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Rambling thoughts on the publishing industry
Publishing has changed considerably since Ralph Ellison lounged around the offices of Random House in the 1950s. Relationships with agents are more important now than relationships with editors. And 21st c publishing houses are in constant need of a stream of best sellers. African American books rarely find their way to the best seller lists. Given that fact, how does one afford to become a Ralph Ellison in the 21st century? Or how does one afford to become the kind of thinker African Americans need to refine processes that serve their particular communities?
Ellison is prescient in Invisible Man, identifying a directive that compels African Americans to “keep on moving.” In some ways, the publishing industry demands that too. There is no national apparatus that serves the needs of African Americans in publishing which transcends external pressures. If you read our literature, you see the nod toward white codes, generally at the expense of their mother tongue.
With nearly 90% of those working in the publishing industry identifying as Caucasian, African Americans are in the extreme minority. Given those numbers, the gatekeepers making decisions about what gets classified as literature are rarely Black. What then, is the impact on the institution of African American literature?
Listen in as V. Efua Prince discusses the matter with Stephen Henderson on WDET’s Detroit Today.