, we just need that one book to come out and make a big enough splash to change people's perceptions.

Good luck with your book, Barbie! Take this as an opportunity to fill a void.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

RoseInTheTardis said:


> The lack of diversity in YA is troubling. There's a tumblr dedicated to celebrating and promoting diverse books (with POC and/or LGBT main characters) run by Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon: http://diversityinya.tumblr.com/ . But there's definitely a need for more books with protagonists and main characters that are non-white and LGBT.


Thank you for dropping this link <3 It's an excellent resource.



Wansit said:


> Here's a still great infographic that took on minority characters on YA covers in 2011:
> 
> http://www.katehart.net/2012/05/uncovering-ya-covers-2011.html
> 
> I wish the author would do it for 2012 and 2013 too but I doubt very much as changed.


Very telling. I truly believe reader perception is the problem. Your book, 'Red Madrassa,' has a stunning cover, and judging by the writing in the sample, it's easily top 100 material. It's obviously fantasy, so there shouldn't be any confusing it with Urban Lit themes or a story about overcoming racial oppression... 
The quality of the cover, blurb, and content should be the only things that matter, but it looks like we have a long way to go before that's actually the case.



Shana Norris said:


> Regarding covers, sadly in my experience it is harder to get readers to buy books with POCs on the cover. I also had noticed the lack of minorities in YA and wanted to write a book with a character that my cousins could relate to. So in my book Surfacing, the narrator is biracial (mother is black, father is white) and my original cover featured a stock photo of a darker skinned model who looked similar to how I imagined the narrator. The book sold almost no copies at all. When I changed the cover months later to the one featuring the silhouette of the mermaid, sales went up and have stayed up. The first book now has almost 1 million reads on Wattpad and no one has ever commented that they had a problem with reading about a minority character. I'm not sure why readers are more reluctant to buy books with minorities on the cover if they don't have a problem reading about minorities, but in my experience, there is an issue here. Maybe, like others have said, we just need that one book to come out and make a big enough splash to change people's perceptions.


Thank you for sharing this. I've encountered the same issue with sales. Fantasy YA books with obviously darker-skinned characters (darker than olive-skinned) on my covers barely sell (literally like 3 a month). I'll continue to write them because I refuse to assist the marginalization of prominent Black/POC characters, but I'll do so going in with an awareness of the market's "restrictions."

Some of my books have ambiguous racial characters on the covers, where the character is multi-racial and therefore very mixed-looking (olive-skinned), and those have sold the best. This problem is reflective of the society we're in, so it's only going to change when mindsets truly change. I encourage all YA authors with POCs in their books to feature them prominently on the cover.

We can promote in groups, and raise awareness of these titles. Once readers realize the stories are essentially the same, only with characters who are from different cultures (indigenous to certain areas and otherwise), the current perceptions may change. Until then, readers may continue to assume that a story with a Black or Latino character on the cover is 'Urban lit' or a story about overcoming oppression, etc.

This conversation has definitely inspired me to get back on the saddle with raising awareness through various promotions. It's still sorely needed, and I was very sad to see that ColorOnline hasn't updated in a year, and BlackTeensRead2 can only post sporadically because she's focusing on college now. Thank God for diversityinya.tumblr.com

We needs tons more. If anyone starts an initiative, please post about it, I will definitely help spread the word and would love to join forces. I'm working out some details for a promotion that hits the mark now.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

Willo said:


> Thank you for dropping this link <3 It's an excellent resource.
> 
> Very telling. I truly believe reader perception is the problem. Your book, 'Red Madrassa,' has a stunning cover, and judging by the writing in the sample, it's easily top 100 material. It's obviously fantasy, so there shouldn't be any confusing it with Urban Lit themes or a story about overcoming racial oppression...
> The quality of the cover, blurb, and content should be the only things that matter, but it looks like we have a long way to go before that's actually the case.


Thank you Willo RE the comments on R.M. Unfortunately the problem that you and Shana with darker skinned models on the covers are something I also see. R.M. sells less than 20% of the copies that my novel Sworn to Raise does -with a stereotypical pretty dress and sort of white model on the cover. I'm changing R.M.'s cover because of this but keeping a POC cover model. I'm stubborn like that.

RE Sworn To Raise -the main character is described with bronzed skin and curly hair like a gypsy. I was tempted to find a model who completely fit those characteristics but I was curious to see if it would sell more without it. The performance has done well enough that I'll keep it and the sequel cover as is and make sure that my R.M. series has a diverse cast of cover models which match the inner content. Book two for R.M. will be a Asian male which I'm really excited about.


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

Thank you guys for all the links, this has definitely made me want to write my book even more! 



RoseInTheTardis said:


> The lack of diversity in YA is troubling. There's a tumblr dedicated to celebrating and promoting diverse books (with POC and/or LGBT main characters) run by Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon: http://diversityinya.tumblr.com/ . But there's definitely a need for more books with protagonists and main characters that are non-white and LGBT.


Thank you for this link, super helpful!



Jonathan C. Gillespie said:


> I would say that was because the authors set out to _write a story first_, and treated race as irrelevant a detail as hair color or favorite food. That's what I think is the best approach, ultimately--race is not something that sets characters apart, as it should be nothing that sets any of us apart. Instead, it is something completely irrelevant to the story--unless one's tale illustrates racial tensions, civil struggles, etc.
> 
> _Revenant Man_ features as many races as one could ask for, should this be something someone seeks out. But that's because it was appropriate for a future world (that is the apex of globalistic), and for the background of the main character (who happens to be mixed-race). I didn't set out to write about a heroic, if unstable mixed-race character. I set out to write about human beings, about the cycle of nations and revolutions, about themes of ambition and betrayal that define the human experience.
> 
> My philosophy is simple: it it makes sense for a character to be a certain race, so be it. YMMV, as always.


This is how I'm approaching it, I'm treating my character's race as irrelevant because in the story it is! The story has nothing to do with my character's race, I feel like this is another reason there isn't enough minorities in YA. We have to put books with certain characters in certain categories for example "African-American Literature" and I think that's silly.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Another huge problem is that for indies, the range of stock photos that feature diversity is sorely lacking. I searched for weeks to find a Latino teenage girl who wasn't smiling and would suit a YA fantasy cover. It's so hard! I ended up going with another character for the cover of my first book. I finally found a Latino girl for my third book cover - and wish I'd found her before, as I would have had her on my first cover. I redesigned my website last week to feature her prominently.

Most indies don't have the budget for photo shoots and there is a distinct lack of variety in the stock photos out there.
Just trying to find a girl who isn't pouting at the camera and trying to look sexy/vacant is a task, let alone anything else!


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

Anya said:


> Another huge problem is that for indies, the range of stock photos that feature diversity is sorely lacking. I searched for weeks to find a Latino teenage girl who wasn't smiling and would suit a YA fantasy cover. It's so hard! I ended up going with another character for the cover of my first book. I finally found a Latino girl for my third book cover - and wish I'd found her before, as I would have had her on my first cover. I redesigned my website last week to feature her prominently.
> 
> Most indies don't have the budget for photo shoots and there is a distinct lack of variety in the stock photos out there.
> Just trying to find a girl who isn't pouting at the camera and trying to look sexy/vacant is a task, let alone anything else!


Absolutely. I was looking for a young African-American model with a serious, but pensive quality to her and the hassle you go through for that is crazy.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Wansit said:


> Thank you Willo RE the comments on R.M. Unfortunately the problem that you and Shana with darker skinned models on the covers are something I also see. R.M. sells less than 20% of the copies that my novel Sworn to Raise does -with a stereotypical pretty dress and sort of white model on the cover. I'm changing R.M.'s cover because of this but keeping a POC cover model. I'm stubborn like that.
> 
> RE Sworn To Raise -the main character is described with bronzed skin and curly hair like a gypsy. I was tempted to find a model who completely fit those characteristics but I was curious to see if it would sell more without it. The performance has done well enough that I'll keep it and the sequel cover as is and make sure that my R.M. series has a diverse cast of cover models which match the inner content. Book two for R.M. will be a Asian male which I'm really excited about.


I'm glad you're stubborn like that. Me too. I may make next to nothing on some of my titles, but if we all stopped creating diverse lit with prominent POC on the covers, we'd be perpetuating the problem. At some point, this situation has to improve, and when it does, there will be plenty of works waiting for readers with a non-biased lens.

I see that the sales are higher with the olive-skinned (Latina?) model on your cover and can relate. It's been the same with my titles under WNRmedia and my other MG/YA/Clean NA publishing outfit (3 different pen names there, same results based on the color of characters on quality covers).

More power to your works. When I finish the books in the series I'm working on (soonish), I plan to take a huge break and have your books on my read-list.



Anya said:


> Another huge problem is that for indies, the range of stock photos that feature diversity is sorely lacking. I searched for weeks to find a Latino teenage girl who wasn't smiling and would suit a YA fantasy cover. It's so hard! I ended up going with another character for the cover of my first book. I finally found a Latino girl for my third book cover - and wish I'd found her before, as I would have had her on my first cover. I redesigned my website last week to feature her prominently.
> 
> Most indies don't have the budget for photo shoots and there is a distinct lack of variety in the stock photos out there.
> Just trying to find a girl who isn't pouting at the camera and trying to look sexy/vacant is a task, let alone anything else!





Wansit said:


> Absolutely. I was looking for a young African-American model with a serious, but pensive quality to her and the hassle you go through for that is crazy.


Very true.
In the fall, I spent hours cutting and pasting links of potentially usable photos with POCs in a .doc file for later use. It helps to have a stockpile of images that you've already deemed usable when you might need them. I also think it's a good idea to connect with artists (via deviantart and others sites), and photographers and models (modelmayhem). It may be possible to put 500 to 600 beans aside and do a mass photo shoot will models who need images for their portfolios and will work for reasonable fees or possibly barter (if extra images are done for them according to their own specs during the shoot). I'm seriously considering getting a canon Rebel and connecting with diverse models to see if it works out to be a good approach.

I can handle the art end when I have time, but I don't always want illustrated covers for stories, and original photography is very desirable in this era of slim stock photo pickins. Sites like Canstockphoto (Bigstockphoto has great images but they're more pricey) are decent and well-priced in a pinch, but I publish a lot and want to upgrade my cover presentation to the next level at some point.


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## lynnfromthesouth (Jun 21, 2012)

I love to see characters from lots of different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and situations. I get real tired of blonde girls and dark-haired, fair-skinned buff male characters.

Arena (below) is half-Japanese, half-Hawaiian. Sterling, who is a major secondary character in Surfer Girl, and will headline the third book, has dwarfism. Everybody says he's their favorite character. Anita, who's a secondary major character, is Mexican. I dreamed all three of them, so I must be fairly egalitarian subconsciously. 

Having a team of main characters lets me mess with that a bit, but I still don't tend to follow what people might expect. Sterling is a romantic male lead.


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## ScriptLand (Feb 9, 2013)

I know Elizabeth Reyes writes a lot of Latin American main characters. http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Reyes/e/B0042R2G7W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

ScriptLand said:


> I know Elizabeth Reyes writes a lot of Latin American main characters. http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Reyes/e/B0042R2G7W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1


I love Elizabeth Reyes!

Off on a tangent - We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Wansit said:


> I love Elizabeth Reyes!
> 
> Off on a tangent - We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


I definitely would. I mentioned a Diverse Fantasy group promotion earlier in the thread, but Barbie's book isn't Fantasy. I've been brainstorming ideas for a diverse group promotion and site landing for Fantasy and YA, but I would join forces with a general Diversity campaign for all genres, as well.

I think the more of us doing this sort of thing, the better. I was thinking seasonally earlier, but there are a number of ways to go about it.


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## Barbara Morgenroth (May 14, 2010)

I did a YA series for Berkley before digital publishing existed as we now know it, so quite a few years ago.  One of the main characters is biracial and Berkley had a photo of biracial model on the cover.  No one ever said anything to me about it.


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

This is a very interesting thread. Thanks Barbie for posting!

I'm also sadden by the fact that there is not much diversity in YA. Actually, the first YA I read that had a character that was ethnically diverse was Jacob in Twilight.

When I wrote my first book, a new adult paranormal romance (see signature below), I knew I wanted Latino characters. My lead female character is Naomi Duran. The setting is in Houston, TX. How could I not have Latino characters?

But I wanted more than just to plug in Latino characters, I wanted the culture to come alive for the reader, to see the depth of the characters' experiences because they were of Latino heritage.  I also wanted this to be a book that interested any reader who loved fallen angel/paranormal romance stories, not just Latinos.

So far, I've gotten reviews from people in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, who may not be as familiar with Latino culture, but loved the story. I've also gotten reviews from Latino readers who are thrilled to see characters that remind them of their own families.

If anyone does an Indie Diversity Tour, I'd love to help. My book is considered New Adult though, maybe could be Mature YA.


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## H. S. St. Ours (Mar 24, 2012)

In my YA scifi adventures: 
Young Moon is Asian.
Sami is African American.
Simma is Caucasian.
Gen is, well, Martian.
Next will come Meeza, she's Native American.
Then Kaio, a Polynesian.

So some people are writing YA with lead POC characters _on purpose_, and evidently some people read them. Or so I'm told.


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## Shana Norris (May 31, 2011)

Anya said:


> Another huge problem is that for indies, the range of stock photos that feature diversity is sorely lacking.


Yes, this is definitely a problem. I had such a hard time finding a suitable image for my character for the first version of the cover.



Wansit said:


> Off on a tangent - We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


I think an Indie Diversity in YA tour is a great idea, and I'd be up for it!


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## lynnfromthesouth (Jun 21, 2012)

Wansit said:


> We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


That sounds like a great idea!


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Linda Castillo said:


> This is a very interesting thread. Thanks Barbie for posting!
> 
> I'm also sadden by the fact that there is not much diversity in YA. Actually, the first YA I read that had a character that was ethnically diverse was Jacob in Twilight.
> 
> ...


Love your cover <3

I'm not sure if there will be two tours or one (the more the better, really), so we can wait to hear back on what Terah has in mind for the one she mentioned. The group promotion I mentioned earlier is primarily Diverse Fantasy and YA focused, and I'm still brainstorming it for somewhere around August. When I mentioned it to the OP, I wasn't sure when her book would be releasing. She said her book isn't fantasy, but it is YA. I'd like her to be able to join the promo, since she started the thread and brought the conversation to the forefront. Hopefully Barbie will chime in with her expected release date (or maybe the release date of a short teaser *-^ for now).

Either way, I'm setting up a Diverse Fantasy & YA promotional listing site to get back in the swing of raising awareness *-^


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

Wansit said:


> Off on a tangent - We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


I'd totally do this! The female MC in Connection is black (half, but she grew up with her black mom, so she more identifies as black than white). I honestly didn't want to bother with stock photos of trying to find a picture of her and the male MC, who is just as prominent a character, so I stuck with hands and lightning.

Though the Protectors series is set in another world, a huge group of characters could be considered Native American or South American or Latino or black. I've used "dark-skinned", "olive-skinned" and left it intentionally vague.

That whole controversy with Rue's casting killed me! Especially because when I first read about Rue, I read her as white. (I also thought Peeta had brown hair. I guess I don't read very well?) But before the casting, I realized she was black and I couldn't believe how many people were ticked off about that. And about Cinna. Ergh!

It reminds me of someone who said there were on black people in Harry Potter, and I could name off like ten (Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dean Thomas, Blaise Zabini, and for some reason, I always imagined Demelza Robbins as black). Of course none of them are as major as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which is a whole other can of worms. The point here is they couldn't remember _any_ black characters. It just solidifies the fact that we read (and write) with a lens and a pre-conceived idea about everything -- gender, race, age, etc.


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

Wansit said:


> I love Elizabeth Reyes!
> 
> Off on a tangent - We should put together a Indie Diversity in YA tour...(doesn't have to be racial could be gender/sexual orientation, ableism, nonhuman (i.e. mermaids, unicorns, dragons). Would you guys do it?


Ooh, that sounds great! I hope to have my Chinese historical fantasy out by then.

Also, for those of you who write about multiculturalism, you might consider joining a goodreads group here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/99862-multiculturalism-in-ya-fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal-and-fun-books-p There's an author spotlight and a self-promotion corner, and the moderators are always happy to help


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2013)

Anya said:


> Another huge problem is that for indies, the range of stock photos that feature diversity is sorely lacking.


 I had the same problem with my NA title, which has a mixed race lead. When I asked Dreamstime, they were very good and a photographer added a range. The sad followup is that I then ended up changing the cover. The book kept being re-categorised as solely African-American and out of Crime and its other categories, which was harming sales (and the lead is not American). Since I changed the cover, that has stopped.

The thing I was debating about mentioning was an interesting experience with a reviewer, who effectively dropped a star because of the lead's race. Her explanation was that books with non-white leads always have a small market, and she always drops stars from books with small markets. When asked my response did mention the small problem with this, and she promptly pulled the review. I hope it made her think.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Aya Ling said:


> Also, for those of you who write about multiculturalism, you might consider joining a goodreads group here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/99862-multiculturalism-in-ya-fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal-and-fun-books-p There's an author spotlight and a self-promotion corner, and the moderators are always happy to help


This is wonderful <3


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

VH Folland said:


> I had the same problem with my NA title, which has a mixed race lead. When I asked Dreamstime, they were very good and a photographer added a range. The sad followup is that I then ended up changing the cover. The book kept being re-categorised as solely African-American and out of Crime and its other categories, which was harming sales (and the lead is not American). Since I changed the cover, that has stopped.
> 
> The thing I was debating about mentioning was an interesting experience with a reviewer, who effectively dropped a star because of the lead's race. Her explanation was that books with non-white leads always have a small market, and she always drops stars from books with small markets. When asked my response did mention the small problem with this, and she promptly pulled the review. I hope it made her think.


Glad you spoke up. That was silly reasoning on her part (or an excuse for her "actual" reasoning).


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

NathanWrann said:


> Right what you know.


Or write what you know.

Your choice.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Zachery Richardson said:


> Personally, I feel like there's this expectation in society that if a book has a POC protagonist, the story is ultimately about race. That if your main character is black, for example, then you HAVE to talk about it, and quite frankly, that pisses me off. I just want to write my stories and not have race be an issue.


But here's the great opportunity, Zach: you don't have to conform to that expectation! You can write about POC and have it be about a story and particular characters, not about race or ethnicity at all.

You're *self*-publishing... you get to decide!


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

As a whole, this discussion reminds me of when I was considering writing a stage-play comedy several years ago.

I wanted the play to have a unifying theme around the common experience of being a Minnesotan, while also reflecting the state's cultural diversity.

I envisioned a three-act structure, each act set maybe 20 years apart, taking place at the ages of 15, 35, and 55.

It was gonna be a four-character play, all set in a boat where these guys are fishing and shooting the breeze. They were all childhood friends who would get together regularly for a shared fishing trip... come hell or high water.

So I sketched out the idea and I decided to have the four characters be as diverse as possible.

One was gonna be politically conservative, white, and Christian.

Another was going to be politically liberal, black, and Islamic.

Another was going to be politically middle-of-the-road and Jewish.

The fourth was going to be apolitical, Hispanic, and agnostic.

I was overjoyed! I'd assembled a wonderfully diverse cast of characters! There'd be something there for anyone and everyone to relate to! And as a comedy, plenty of opportunity for humor of all sorts! Yay!

But that's about as far as I ever got with it.

For two reasons:

1) In my little mini-obsession to make my cast as diverse as I possibly could... I'd neglected to come up with, y'know... a STORY to tell.

2) Someone looked over my idea just before I sat down to begin writing, snorted in derision, and said, basically, "WTH do YOU know about half of those characters' lives?" Which just stopped all my creative juices dead in its tributaries.

My characters had gone, with that comment, from being a group of four friends who went off in some different directions but remained friends... to suddenly having to represent whole people-groups.

And so the fun went out of it. If I couldn't have my characters be CHARACTERS, but they had to be SYMBOLS, too... ehh. I just never got any further with it.

I overcame that possible roadblock with SHADA because I took a different approach: While two of the girls were white and two were Native American/Lakota, I kept completely focused on who they were as individuals and didn't allow myself to think much about them as symbols. I just told my story and allowed the diversity to add some life and vitality to the story I was telling.

Plus, I'd spent five years in NW Wisconsin living around and covering the activities (I was a journalist) of a lot of Lakota kids, saw how they mixed with their white classmates, had an experience-base and observation-base to draw upon.

But yeah, the moment you stop thinking about your characters (regardless of background) as specific, quirky individuals and start thinking of them as symbols for whole groups of people, it's hard to not get frozen by the fear of offending, or messing up, or getting egg on your face.

If one focuses just on, "Hey, these are my characters, they are who they are as individuals, and they're part of the story I'm telling, that's all..." that's what'll keep the creative juices flowing.


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Or write what you know.
> 
> Your choice.


Good catch.


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

NathanWrann said:


> Totally innocent question here: isn't race an issue in the general lives of people of color? I'm obviously coming at this from a totally different perspective and experience than you are, which kind of makes the point. A black kid walking into a convenience store is going to have a different experience than a white kid walking into the same store. Your story might not BE about that different experience, but to be a truthful storyteller you have to illustrate the experience honestly, even if not comparatively. And a white reader may read it as an "issue" scene, even if that's not the point.
> 
> I don't know what it's like to be a black kid in a convenience store in Cape Cod anymore than I know what it's like to be a 5'4" woman in a packed, standing room only biker bar. I can write, to an extent, what I _think_ the experience may be, but that experience will likely be fueled by race or gender. And may come off as an issue piece.


Race being a day to day issue tends to vary depending on where you live. Where I am, it's not so much. It certainly colors my perceptions of certain things and influences how I feel about certain things (the police for example), but it's not a general, day to day issue for me. Thankfully. In my nearly 24 years on this planet, I have had exactly _one_ race-related convenience store experience, courtesy of an Indian man who was darker skinned than me! Yeah, that was terrifically awkward. 



CraigInTwinCities said:


> But here's the great opportunity, Zach: you don't have to conform to that expectation! You can write about POC and have it be about a story and particular characters, not about race or ethnicity at all.
> 
> You're *self*-publishing... you get to decide!


This is very true, and maybe one day I will. The problem for me though is that, truthfully, if I was going to have a POC main character, the whole point of it for me would _be_ to talk about race issues. I don't see how it could not be. So at the end of the day, it's a fair bet to say my issues with this are more personal than anything.


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## LBrent (Jul 1, 2013)

This is a very interesting subject to me for many reasons.

Up until recently my writing has been mostly fan-fiction in 2 universes dedicated to characters played by the same yummy bald butterscotch skinned actor. 

This actor has always been very vague about his ethnicity, although it was always apparent to most people of color that he is racially mixed. (Funnily enough, although most of his characters are vague racially, he has played a character who was specifically White and no one questioned this at all). There was even a huge fuss made when one of his co-stars (a well-respected and definitively Black actor) stated in an interview, "He's Black, get over it!"

I found it very interesting that a great majority of his most vocal fans were middle aged White women who would get into very long heated discussions about his ethnicity. Many whom I had watched drool over him in various threads would fall into one of 2 major groups. Either they would defend his "racially ambiguous/vague" stance about revealing his ethnicity, or they would insist that he was White.

I haven't been to those communities in quite awhile but I don't recall anyone of those same fans saying "Meh, he's sexy and hot and Black". Just something I noticed.


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

LBrent said:


> This is a very interesting subject to me for many reasons.
> 
> Up until recently my writing has been mostly fan-fiction in 2 universes dedicated to characters played by the same yummy bald butterscotch skinned actor.
> 
> ...


Just a guess are you talking about The Rock?


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## brendajcarlton (Sep 29, 2012)

> I don't know what it's like to be a black kid in a convenience store in Cape Cod anymore than I know what it's like to be a 5'4" woman in a packed, standing room only biker bar.


I can help you with that one, if you make her 5' 1 and 1/4".


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

Barbie Hall said:


> Just a guess are you talking about The Rock?


My guess would have been Vin Diesel. I'd assume fan fic for the Riddick Chronicles and no idea for the other. Is ther fan fic for Fast and Furious? Lol.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

LBrent said:


> This is a very interesting subject to me for many reasons.
> 
> Up until recently my writing has been mostly fan-fiction in 2 universes dedicated to characters played by the same yummy bald butterscotch skinned actor.
> 
> ...


Wentworth Miller?

Haven't seen him in anything in awhile, and I'm not sure I'd say he's butterscotch, but thought I'd hazard a guess *-^ He can easily be mistaken for white. I didn't hear about his ethnicity until he was in that role where he played the younger character who passed for white and Anthony Hopkins played the older role for the same character.

ETA:



NathanWrann said:


> My guess would have been Vin Diesel. I'd assume fan fic for the Riddick Chronicles and no idea for the other. Is ther fan fic for Fast and Furious? Lol.


He's probably the one.


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## lynnfromthesouth (Jun 21, 2012)

NathanWrann said:


> I don't know what it's like to be a black kid in a convenience store in Cape Cod anymore than I know what it's like to be a 5'4" woman in a packed, standing room only biker bar. I can write, to an extent, what I _think_ the experience may be, but that experience will likely be fueled by race or gender. And may come off as an issue piece.


That's just it about this subject. It's going to depend on the person. I have no problem being 5'4 in a packed biker bar. Doesn't bother me at all. And I can handle myself. Another woman would feel very differently from me.

I think we may focus on race to the exclusion of character sometimes, though I think culture and background is important.


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## LBrent (Jul 1, 2013)

Barbie Hall said:


> Just a guess are you talking about The Rock?


Lol. Nope. But both have been in the same room at the same time. Also, The Rock has always been very forthcoming about being half Samoan and half Black. 

Nope, Willo, not Wentworth. Besides, he's a bit more olive skinned than butterscotch, no?

Nathan has Vin Deisel for the win! (Yup, there's lotsa Pitch Black and Fast & Furious and Bolier Room and XXX fan fiction). I wrote in the first 2 universes. (Um, what I wrote was mostly was...Well, think Pitch Black meets a better version of 50SoG waaay before the gal who wrote that originally as a Twilight fan fiction, I hear). 

Seriously though, I wish folks would simply get over racism. It's sooooo boooooring to be so silly.

The only good thing about racism is that it leaves more Idris Elba yumminess for moi! Hehehe


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Zachery Richardson said:


> This is very true, and maybe one day I will. The problem for me though is that, truthfully, if I was going to have a POC main character, the whole point of it for me would _be_ to talk about race issues. I don't see how it could not be. So at the end of the day, it's a fair bet to say my issues with this are more personal than anything.


Well, you're free to do that, too. Any way you want to go with it.  That's the beauty of not having a publisher force you into their mold.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I must confess, I've only read the first couple of posts, so if the conversation has moved on -- apologies. 

A lack of POC characters annoys me. The world is diverse. To leave ethnicities out seems odd. My series has three main characters. One girl is afro-carribbean British. Then there are secondary characters of Asian descent.

I must admit that I've been worried about writing from a POC perspective. I'm worried that I'd miss nuances that a non-white person would pick up on. The last thing I want is to create a caricature. 

Having said that, I'm planning a YA paranormal series with a main character who is mixed race. She's only ever been brought up by her white mother and then white foster family (later on white aunt). I want to explore the thorny issue of identity. Loads of teenagers feel like they don't fit in, or look different. I want to explore this theme in the books. I think it's a great metaphor for adolescents. 

When you're self-published you can write whatever you like and market it however you like. I doubt my story above would find a publisher brave enough to have a POC MC out of the African American genre (I'm not American, but can't think of a UK equivalent) yet I feel like readers will really warm to this character. I have an inclining that she's going to win a few hearts. 

I always imagine my book as a film, and when there are few POC characters, we notice it. We think it looks strange. That's my rule of thumb. 

Anyway, just my two cents! Good luck with the book


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm super excited that everyone's into the Indie Diversity tour. 

Next step would be WHEN and WHAT. Since we have NA and YA I think we should leave off the genres. Maybe called it the 'Indie Diversity' tour? Next step - when? 

I think July is too soon, so August or September would be better. Things we'd need: a website, hashtag, goodreads list, listmania list, and pinterest. Plus some sort of marketing...


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

sarahdalton said:


> When you're self-published you can write whatever you like and market it however you like. I doubt my story above would find a publisher brave enough to have a POC MC out of the African American genre (I'm not American, but can't think of a UK equivalent) yet I feel like readers will really warm to this character. I have an inclining that she's going to win a few hearts.
> 
> I always imagine my book as a film, and when there are few POC characters, we notice it. We think it looks strange. That's my rule of thumb.
> 
> Anyway, just my two cents! Good luck with the book


I spent some time w/ a family of Caribbean descent in the U.K. and they preferred 'Black British'. Just thought I'd put that in there. And super good luck with your new project!


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

LBrent said:


> Lol. Nope. But both have been in the same room at the same time. Also, The Rock has always been very forthcoming about being half Samoan and half Black.
> 
> Nope, Willo, not Wentworth. Besides, he's a bit more olive skinned than butterscotch, no?
> 
> ...


I had no idea there was F&F fan fic. I love F&F


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## LovelynBettison (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm late to this discussion, but I'm so glad to see it happening. I'm working on a NA book that I'll publish under a pen name. I'll also write some YA under that same pen name and when I first considered doing that I wondered what I should do about the ethnicity of my main characters. The novels that I've written so far have all featured black characters even though race is not what the story is all about. I don't ignore race. There is one tiny scene in each book that addresses it, but it's not a big deal. 

Anyway, when I originally decided to try writing YA and NA I thought I should probably write about white characters to make my books more marketable, but I just can't do it. I think diversity is what the market really needs. As a teen I wanted to read about black and mixed characters, but those books were few and far between for teen eons ago when when I was a kid. 

I'm glad to see so many of you including POC characters in your stories. I'm hoping that indie authors like ourselves can help turn things around. The world is diverse and books should reflect that diversity.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Wansit said:


> I'm super excited that everyone's into the Indie Diversity tour.
> 
> Next step would be WHEN and WHAT. Since we have NA and YA I think we should leave off the genres. Maybe called it the 'Indie Diversity' tour? Next step - when?
> 
> I think July is too soon, so August or September would be better. Things we'd need: a website, hashtag, goodreads list, listmania list, and pinterest. Plus some sort of marketing...


I'll likely still be doing the one I mentioned earlier (for Fantasy and YA) in August (still waiting to hear if the OP knows when she might be releasing hers), but I can help with yours if its needed. I'd already started brainstorming (coming up with names, reserving a landing page), so I'd like to still see that through, starting with a Diverse listings page.

Either way, I'd love to be a part of spreading the word for the awareness raising efforts that emerge. Feel free to drop a line if you need banners, etc for yours. I'd be no help with pinterest or listmania (not sure what that is?). Senora Castillo mentioned wanting to help, too.



Barbie Hall said:


> I will definitely promote it as much as I can when it's released , and no it's not any sort of fantasy or paranormal but your idea for a diverse promotion group does sound good.


Do you have a tentative release date? With you starting this conversation and opening the door for the promotions emerging out of it, you should definitely be a part of them.


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

Willo said:


> I'll likely still be doing the one I mentioned earlier (for Fantasy and YA) in August (still waiting to hear if the OP knows when she might be releasing hers), but I can help with yours if its needed. I'd already started brainstorming (coming up with names, reserving a landing page), so I'd like to still see that through, starting with a Diverse listings page.
> 
> Either way, I'd love to be a part of spreading the word for the awareness raising efforts that emerge. Feel free to drop a line if you need banners, etc for yours. I'd be no help with pinterest or listmania (not sure what that is?). Senora Castillo mentioned wanting to help, too.
> 
> Do you have a tentative release date? With you starting this conversation and opening the door for the promotions emerging out of it, you should definitely be a part of them.


yes, I would love to help.

Maybe we could start a Diversity Cross Promo thread, similar to the NA Cross Promo Thread http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=145154.0

We could post banners about our books and the type of diversity the characters represent, annouce book sales, new releases, etc. Then we can cross promote each on FB, Twitter, our blog, etc.

thoughts?


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Linda Castillo said:


> yes, I would love to help.
> 
> Maybe we could start a Diversity Cross Promo thread, similar to the NA Cross Promo Thread http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=145154.0
> 
> ...


That's a great idea. Maybe that and recommendations for Diverse books we're reading or plan to read? Would you be interested in setting it up and maintaining it?

ETA: (typo fix and


LovelynBettison said:


> I'm late to this discussion, but I'm so glad to see it happening. I'm working on a NA book that I'll publish under a pen name. I'll also write some YA under that same pen name and when I first considered doing that I wondered what I should do about the ethnicity of my main characters. The novels that I've written so far have all featured black characters even though race is not what the story is all about. I don't ignore race. There is one tiny scene in each book that addresses it, but it's not a big deal.
> 
> Anyway, when I originally decided to try writing YA and NA I thought I should probably write about white characters to make my books more marketable, but I just can't do it. I think diversity is what the market really needs. As a teen I wanted to read about black and mixed characters, but those books were few and far between for teen eons ago when when I was a kid.
> 
> I'm glad to see so many of you including POC characters in your stories. I'm hoping that indie authors like ourselves can help turn things around. The world is diverse and books should reflect that diversity.


I can relate to not being able to whitewash stories/art. No one should have to. We should all feel free to write what's in our hearts. It will just take a lot of work to raise awareness about diverse lit, but I believe it can be done.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Wansit said:


> I spent some time w/ a family of Caribbean descent in the U.K. and they preferred 'Black British'. Just thought I'd put that in there. And super good luck with your new project!


Oh, I meant the *literary genre* 'African American' rather than the description. I can't think what that's called here, maybe multicultural fiction?


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## zandermarks (May 20, 2013)

Zachery Richardson said:


> Personally, I feel like there's this expectation in society that if a book has a POC protagonist, the story is ultimately about race.


Expectations are meant to be broken. 

However, the bottom line is always this: Write what you're passionate about. Whether it's Zachery's desire to leave race out of the whole thing and just blow us away with amazing werewolf stories, or Barbie's desire to do YA with a POC protagonist, or for that matter, my own desire to build an urban fantasy world around my POC protagonist (even though I'm a white boy from Texas), there's little point in sweating over whether it's been done before.

And one thing worth considering: Nowadays there seems to be a need for people to make the distinction that "I'm not doing street fiction." But what's funny about that is this: Before Teri Woods self-published "True to the Game," _nobody_ was writing street fiction, because it wasn't an active genre.

At least, not until she self-published her book and brought it back to life.

So, who's to say that you can't break ground in your own direction? Even if what you have in mind does not appear to be a "thing," you might be the person who _makes_ it a "thing."


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

sarahdalton said:


> I must confess, I've only read the first couple of posts, so if the conversation has moved on -- apologies.
> 
> A lack of POC characters annoys me. The world is diverse. To leave ethnicities out seems odd.


I think it largely depends on one's setting.

If one's book is set in a large urban area, like NYC or Miami or LA or Chicago, yes, not reflecting a diverse population would be jolting and seem more fantastical than any paranormal plot elements.

However, if one's book is set in a more remote location, there are places where there are a less diverse population, if ethnicity is all you're looking for as a definition of "diversity."

Personal example:

I grew up in a very small, SE Minnesota town of about 350. We combined with some other area small towns and had a unified school district.

My graduating class had all of ... 86 students in it. The enrollment of our entire high school, my senior year, was just over 300 and after our class graduated, that plummeted to around 240 to 250.

In our entire 13 years together, we had one ethnically diverse student join us. (An exchange student from South America named Jessica. And nearly everyone treated her well... her being cute probably had something to do with that, at least among the boys.)

Other than that, it was a primarily white school district. Not by design, just by who happened to live there.

The school district has changed a bit since I went there. My understanding is that there are now a few Hispanic families living in the area, and even a couple black families. Which is great.

But the tiny sort of school district I went to isn't that unheard of, even today. Stephen King's rural Maine seems largely white, for example.

And I'm not arguing against diversity, at all. But what I would say is if one had a novel set in a setting like the tiny area I grew up in, and one imposed the same sort of ultra-diverse cast on that setting that one might find completely normal in a larger urban area, it would seem... forced.

This is why, with SHADA, I reflected some diversity (half of my main cast were Lakota girls) but it was area-appropriate diversity. Reflective of what one would actually find in small-town NW Wisconsin.

I think that's part of why my concept for my stage-play failed. I become so diversity-obsessed, I went well beyond what I felt comfortable writing about and I hit a wall.

I look at it this way: I want diversity in my own stories, but I also know I'm not the only writer in the world. I feel more at ease, less likely to offend, if I stick with the kinds of culture, people, and experiences I know well and can write about effectively without ending up with egg on my face.

If I were to stray into an area I did not know at all, I could really mess it up, not reflect truth, even come off as insensitive or relying too much on stereotypes.

I don't want to do that.

So, I strive for diversity within the spheres that I'm familiar with.

And since I'm not the only writer in the world... my goal is to encourage greater diversity in fiction by encouraging a *diverse group of writers.*

Because, for example, I probably don't have the experience-base to write a character-study on a charter who, let's say, grew up in the heart of Miami's Cuban community in the 1990s. I've only visited Florida once!

But there are talented writers who have that background. They can write from that experience-base far more convincingly than I ever could.

So I'm not gonna try to be them. I'll stick closer to what I know I can write about. I'll be me.

But if diversity can come from a wider range of writers, all writing from what they know best, that's a great way, I think, to maximize diversity. Encourage young writers of every type, sort, and population... encourage them to write, and write well.

Again, I must stress... I'm not sitting here saying I won't/don't use POC in my stories. Obviously, I have.

But there are limits within myself, and I try to be aware of them, and stick to my areas of strength.

And again, for me, writing the POC that I do write, the best way I've found that works for me to write about them is to focus on the commonalities and on them as particular characters, not symbols for entire populations.

Because when I start thinking of a character as a symbol (such as, "Ember is a role-model for ALL low-income, trailer-park-living white teenage girls") then she stops being Ember. Because then I have to edit out her quirkiness, and what makes her Ember. Because I'm now thinking of her as a role-model, an ideal, not a specific character.

Same thing with Shada Emery. If I thought of her as a symbol for mid-income, reservation-living Lakota teenage girls, I'd self-consciously turn her into a role model, an ideal, to avoid "negative stereotyping." That kills off the fun of her character and makes her blander, less interesting.

But if I focus on Ember being Ember (and ONLY being Ember), and Shada being Shada (and ONLY being Shada)... I can write them. I can make them who they are... characters with personality quirks and flaws and whatever else, who make mistakes, don't always make the best decisions, and are even in the wrong at times.

Can't do that with role models or symbols.

Can do that with specific characters. Because they are only being themselves, so they can have flaws.

And flaws help create story...


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> I think it largely depends on one's setting.
> 
> If one's book is set in a large urban area, like NYC or Miami or LA or Chicago, yes, not reflecting a diverse population would be jolting and seem more fantastical than any paranormal plot elements.
> 
> ...


This is super random but I always live in Minnesota


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## LovelynBettison (Aug 12, 2012)

Willo said:


> I can relate to not being able to whitewash stories/art. No one should have to. We should all feel free to write what's in our hearts. It will just take a lot of work to raise awareness about diverse lit, but I believe it can be done.


Amen to that. When you are true to what is in your heart that is when you write the truly great stories that touch many people.


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## LBrent (Jul 1, 2013)

I'm really showing my age but way before "urban lit" became to popular in the news, I read Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas in the 1970s (I had to hide it from my parents). It was called gritty.

I also read Go Ask Alice (also hidden from my parents). It was sorta an early YA novel I guess.

There was a book called Reds (definitely hid from my parents) around this same time period about a diverse group of teens who used drugs/ran away/got in trouble/fell in love. Very angsty.

And most recently I read/enjoyed The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Souljah (I'm grown now so...I swiped it from my kids).

I'm pretty sure these books predate True To The Game.

Just sayin'...


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

LovelynBettison said:


> Amen to that. When you are true to what is in your heart that is when you write the truly great stories that touch many people.


Agreed. That's what it's about at the end of the day. Those are the sort of books that will probably open the doors for diverse literature and minimize or totally eradicate the marginalization. I read a book recently that stuck with me for days. I was more than sad when it was over. It was obvious the author wrote from the heart.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Barbie Hall said:


> This is super random but I always live in Minnesota


Really? Fellow Minnesotan? Coolness x 2.

I spent most of my life in Minnesota, but I did live for a few months in a very small Texas town north of Houston (Conroe, TX), as well as five years in NW Wisconsin (Grantsburg, WI), and now going on almost two years in Oregon (greater Portland area).

In Minnesota, I grew up in a town of 350, went to college in 'Kato (an area of about 20K-25K), and then spent a bunch of years in St. Paul, Eagan, and Bloomington (meaning greater Twin Cities area and about the same size as the greater Portland area).

I love Minnesota... always will... but I use NW Wisconsin as my fictional setting so that I can write about the same sort of life I led growing up in Minnesota, without anyone from my Minnesota hometown feeling quite so singled out. It distances things just a bit. And that's 350-some people you definitely don't want to offend, since they all know you better than the people anywhere else you'll ever live...

And after two years in Oregon, I have to speculate that I can't foresee ever moving back because, at my current age, the climate out here is just way better for me, health-wise. As good as Minnesota was to me, Oregon is gorgeous, so it has its appeal, too.


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## lynnfromthesouth (Jun 21, 2012)

Wansit said:


> I'm super excited that everyone's into the Indie Diversity tour.
> 
> Next step would be WHEN and WHAT. Since we have NA and YA I think we should leave off the genres. Maybe called it the 'Indie Diversity' tour? Next step - when?
> 
> I think July is too soon, so August or September would be better. Things we'd need: a website, hashtag, goodreads list, listmania list, and pinterest. Plus some sort of marketing...


YA sales always pick up with the school year, so I think September or October would be better.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

LynnBlackmar said:


> YA sales always pick up with the school year, so I think September or October would be better.


I'm still waiting on Barbie's response but I would be happy with late September or October. I'll have 2 new releases then.


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## LanelleH (Jul 4, 2013)

Wansit said:


> I'm still waiting on Barbie's response but I would be happy with late September or October. I'll have 2 new releases then.


An Indie diversity tour sounds AMAZING but I don't think my book will be ready for a while. I'm still working on the first draft.


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## RDJ (Jul 9, 2013)

Wow.

I have a whole website dedicated to science fiction and fantasy for teens and young adults. http://www.alienstarbooks.com.

It's all about inclusion, not exclusion, but I specifically look for books with protagonists of Color. There's room for the classics and for new indies, as long as they're well-written, age appropriate and fit in the science fiction and fantasy genres. I do have a page for science books, both fiction and non-fiction, because yesterday's sci-fi is often today's science.

You aren't alone, there is diversity in YA, but you've got to search for it. I'm just trying to make it a little easier for teens, parents, caregivers, teachers and homeschoolers.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Barbie Hall said:


> An Indie diversity tour sounds AMAZING but I don't think my book will be ready for a while. I'm still working on the first draft.


It sounds like Terah's doing her group promotion in the Fall/Winter (not sure), so you might be ready then  Either way, you opened the conversation, and you'll have plenty of support when your title comes out even if it's after that. I asked when your release was coming out because I felt you should be a part of both events. Before your thread it was just an idea. I was motivated to start planning and make it a reality when you spoke up. This thread has made a huge difference already. 
Thank you for it.

ETA (typo fix and):



RDJ said:


> Wow.
> 
> I have a whole website dedicated to science fiction and fantasy for teens and young adults. http://www.alienstarbooks.com.
> 
> It's all about inclusion, not exclusion, but I specifically look for books with protagonists of Color.


Very nice  There are serious gems emerging. Aya Ling posted about a group, too. You might want to share your link there: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/99862-multiculturalism-in-ya-fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal-and-fun-books-p (ETA: Link fix... posted the wrong link earlier)

I'll include your link in a post I'm working on, as well. Shine Bright.
I'm gonna join it myself.


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

Willo said:


> That's a great idea. Maybe that and recommendations for Diverse books we're reading or plan to read? Would you be interested in setting it up and maintaining it?


Sure. Open to all genres or limited to YA/NA?


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## Elizabeth Barone (May 6, 2013)

My debut was a YA with a black main character. I got a few reviews and blog spots because of her ethnicity (and because my main character has two mothers). I found that reaching out to smaller book review blogs helped. I also did a giveaway on Goodreads. A lot of people appreciated the diversity in it. Hang in there! That market is definitely out there.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

I haven't had time to read through the entire thread (I will definitely come back when I have more time) but this an interesting topic. My latest novel, Chasing Mercy, is written from the perspective of an East Indian teenager. (You can see the cover in my signature below.)

I've had entirely positive reviews, but the book sales have been seriously lacking. I thought that I just didn't have a crossover audience or I needed to get the next book out. If it has to do with her race, that absolutely sucks! (Because of the race issue, not my sales.) I specifically wanted to write about an ethnic character. Now I'm curious to see how the sales go when I have the second book out. The issue of race never once crossed my mind.

A great YA series full of ethnic characters is the Farsighted series by Emlyn Chand. You should check it out.


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## sarracannon (Apr 19, 2011)

An Indie Diversity tour sounds amazing! I had an Asian main character (but not pov character in my Demons series) and my newest book, Death's Awakening, which is multiple POV has both an Asian guy and an 8 year old black boy as POV characters. These are both paranormal series with a touch of romance. I'd love to be added to a discussion on a possible tour in the fall.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Linda Castillo said:


> Sure. Open to all genres or limited to YA/NA?


An all-genre thread might work better to provide all of the KB authors with a place to share links to their diverse works, unless you think it might become too cluttered without restrictions?


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

elizabethbarone said:


> My debut was a YA with a black main character. I got a few reviews and blog spots because of her ethnicity (and because my main character has two mothers). I found that reaching out to smaller book review blogs helped. I also did a giveaway on Goodreads. A lot of people appreciated the diversity in it. Hang in there! That market is definitely out there.


Thank you for sharing this. I definitely agree promotions are key. A lot of authors have had the opposite experience, but I didn't contact small blogs for reviews, and that may be the case for others, as well. I so wish Color Online was still maintaining their review site. They were excellent. Maybe new blogs will emerge to review books with specifically diverse casts. BlackTeensRead2 is still posting (college demands are making it difficult I think), if sporadically, but she's an option for authors to contact. Do you have any blog recommendations for authors seeking open-minded reviewers?

ETA:



Stacy Claflin said:


> I haven't had time to read through the entire thread (I will definitely come back when I have more time) but this an interesting topic. My latest novel, Chasing Mercy, is written from the perspective of an East Indian teenager. (You can see the cover in my signature below.)
> 
> I've had entirely positive reviews, but the book sales have been seriously lacking. I thought that I just didn't have a crossover audience or I needed to get the next book out. If it has to do with her race, that absolutely sucks! (Because of the race issue, not my sales.) I specifically wanted to write about an ethnic character. Now I'm curious to see how the sales go when I have the second book out. The issue of race never once crossed my mind.
> 
> A great YA series full of ethnic characters is the Farsighted series by Emlyn Chand. You should check it out.


A lot of us have experienced much the same  Hopefully as more promotions are held and discussions continue, perspectives will change. Elizabeth Barone just posted that her book has done well after she reached out to small review blogs, so there's definitely hope of opening the door if we're persistent. It will help if tons of us pitch in and post Diverse resource links or recommendations pages on our blogs, FB pages, and etc.

Linda Castillo is posting a promotion thread for Diverse Indie books, so, that's one place authors can start posting their links to raise awareness of what's out there. That alone is probably going to make a major difference. A new poster chimed in that they have a YA book listing site: AlienStarBooks (I linked it in my sig with other resource links), and there's a Groupreads Diverse books group Aya Ling posted (I linked that in the sig too).

Participating in various group promotions will also make a difference; I have one for Speculative Fiction coming in Late August, and Terah chimed in that she'll do one for Diverse YA (all genres) likely for Fall. There are a bunch of resources in this thread, but it's getting long and not everyone can read the thread right away like you mentioned, so a lot of posts may get lost in the shuffle.

I'm gathering links on the side and will post a Resource thread for authors/publishers of Diverse Books/Media to make things easier to look up (will full credit to the original links posters or idea-generators, of course *-^).


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

Willo said:


> A lot of us have experienced much the same  Hopefully as more promotions are held and discussions continue, perspectives will change. Elizabeth Barone just posted that her book has done well after she reached out to small review blogs, so there's definitely hope of opening the door if we're persistent. It will help if tons of us pitch in and post Diverse resource links or recommendations pages on our blogs, FB pages, and etc.
> 
> Linda Castillo is posting a promotion thread for Diverse Indie books, so, that's one place authors can start posting their links to raise awareness of what's out there. That alone is probably going to make a major difference. A new poster chimed in that they have a YA book listing site: AlienStarBooks (I linked it in my sig with other resource links), and there's a Groupreads Diverse books group Aya Ling posted (I linked that in the sig too).
> 
> ...


I'm definitely interested in as much of that as I can do! My book is YA paranormal. I'm beside myself about this; I can't believe that this is an issue in this day and age.


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

Willo said:


> An all-genre thread might work better to provide all of the KB authors with a place to share links to their diverse works, unless you think it might become too cluttered without restrictions?


sounds good. We can play it by ear and see where it goes. I'll get the thread up.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Stacy Claflin said:


> I'm definitely interested in as much of that as I can do! My book is YA paranormal. I'm beside myself about this; I can't believe that this is an issue in this day and age.


<3

We shouldn't find ourselves in this position in 2013, but the times still seem to be calling for it. It's very exciting that there are so many people who want to come together to shine a light on the marginalized section, though. It spells hope in a major way.

Blissings 'pon your YA paranormal  If you're looking for ways to promote it, Linda started a Cross Promo thread  
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,156588.0.html
You can promote your book there, and there are other group events coming up.
You can also list at Alienstarbooks, I believe (YA only, I think). The link is on this page by the owner of it, and I also linked it in the Resource thread.

Shine Bright.



Linda Castillo said:


> sounds good. We can play it by ear and see where it goes. I'll get the thread up.


Rock on, Senora Castillo <3
I've been traveling most of the day and am defragging for a few, but I will be posting soon.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

When it comes to the whims that dictate what's popular and what's not?

This is pretty messed up right here:

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/dumb-reasons-automatically-dislike-movies-why-wolverine-worry-221344099.html


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

jljarvis said:


> Wow! You guys have been busy! I am so impressed by the new threads and links. It's such a smart and positive way to react to this issue.


There are some very cool promotions rising out of this that could make a huge impact if we stay the course. I look to forward to seeing everyone's efforts. Thank you also for the solid links you posted earlier. I re-posted them in the resource thread with a credit. I'm working on some "I <3 Diverse Lit" banners/buttons (an emergency overtook the weekend, but I'll be back on track with that soon).

I'm off to go check on Linda's Cross-promo thread *-^

Shine Bright


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