Here is a link to the “cheat sheet” for selling diversity that was handed out in the #WeNeedDiverseBooks panel at BookCon! You can download the .pdf from Grace’s blog.
So, what are you waiting for? GO FORTH AND HANDSELL!!
A report on the #WeNeedDiverseBooks panel and the multicultural small press panel at the 2014 BookCon in New York City.
A terrific overview of our panel, with great pics as well!
Thank you, Rachel Renee Russell, @realjohngreen @veronicaroth @marie_lu alayadawnjohnson, & daniellempaige for supporting the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign! The button is small, but the message mighty. We couldn’t be more thrilled that a SRO crowd heard our message (and that these fabulous authors actually WORE it :D). Quotes from our interviewees, and a stream of the entire panel to come…
A little over one month ago when a group of us got together and formed #WeNeedDiverseBooks, we hoped we’d be able to do enough to get the publishing industry to pay attention. We knew we’d have support, we knew people would come together and make their voices heard, but even so, the response was completely overwhelming in the best possible way.
Today, in just a few minutes, key members of our team will join Grace Lin, Matt de la Peña, and Jacqueline Woodson on a panel at BookCon called The World Agrees: #WeNeedDiverseBooks.
This month has been a whirlwind for all of us, and we are so excited to talk about how this happened, why it happened, and why it had such a powerful impact for so many people. Most importantly, we’re excited to talk about next steps. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
It’s only just beginning.
If you’re going to be joining us at the panel, we’ll see you very soon! If you won’t be there, we hope you’ll hop on the #bookcon2014 and #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtags to follow along with those who are live-tweeting the panel. We did this together!
Hey everyone… members of our team are descending on BEA right now! The big panel is tomorrow, and the fabulous Grace Lin has designed a great handout for booksellers and librarians. This is a “cheat sheet” for selling diverse books. Please go check it out, print it, download it, and use it if you need to. As Grace Lin says in her own words:
“However, [making this sheet] wasn’t without hesitations. I was very conflicted as I felt that, perhaps, by describing the books without the multicultural label it could be construed that I was ashamed of it. That, somehow, I was afraid of these books wearing their diversity label proudly. I’m still concerned about that.
However (as I wrote on the sheet), I do feel that these books are much more than their racial identities. These are all books with universal themes and emotions that all readers can relate to. But, the racial label, unfortunately, tends to blind readers to everything else that these stories are. And, that, in the end, make the books invisible. Which is an even graver issue, in my mind.”