Did the DEI backlash come because of the publications?
Dan Sinykin and Richard Jean So have some fascinating data in The Atlantic. Examining the racial breakdown of more than 1,700 novels published by major publishers over the past five years (2019-2023), Sinykin and So found that the proportion of nonwhite authors has doubled, from a meager 8% in 2019 to a better 16% in 2023, though still well below the U.S. demographic. That’s tremendous progress and, anecdotally speaking, feels about right. The article is set in the context of Lisa Lucas’s firing at Pantheon, which is both relevant and relevant because the sharp increase roughly matches the environment in which Lucas was hired. And they’re right, as anyone would be, to mention that there’s still work to be done. The magnitude of the increase, however, makes me wonder if we’re overvaluing one or two well-known, public names rather than the hundreds and hundreds of books by authors of color that simply haven’t been published in the past five years. Does the firing of these editors indicate a stagnation or, worse, a decline in these numbers? That’s possible. It’s also possible that things are actually different now, when they should still be. I look forward to seeing these numbers again in five years… and seeing the pie divided even more fairly then.
My Kindle now thinks I’m stupid
I’ve been pretty cautious about “AI is the devil” views so far. And I’m going to keep it that way. However, I’m a big believer in “AI makes creating garbage WAY too easy” stocks, and this long, head-scratching report on a series of truly mind-meltingly awful LLM-generated books appearing on a reader’s Kindle lock screen only makes me more eager to buy. Unless, of course Using mind reading for good: Sweet fairy tale bedtime story for children turns out to be a modern classic.
Macmillan launches Saturday Books, a new publishing house for adults
I love the smell of a new publisher in the morning. It’s a little difficult to write about a new “New Adult” publisher. The only thing harder is explaining what New Adult is. Saturday Books says it’s a “YA-adjacent category that specializes in books for younger adults or 18-30 year old readers who are just coming of age and still like YA.” That it’s described as “YA-adjacent” rather than “adult-adjacent” is telling, and has been. New Adult is less of a YA/adult hybrid and more YA+, at least in tone and subject matter. I’ve always found it a pretty awkward time and a pretty awkward marketing pitch for the category, although I think the books themselves make more sense.
9 books that will keep you hooked until the last page
You can’t look up at the beach. You forget you’re on a plane. You’re now standing on the edge of the pool, sunburnt because you didn’t want to get up and put on more sunscreen. You’re reading a book you can’t put down, which is one of the greatest reading experiences. If you like that feeling, check out this list.
