As you can see, I am not publishing a new edition of the Book Marketing Update. Instead, I devote this space today to the importance of diversity in publishing and social media.
I don’t want to dilute the term diversity. Most of the updates are about racism against Blacks.
I hope you share an appreciation of this topic with me.
Stay safe!
Social Media Steps Up
LinkedIn Offers Free Courses in Diversity and Inclusion to Improve Community Understanding from Social Media Today: LinkedIn’s courses cover a range of key elements. Included is unconscious bias, addressing culturally sensitive issues, how to hire and retain diverse talent, and more.”
Twitter Provides Notes on How People Can Take Action to Respond to Racial Inequality from Social Media Today: We all need to take responsibility. Change can’t happen unless the majority of people respond to the call.
We Need Diverse Books Movement
We Need Diverse Books Steps Up to Help KidLit Community from Publishers Weekly: We Need Diverse Books launched two initiatives to help amplify the voices of children’s book writers and illustrators. One is a program to provide financial assistance to diverse publishing industry professionals and creatives; the other initiative is designed to assist African-American emerging voices establish a foothold in the publishing world.”
Diversity Reading Lists
Do the work: an anti-racist reading list from The Guardian: Layla F Saad chooses books to fortify a long-term struggle.
Toni Morrison: ‘I’m writing for black people’: Toni Morrison talks about the danger of beauty and earning the right to say ‘Shut up.’
Looking for Excellent “Diverse” Books for Children? Start Here! from Embrace Race: “In this piece, we identify promising starting points, in addition to the Diverse BookFinder, for your search for children’s books to which you might apply the criteria described in 8 tips.”
Teachers Show Up for Black Students
‘Teachers Cannot Be Silent’: How Educators Are Showing Up for Black Students Following Protests from Education Week: Teachers are searching for ways to help them work through their feelings about the protests and the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other unarmed black men and women. The death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot while jogging by two white men in Georgia earlier this month, has also inflamed national tensions.”
More Diversity News
Antiracist Author To Head Antiracist Research At Boston University from BookRiot: Making an appearance on all the recent lists is Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. Now the scholar and author will launch the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University on July 1st.
So you want to learn about racism in America? Stream these 20 compelling movies and TV shows: Missing from this list is Just Mercy and I Am Not Your Negro. Definitely watch these two films.
I am an author and social media consultant for writers. My focus is on helping writers like you surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also provide content writing and email marketing services. Be sure to download my ebook about Twitter marketing. You can get it now for free!