At the heart of the book trade since 1858
Issue 5974
Editor's Letter Pressure points ‘‘‘‘ S
urprise, bitch—I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.” For some, this issue of The Bookseller might feel like the literary version of that “American
This year, flatlining seems to be the new, erm, black, with the output lacking the energy of last year
Horror Story” meme, where Emma Roberts’ character (spoiler alert) comes back from the dead. Reactions to us working on this second iteration of last year’s award- winning Black Issue, expertly edited by Marianne Tatepo, have been mixed. For some (including our painfully honest contributors) there is a risk of tokenism and other- ing in such dedicated issues. The same criticism has been levelled at the Discover Preview that I curate each month. However, it is The Bookseller’s job to report on and reflect the industry as it is, not as we want it to be. While there are still pitiable numbers of people of colour working across publishing, bookselling, agenting—and at The Bookseller—and while the publishing and promotion of books by people of colour seems to be cyclical and trend- led, such deep-dives are not just necessary, they are part of the work we all must do. There is an element of celebration here, of course, but also of building a body of evidence for analysis, discussion and focus. There is a reckoning too. And perhaps even, at last, a realisation. Did you know that in March, when the Nigerian-Irish actor Obioma Ugoala (see pp20–21) took to the stage as Kristoff in the “Frozen” musical, four audience members walked out? This work is real, it’s necessary and it’s urgent.
It was a loud year in 2020, and loud years can be misleading. In 2021, there was a sense of momentum building, with the number of books being
published looking beter, perhaps even good. But this year, flatlining seems to be the new, erm, black, with the output lacking the energy of last year. Is it that the novelt of publishing Black writers is wearing off? We must not only hope it isn’t, we need to ensure it isn’t. We also need to talk money. Last year, we made the point that the Black Issue was a great vehicle through which to support Black talent commercially. We make the same point again. This issue features many mentions of this month being the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. While this was definitely a turning point that has sent needed shockwaves throughout societ as a whole, big moments that rely on suffering and pain aren’t humane and aren’t sustainable. What we are pushing for in the industry is for the lived experience of millions of people in our societ to be built into the fabric of an industry that is said to represent them.
A common theme across this issue is people in publishing not seeing spaces or routes for them in the industry, so they are creating their own: Valerie Brandes did it with Jacaranda, Jasmine Richards is doing it with Storymix (pp16–17). That fighting spirit has to be commended, but we shouldn’t have to fight for a seat at the table. Neither Yewande Biala (p22) nor Eric Collins (p27) thought that they would ever write a book. Ray Shell did (pp14–15), with great success, but then disappeared. These are the voices we know about. There are others. This is why this exists.
Natasha Onwuemezi @natashaonwuemezi In next week’s magazine Children’s
Preview/Paperback Preview (August 2022) Contents 20th May 2022 06
As much as it’s a discussion about Black masculinity, it’s a discussion of masculinity as a whole and how we all interact with that
Lead story Sales of books by Black authors reveal a mixed picture
TheBookseller.com The Black Issue
The data: Black authors . 06 DEI work at publishers .. 08 Opinion: His Name is George Floyd .......... 10 Diversity in book retail . 12 Q&A: Ray Shell ........ 14 Company Spotlight: Jacaranda Books . . . . . . . 16 Q&A: Joseph Coelho .... 18 Author Interview: Obioma Ugoala ........ 20
Books Author Profile 20
Q&A: Yewande Biala ... 22 Kayo Chingonyi ....... 24 Author Interview: Tomi Obaro ........... 26 Q&A: Efua Traoré ...... 28 Opinion: Eric Collins .... 29
Data
The bestseller charts ... 38 Jobs in Books
Recruitment .......... 44 Data The bestseller charts 38 05
week’s number one
This
20.05.22 At the heart of the book trade since 1858. £5.95
Jacaranda Turns 10
A Decade Of Publishing Excellence
Founder, Valerie Brandes looks back on a milestone 10 years at the helm of Jacaranda Books: from the industry-leading #TwentyIn2020 list to being named Small Press of the Year.
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