The Segregation of "Black" Books

[SemiCharmedQuark]

Why did Bloomsbury Press choose this cover for a YA novel about a short-haired black girl? Maybe because, according to publishers, "black covers don't sell."

Justine Larbalestier, author of Liar, says she wanted an American cover similar to the Australian cover, which depicted the word "liar" in red letters. But Bloomsbury "has had a lot of success with photos of girls on their covers and that's what they wanted." So why a white girl? Larbalestier says not all the girls Bloomsbury proposed were white, but the one they went with may have to do with some upsetting prejudices in the publishing and bookselling industries. She writes:

Since I've told publishing friends how upset I am with my Liar cover, I have been hearing anecdotes from every single house about how hard it is to push through covers with people of colour on them. Editors have told me that their sales departments say black covers don't sell. Sales reps have told me that many of their accounts won't take books with black covers. Booksellers have told me that they can't give away YAs with black covers. Authors have told me that their books with black covers are frequently not shelved in the same part of the library as other YA-they're exiled to the Urban Fiction section-and many bookshops simply don't stock them at all.

Larbalestier goes on to say:

I have found few examples of books with a person of colour on the cover that have had the full weight of a publishing house behind them. Until that happens more often we can't know if it's true that white people won't buy books about people of colour. All we can say is that poorly publicised books with "black covers" don't sell. The same is usually true of poorly publicised books with "white covers."

http://jezebel.com/5321358/are-black-covers-segregated-in-bookstores

[Brewman_Jax]

1. Ironically, Thomas Sowell wrote about this a few years ago

http://townhall.com/columnists/column.aspx?UrlTitle=bookstore_ghettoes&ns=ThomasSowell&dt=05/10/2007&page=full&comments=true

One of the top RW lawn jockeys whining about how unfairly he's being treated because he's black. He sold his soul and found what most of us already knew--racism didn't stop just because you got new "friends" and a bigger check. :nopity:

Reading down the comments show that his new "friends" have no clue of how the racist caste society works. I wonder how his "friends" would treat him if he said something they didn't like. :eyes:

[Number23]

3. On one hand, I completely agree with his comments and his contention that

throwing all black authors together, regardless of subject matter, is shameful, stupid and racist.

On the other hand, any brother that writes for Townhall is not someone who will automatically engender a whole lot of sympathy from me.

[Number23]

2. This is the same bullshit LIE that they used to justify the lack of black/brown models and women

on magazine covers.

Can you imagine pouring your heart and soul into a book about a young, black girl and being told you can't even use a black girl on the damn cover??!

[bliss_eternal]

4. I get it. Translation...

..."no one bought the books w/black models on the cover" is really code for, "we didn't sell to enough books to the "non-ethnic demographic." :eyes:

So which marketing genius decided that hair care products for "ethnic people" require misspelled words...?



Doo gro

http://www.drugstore.com/templates/brand/default.asp?brand=58490&aid=336064&aparam=doo%20grow%20hair%20product&scinit1=doo%20grow%20hair%20product

Spanish Sur-Gro
http://texasbeautysupplycom.stores.yahoo.net/ssg42345.html


DonT B Dry
http://texasbeautysupplycom.stores.yahoo.net/doanfo2ozjar.html



....or names that sound like racist pornographic movie titles? :scared:


Liquid Love?

http://texasbeautysupplycom.stores.yahoo.net/liqlovacmois.html


Hawaiian Silky?

http://texasbeautysupplycom.stores.yahoo.net/hs10014.html


:wtf:


:banghead:

[Number23]

6. Good God. What the HELL is Liquid Love??!

Ewwwww. I just read the product description. Did you catch this foolishness??

"Each pearl essence drop of vitamin enriched LIQUID LOVE"

Wait... I think I'm gonna.... :puke:

[bliss_eternal]

7. yes...lol. "pearl essence drop"

...only a few products marketed to "people of color" (especially items w/cheesy names like "liquid love") include specific ingredient details. it's as if they don't deem us worthy of reading, or concern for what's contained within items utilized for our skin and hair.

:(

[jmm]

5. I first noticed this awhile ago when

I couldn't find a book by Franz Fanon and the employee who was helping me said they always kept him in the African American section. Did he even visit the US when he was alive :shrug: ? That led to an interesting debate about how the store was run.