tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post1733429817415859138..comments2024-03-28T07:00:12.226-04:00Comments on Romance Novels for Feminists: Urge RWA to follow up on "The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing"Jackie C. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146684628443152376noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-68611503755162517782017-10-12T15:26:45.687-04:002017-10-12T15:26:45.687-04:00Hi, Jackie,
Thanks for replying. Yes, it sure se...Hi, Jackie,<br /><br />Thanks for replying. Yes, it sure seems that way, dating back to my earlier years as a reader, and from what I am seeing and hearing now. <br /><br />Back then, the book shelves had primarily urban fiction, which didn't match my urban experience. I'm seeing the same on the library shelves and on Amazon. The inspirational fiction is too different from my experience of Christianity.<br /><br />The writers of erotica tells me that is what sells. Chicken/egg? A good question.<br /><br />The irony: I began reading historicals because I was likelier to find sweet romances in that genre.<br /><br />Nowadays, when I meet a woman of color who writes sweet romances, I want to talk to her! authorbarbarajameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02084564213184253782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-87414289018149542532017-10-12T10:29:12.585-04:002017-10-12T10:29:12.585-04:00Me, too, Kim. The New York Times published a colum...Me, too, Kim. The New York Times published a column about the study two days ago: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/style/romance-novels-diversity.html. Was painful to read the Berkley editor's response. It must be difficult to have to espouse the party line when you are an editor of color...Jackie C. Hornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146684628443152376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-56585917474878429262017-10-12T10:26:35.586-04:002017-10-12T10:26:35.586-04:00Difficult for readers to find it? Difficult for ed...Difficult for readers to find it? Difficult for editors to publish it? Difficult for queer people of color, who are doubly oppressed, to write it? Lots of questions to ask, and possible answers to explore...Jackie C. Hornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146684628443152376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-23620721716861536682017-10-12T10:20:51.393-04:002017-10-12T10:20:51.393-04:00Thanks, Barbara, for adding your thoughts. I, too,...Thanks, Barbara, for adding your thoughts. I, too, am curious about your insight that there are fewer African American romances in the "middle ground" between inspie/Christian and erotica & urban fiction. Continuing prejudice on the part of publishers, who stereotype black women? Sales patterns that suggest these two areas are better sellers? Some combination of the two? I'd love to hear more information on what romance readers read, and what they buy, separate from the information collected by publishers themselves.Jackie C. Hornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146684628443152376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-80976896719439201382017-10-12T06:22:37.554-04:002017-10-12T06:22:37.554-04:00This was great to read, and very informative. I li...This was great to read, and very informative. I like the statistics to back up the claims too.Kim Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14616187657922174261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-71773023924072338802017-10-11T14:26:08.513-04:002017-10-11T14:26:08.513-04:00"One of the bigger surprises for me: the low ..."One of the bigger surprises for me: the low figures from LGBTQ publishers Riptide (1.4%) and Dreamspinner Press (5.8%)."<br /><br />This doesn't shock me, sadly. It is painfully difficult to find queer romance written by people of color.Skye @ Planet Jinxatronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07516561141953659264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630346294397505634.post-71023256842900207352017-10-11T06:07:54.995-04:002017-10-11T06:07:54.995-04:00Hi,
I like your suggestions for gathering further...Hi,<br /><br />I like your suggestions for gathering further information.<br /><br />What else do I think would be worthwhile to consider?<br /><br />What about diversity in terms of what writers write and what readers read?<br /><br />I am a woman of color and I write sweet romances. It seems that this is not a genre that women of color like? African American women? <br /><br />I'm finding African American women in the inspirational and Christian genre or at the other end, in erotica and urban fiction.<br /><br />No middle ground? Why is that?authorbarbarajameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02084564213184253782noreply@blogger.com