There’s Room on This Bookshelf for Everyone
Originally published at Kay Holt. You can comment here or there.
Today I declared again that science fiction and fantasy need more writers and characters of color. Then I was asked: “What does that mean for you as a publisher?” That’s a good question with an answer too long for a tweet-length reply.
Speaking only as a publisher, I want to buy excellent stories and sell a lot of copies of them. Hardcover, paperback, ebook, whatever. As a publisher, I want to reach as many readers as possible, and SFF is niche enough without further narrowing our reach by publishing mainly for a white American audience. I would be a foolish publisher if I ignored the fact that most of the readers in the world aren’t white Americans.
Plus, Crossed Genres is all about bringing together themes that don’t usually share a bookshelf. It only makes sense that we want stories from all over the world and populated by all kinds of characters. That’s true every month, but in the name of putting our money where our mouth is, we made Characters of Color the theme for our double-length, second anniversary issue. (Opens to submissions in September, publishes in November.)
So that’s that.
But not really.
I’m not only a publisher. Among other labels, I’m also a white American writer and a fan of SFF. More importantly, I’m a grown-up. And if I’ve learned anything as an adult, it’s this: It’s not all about me, and nor should it be.
I’m not saying that I never want to read another story with characters who look and live like me and share my origins - of course I do - but I also want more to read about characters who don’t. After all, if SFF is the genre of alternate histories and marvelous futures, why should I have it all to myself?
So I declare: Science fiction and fantasy need more writers and characters of color.