The Lee & Low survey was published in January 2016, and I’ve put that data on the USA publishing industry against the USA census data. It shows why the call for #diversity is still valid.

I used the results of the survey, and the USA census data to compile this graph.

The most interesting part of this graph is that huge population advantage towards white people in the publishing industry. This has a flow on that affects authors, with editors tending towards publishing writers from their own race. I’d like to think that this doesn’t happen on purpose; but rather happens unconsciously. For those authors who are in disadvantaged groups, that differentiation doesn’t matter. The effect is the same.

If publishing is true to general population figures, then only 60% of books published would be written by white authors.

Let’s use these figures to close that disadvantage towards writers of colour by reading (and buying) books written by #ownvoices

I’ve included a few on my recommended page.