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I am honored and excited to share my BIG news with you. But first, a staggering statistic:
Eighty-nine percent of published books are written by white authors. Yes, you read that right. More on that in a sec, but first….
It’s with massive pleasure to announce that I’m joining the eleven percent of published authors of color!
Without further ado, please see the cover of Inclusion on Purpose!
What do you think!?
I’m super excited about this next book. It centers the stories of women of color in the workplace and shares tangible actions to work towards an anti-racist, gender-inclusive workplace and society. I’m also humbled that my friend, NYT-bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo, wrote a foreword for it that brings out all the feelings.
I would love for you to pre-order it here, from your favorite bookstore. It will be out on February 8, 2022.
And, if the world permits, I may be speaking about it in your town next year! More on those details as I have them.
Ok, so now that I’ve shared my big news, we should talk about publishing being so white.
There are many reasons–racism chief among them–why people of color, particularly women of color, don’t get top book deals:
Eighty-five percent of publishing decision makers are white.
White leaders promote other white people’s books.
White-run media gives white authors prime television/website/radio/podcast coverage.
The racial wealth gap and racist access to disposable income. One in seven white American families are millionaires vs. one in fifty Black families.
But the most insidious reason why people of color don’t get book deals is because too many people subscribe to the myth of meritocracy. “If a book was good enough, no matter the author’s skin color, it would be a bestseller,” we think. “Audiences choose not to read these books.”
I address this false narrative and many more in my book. And you know what helps change this narrative?
Data.
Like pre-order numbers, which tells publishers whether a book has the potential to sell or not. So please consider pre-ordering a copy here. And maybe one for a friend whose birthday is in February (like mine!)? Or any other month of the year?
There’s also a lot of words that didn’t make the cut in the book.
Make sure you are subscribed to get this exclusive access to this “extra” content, like interviews with amazing leaders (including Ijeoma) and more. I’ll also run giveaways for you to get signed copies on the day it releases! Stay tuned, please.
Thanks for doing your part to show that there is, indeed, demand for the words of women of color.
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