Is the publishing industry ready for black boys as main characters?

Missus Akasha

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I am an inner city kindergarten teacher. I also tutor fourth and fifth graders in an afterschool program. I tried to get my boys interested in reading, but there weren't any books with main characters they can relate to. I've searched and searched my bookstores for middle grade books featuring black boys as main characters that aren't historical. I couldn't find any. So I wrote a book about a black boy embarking on an adventure with aliens. My students were with me through the whole process as I wrote it and read chapter-by-chapter like serial. They loved it. They wanted more of it. Most importantly, they wanted me to publish it. I decided to take their advice and query. I've gotten well over 10 rejections now. I'm not mad about the rejections, but I am irritated by the reality of the fact that the publishing industry says it wants diverse characters and yet the industry itself isn't diverse nor do the bookshelves reflect even after this continuous campaign. Is that wrong of me?

Sometimes, I am wondering if I am fighting against a wall.

I am a black educator of black children querying white literary agents hoping they understand the importance and impact of representation of young black boys. I know I am not the only one who writes for young black boys, but as a writer and educator, I ask: where is everyone? I consistently ask where are the stories of young black boys. Are writers not writing them or is the publishing industry not giving it a chance even if they pretend they are?

Is the publishing industry ready for black boys? I don't know.
 

patskywriter

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I don’t know if the industry is ready, but I know that black people are. When I was a kid, we had the typical (for the day) Dick, Jane, and Sally readers. My brother, who was 5 years younger, had multicultural readers. I hadn’t been resentful of Dick, Jane, and Sally, but when I saw my brother’s books, I was astounded and thrilled. I had never seen black children in books and simply couldn’t believe it, even though I was in 6th grade by the time he was in 1st. (When he couldn’t find his books, he knew that I had them.) Gay and Latino friends have told me the same thing. Whites are so accustomed to being the standard that many just can’t relate and can’t see “what the big deal is.”

So, by all means, YES, make it possible for black kids to see themselves in books. Oh, by the way, some years ago, I visited a friend who was a librarian at a local middle school, and I was very happy to see a couple of book series featuring regular, modern-day black boys. I’m sorry I don’t remember the names.
 

patskywriter

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Quick story: Chicago had a venerable, wonderful Kroch’s & Brentano’s bookstore downtown, and in the final decade (or so) of its existence, it opened a half-dozen branches around town (and suburbs). All were in white communities, and in the last years, the internet was just starting to cause a negative effect on bookstores. The newest Kroch’s was opened on 53rd Street in the University of Chicago neighborhood, which by then was probably 40 to 50% black. Pleasant, middle-class community. The book selection was nice, but there was only ONE book by a black author, the old, classic “God’s Trombones” by James Weldon Johnson. Yes, a book first published in 1927! Black people complained, wondering if Kroch’s had been oblivious to the fact that millions of black folks had been buying books at the downtown store for decades. Well, the 53rd St store finally added some black books and sales rocketed, far exceeding store sales in the entire chain. Unfortunately, by that time, the internet was gaining hold—Amazon in particular—and Kroch’s faded away. They learned a wonderful lesson, but it was too late by then.
 
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Shawna

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Fortunately, we are now in a time where we don't have to rely on what the all-knowing big publishers decide we need to read. We get to decide what to read and write ourselves. By all means, keep querying if you'd like, but if you never get anything but rejections, indie publish it yourself. There are resources out there that allow indies to make their books just as good and professional as any book coming out from a big publisher. If you know you have an audience (and it certainly appears you do), do what you have to do to reach them. The big publishing way is no longer the only way.

Incidentally, the book in your pic/sig looks interesting. If that was on Amazon right now, I'd go have a look at it.
 

Maryn

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Allow me to dampen a blanket. I follow a few literary agents for kids' books on Twitter, and they really do want diverse books, even if the agent herself is white. So even though your kids loved your book (which sounds like lots of fun to me, too), it's possible it just didn't strike the agents you have approached as something they can market.

Have you had a critique group's input? Gotten seasoned beta readers? Before the next go-round, you want to get it in the very best shape possible.

And of course the same goes for your query. If it's weak, then nobody will ask to see the book and know how terrific it is. Have you put it at Query Letter Hell at our Share Your Work board?

Maryn, who wants everybody to succeed
 

AW Admin

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Is the publishing industry ready for black boys? I don't know.

Large numbers of publishers are specifically soliciting books with diverse characters.

So are agents. Just in terms of kids' books, Jennifer Laughran has been particularly vocal about wanting subs with diverse characters.

And I know Greg van Eekhout and other middle grade authors routinely write about non-white characters.

See for instance the grass-roots efforts of We Need Diverse Books.

Publishers, Readers, Booksellers and libraries all want books whose characters match the diversity of lived life.
 

Missus Akasha

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@patskywriter, I had a very similar situation. When I was growing up, most of the books I read featured prominently white characters. I didn't mind it, but I did crave characters that looked like me. It wasn't until I was in high school did I find a few books with diverse characters. When I was in college studying for my teacher degree, there was a big push in diversity in picture books. I took a course on children's literature and we talked in length about diversity, but only in regards to picture books.

@shawna, I have considered self-publishing in the past and I absolutely respect all that can do it, but I keep asking myself why should POC authors have to self-publish to have their stories told?

@Maryn, I just posted my query letter and the first chapter of my story in SYW. I've gotten great feedback already. :) I haven't considered a beta reader thought. I don't know if I can find someone willing enough.

@AW Admin, I am very familiar with WNDB and I go on their website very often. I'll have to look up Jennifer Laughran for querying and I'll check out Greh van Eekhout for reading. Thanks for the recs. :)
 

remister

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+1 Maryn

that the rejections have nothing to do with your characters' race (based on #mswl etc, so many agents looking for diversity).
 
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Rumelo

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Unfortunately, some people will never be ready. But I am. And many people are. And I hope that the publishing industry can acknowledge this.

Good luck, Missus Akasha. And please keep querying! Your story sounds like a fun read.
 

Outertrial

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I'm afraid this won't be much use for your middle grade or YA book (which he states he doesn't rep), but this agent seems to want diversity of characters if you have anything else:

http://awfulagent.com/agents/sam-morgan

Diversity: I’m as bored hearing about white dudes in a western-based world as you are. I want to hear about POV’s completely different than mine told from someone that has lived outside the mainstream. I won’t turn away anything because of race, religion, sexuality, etc.

IMO the problem with diversity in creative writing is that creative writing typically doesn't pay very much (or anything) which means it tends to be people who have an absolute burning passion to write, or people who are wealthy enough to not have to worry about working, that are producing most of the content.

I hope I am not offending anyone here, but I would bet that at least a slender majority of the queries and samples slamming into agents' inboxes in the anglophone world is being sent by middle class ladies whose husbands earn enough so that they don't have to work so they did and MFA and wrote a book. I am not criticising these gals - at all - and they are also the ones who buy books en masse, but if you write something a bit different I bet it would stand out in the slush pile. Toni Morrison seems to have done alright.
 

horrorchix89

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With everything going on now, I can only assume people are looking for a reason to have more diverse MCs, especially black
 

Cascada

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I don't think it's a case of people not being ready, it may just be the right story hasn't come along. People want to identify on some level with a main character. No matter how different they may be from the reader, as long as there is a thread of understanding...we all understand hurt, pain, fear, suffering, love. We can all connect with those feelings. Write a story we can all connect with at the most human level, and that character will not only be accepted, but loved.
 

shizu

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I'm sure you've probably already seen these, but just in case there's something here you can use (either for your classes if the books are available to you, or also with regard to which publishers are publishing diverse books, maybe even finding out who represents these authors etc.):

http://johnson-mccormick.com/2013/10/top-five-great-chapter-books-for-black-boys/

http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/multicultural-early-chapter-books-for-kids/

http://www.pragmaticmom.com/booklists/multicultural-books-for-children/

http://babyandblog.com/2014/02/28-books-that-affirm-black-boys/
 

Tsu Dho Nimh

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I haven't considered a beta reader thought. I don't know if I can find someone willing enough.

Send it to me. I have excellent taste in children's books; my mother was a children's librarian with a masters in Children's Literature and it soaked in.

And, I'm retired and have the time to read the whole thing, not just one chapter.
 

andiwrite

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Keep going! That's not that many rejections, really. I've seen stories on here where people had way more than that. Hundreds sometimes. And then they got their agent and book deal. I have little experience in publishing and can't comment on the race thing really other than the fact that people seem to really want diverse books.

I think it's awesome you were inspired to do that for those kids. :) Wishing you great success.