Thursday 2 August 2018

Reading Is For Pleasure...

...not for empty virtue-signalling:
Despite a raft of diversity initiatives, the percentage of young adult books written by black and minority ethnic (BME) authors has declined steadily since 2010, according to a new study warning that the UK’s “outdated” publishing culture must take rapid action to address a systemic problem in its ranks.
Why is it 'a problem'..? Who says so?
Ramdarshan Bold called on the books world to do more to address the representation issue. Her report says: “The publishing industry needs to engage in more sustainable action, rather than discussions, to help shift the entire publishing culture, which is clearly outdated for, and not reflective of, the communities it serves. Until this happens, these dire statistics will not change significantly.”
 *looks up name*



Heh!
“The problem is systemic and we have a collective responsibility as publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, educators and readers to redress the imbalance by publishing, selling, teaching, promoting, and reading quality books by and about minorities,” she said.#
I'll read what I like. If that's a book by or about minorities, so be it. If not...

7 comments:

Oldrightie said...

No achievements, "heh". Well she has achieved a glaring, all too frequent bit of virtue signalling. A modern phenomena now given more credibility than great literature and music. Whatever its provenance.

Anonymous said...

Publishers publish books because they think they will sell and make them money. Booksellers stock them for the same reason. To publish and stock books which may be shite, but written by a black, one-armed, lesbian, or a radical SJW snowflake, and which only those of a similar bent will buy, makes no commercial sense. I bet these supporters of this policy don't go to posh dinners and eat only boiled mumg beans in solidarity with whoever. The rise of the offendotrons continues apace.
Penseivat

ivan said...

It would help if the BME authors actually wrote something that people who can read wanted to read. It is no good blaming the publishers for not publishing the garbage produced, they, the publishers, have to sell enough books to make a profit and so stay in business.

andy said...

As she says, the publishing industry is an industry so presumably if a BAME author writes a great book that the publishers think will sell in large numbers then it will get published, or is she suggesting that the publishers have to take the risk of a financial hit on an crappy book simply because the author is BAME?

Anonymous said...

Never has it been easier or cheaper to self-publish. If any BAME author does so and sells a lot of downloads then publishers will be queuing up.
If not...

Ted Treen said...

I've been to Reading: believe me, pleasure didn't come into it!

JuliaM said...

"Well she has achieved a glaring, all too frequent bit of virtue signalling."

These days, it seems that's all one needs to achieve...

"To publish and stock books which may be shite, but written by a black, one-armed, lesbian, or a radical SJW snowflake, and which only those of a similar bent will buy, makes no commercial sense."

No, indeed. But they'll do it. Because they are frightened not to.

"Never has it been easier or cheaper to self-publish. "

Quite!

"I've been to Reading: believe me, pleasure didn't come into it!"

SNORK!