Novelist Millenia Black , who is African-American, claims she has been told by her editor to change the race of the characters in her latest book, THE GREAT BETRAYAL, from white to African-American or they won’t publish it. She writes on her blog:
THE GREAT BETRAYAL is a story about secrets. Secrets.
And just how long you can bury them before the past crashes into the
present, with a vengeance. Pretty universal subject matter, yes? I
thought so. Now, suppose you’d written such a novel, and your
publisher told you that, although it was a dynamite story, they would
not accept it—because the characters were white. The race must be
changed before they’ll publish it!
If this story is true, I don’t blame Millenia for being outraged. She believes that she’s being told that as an African-American author she can’t write about whites. They are, in essense, relegating her to a niche market — strictly "African-American" readers. Black adds in a comment to her post:
It’s one thing to write to an AA audience. It’s another thing to write mainstream/commercial fiction and be relegated
to an AA audience. The fact that you can’t write a book with
main characters that happen to be white (would have to lie about or
hide your race in order to do so) is the Jim Crow of modern-day
publishing. Enough is enough.
Especially when you consider that nobody has a problem with James Patterson, a middle-aged white guy, writing about a black detective. But a black woman can’t write about white characters? It’s ridiculous.
UPDATE: Bloggers Monica Jackson, MJ Rose and Edward Champion weigh in..
UPDATE 10-9-06: She’s suing. Millenia writes:
Career or no career, the genre of a book should not be determined by
its author’s color. An author should not have to lie about his or her
skin color in order to obtain equitable handling by a publisher. An
author’s skin color should not determine where his or her books will
likely be shelved by a bookseller, or whether or not some booksellers
will even order said book. The color of an author should be of no
interest in any acquisition. If they want a book about black people, that’s what should be acquired – a book about black people.
I’ve said at her blog that I think she should sue the shit out of them.
I think you’re mistaken about the post though, her blog says it was posted on Tuesday, not today. — Claudia
She could sue them under 42 USC 1981. If Ms. Black can prove they refused to publish it because the characters were white, and she herself is not, they will have to prove they do this with ALL their authors or she’ll have a pretty good case under 1981. It could even set precedent.
To Mr. Mongomery: The fact that you assert the opinion that a publisher should have the right to make racially discriminating decisions and argue contratual rights shows you greatly lack sensitivity to legal issues, or human for that matter.
This is the flip side of the “cultural appropriation” debate that was all the rage a few years ago: feminists arguing that men shouldn’t write from a female point of view; African Americans saying whites shouldn’t write from a black POV; Native Americans saying non-Natives shouldn’t write from a Native POV, and so on.
Writers should be free to write whatever they can do convincingly.
CALL THE NY POST TIP LINE.
(212) 930-8500
MAKE SURE YOU GIVE MILLENIA’S BLOG ADDRESS:
http://milleniablack.blogspot.com
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE YOUR NAME, BUT THE MORE ATTENTION BROUGHT TO THIS STORY THE BETTER. THEY ASSURED ME THEY’D “LOOK” INTO IT. AND THEY MAY, BUT IF THEY RECEIVE CALL AFTER CALL ABOUT THIS SITUATION, THEN I AM SURE THEY TRULY WILL START TO INVESTIGATE.
THE TIME FOR SILENCE IS AT AN END.
SILENCE IS OUR WORST ENEMY.
Hey,
If you’ve not noticed, “what’s Millenia Black up to?” She has taken down her blog post.
Has anybody gotten in the know of what’s going on? Something must be happening.
Hmm…the post is gone. Something must be happening. I wonder if that was a condition of meeting her demands? Word is that she served them with a demand letter, so perhaps they made that a condition of meeting it…? Dunno, it’s all pure speculation at this point, we don’t know all the facts. I do hope we get the facts soon though. I still think this issue is a very important one no matter what happens. Wouldn’t you agree?
I have read several comments on the situation with Millenia Black and her publisher and I have a different take on it that I haven’t seen anywhere yet.
Mainstream publishers see African American fiction as a cash cow. Judging by some of what I see put out there by big name publishers, they take Black readers for granted. The prevailing attitude seems to be that we’ll read anything and everything by Black authors simply because we’re so darn happy to see ourselves represented in print.
If anyone hopping on this bandwagon even bothered to read so much as an excerpt from The Great Pretender, you should be aware, if you are being honest with yourself, that one fact is difficult to ignore: the book is in need of some heavy editing. It is also chock full of cliches and thinly drawn characters.
So, you ask yourself: why would a large, respected publisher release a book in that form? Answer: They don’t need to edit it to get sales. We (Af.Am. readers) will read anything. Why dedicate personnel and publicity dollars to a product that will sell in its current form, regardless? They do not have to adhere to the editorial standards for white authors, whose readership is apparently more discerning.
If we are going to be mad about anything, it should be the fact that white publishers feel they can foist anything on us without giving the work the attention it deserves before it reaches the market.
This is, I believe, the current mindset in publishing. The publisher for The Great Betrayal doesn’t want to market it as anything but niche fiction, because white readers will expose it for what it is. No disrespect to Ms. Black, and I don’t really expect to see my post put on this blog, but the actual writing of the book is, in my opinion, the white elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge.
Pearl Cleage, Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley– to name just a few– do not seem to have the problem Ms. Black is experiencing. They write their butts off, and no one cares what color they are.
Heard about this via Ed Champion. He’s really persuing this wonderfully. I also read the author’s latest update on her blog and it’s great that her lawyer was able to get the publisher to back down. I’m eager to see what happens next regarding her first book.
I agree with you, Lee. I think the author should be able to write without anyone pointing out her race.
I also have to say to ‘readerwriter’ that even though I haven’t read the book in question, I think it should be left to readers to decide what they like. I think your post is not only offensive to the author, but to millions of readers who, if exposed to it, may like the book. Hey, I’ve read bestsellers by white authors that I thought weren’t all that well-written and could use some additional editing. Not to say that’s the case with Great Pretender, but let the readers decide. It’s extremely rude to say that white novels are better written than black ones so certain works shouldn’t be made available to them. I had to comment on that because it struck me as extremely racist.
Becca Tricolli
Donna Tricolli:
You’re so on point! I endorse every word you’ve spoken.
I strongly averse and my blood boils at the things Readerwriter had to say.
Factually, Readerwriter can’t be a black person in anyway, just an imposter feigning to be a minority.
Funny, but if what she/he said made good sense we’d have to respect it– but after the first paragraph agrees that publishers should not niche black authors, Readerwriter turns around and contradicts that very position, by being grossly illogical.
I do agree, Readerwriter comes across sounding very racist, please take note of that.
Ancient Reader and Becca Tricolli, you have missed the point of my post. Ancient Reader, with all due respect it is simplistic to assume I am not black because I do not take the party line WRT this author’s two books. You are wrong in your assumption. Becca, you also are giving in to a gut reaction instead of looking at what I have said. If you really understood what I wrote, you would know that it is anything but racist. As a matter of fact, I wonder about the racist proclivities of the both of YOU for assuming that I have to share your point of view on this or else I couldn’t possibly be black.
I agree it would be extremely rude to say that “white novels are better written than black novels”, if indeed that had been what I said. It was not. Nor did I say anything about certain works not being made available. I’m baffled as to how you could have gotten that from my post, unless you 1) are incapable of understanding it or 2)have some agenda to instigate pointless anger from others.
Listen real carefully. And this time, try not to have a knee-jerk reaction. It is MY BELIEF that novels by minority authors are not given the editorial scrutiny and degree of editing that novels by white authors receive, because the black reader is taken for granted by the publishers. That “The Great Pretender” was in serious need of editing which was not received prior to publication is not subjective, nor opinionated, nor racist. It is merely fact.
And, as a Black reader, I am insulted that publishers apparently do not deem works targeted for my demographic worthy of the same type of thorough pre-publication attention that other (white) authors receive.
This is not about content. This is not about subject matter. This is not about style. I don’t know how much clearer I can make it. You may agree with me or not, that is your prerogative. But I steer clear of name calling, and I would appreciate the same respect.
Sorry, I just have to respond to ‘readerwriter’ again. Running a bookstore, I see the segregation of black authors from whites and I’ve had my own unpleasant experiences with veiled talkers like this and it drives me crazy.
I think you’re the one missing the point of your own post, and you’re trying to cover it up with a condemnation of publishers for not editing black books. From the tone of it, your comment came across as critical of the credibility of this author’s position….As if you don’t agree with Millenia Black raising this problem. And why? Because you think her work needs more editing? The subject you say you’re advocating has nothing to do with the stated offense against the author, and I think it’s your OPINION, not a fact. Judging from the various reviews I’ve read, a great many people like the book just the way it is. I also just read the Amazon excerpt of the self-published version and I’m tempted enough to order the book! It got my interest. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t ever read worse writing straight off the bestseller lists.
The topic of whether or not publishers give African-American books enough scrutiny is a completely different subject. Are you unable or unwilling to see that? If you think the book needs more editing, that’s not a problem. Others may agree with you. Go start a blog on that subject. But, it doesn’t justify the publisher handling it according to the author’s race, and then telling the author she can’t write about white characters. I’ve heard many people say Dan Brown needs more editing. So much for THAT opinion. Again, let readers decide what they like and what needs editing.
I don’t know about everyone else reading this thread, but I agree with Ancient Reader, ‘readerwriter’ is not black….from the racist double talk, it sounds like he or she is the one with an agenda to instigate some sort of detraction from empathizing with the author….basically saying, “Don’t feel so sorry for Millennia Black, her work sucks anyway so the publisher did no real harm…oh, and by the way, I think publishers insult black people because they don’t edit the books for their segregated market.”
I’m sorry if I’m still misunderstanding you, ‘readerwriter’. I can spot a hypocrite a mile away. You don’t have to “take the party line” of ridiculing what’s happened, as Lee asserts in his post, to have your comments respected. You just need to make sense and make a credible argument. Though I don’t see how an opposing argument (publisher gets to treat books according to authors’ race) could make sense. Said with all the respect a racist deserves.
Becca Tricolli
I care about content. I don’t give a damn about the race of the author. Since “Beloved” was decreed the the best novel of the last 50 years or so, I’m thinking this where the editors were headed with this. And not much else.
Becca Tricolli, please don’t presume to paraphrase me with your own spin on my words. When you say, “oh, and by the way, I think publishers insult black people because they don’t edit the books for their segregated market.”, you are minimizing my point as a springboard to call my race into question. You are unaware, in your highhandedness, or how insulting and inherently racist that attitude is to a black person. I’ve been black all my life. And if I had to hazard a guess, by your posting name I would say you are not black, so your presumption of my racial identity, your making it an issue, at that, is doubly insulting.
Here’s a secret: Black people are not all of one mind, one single viewpoint. The apparent lack of marketing for, and attention to, black writers’ product by publishers is a huge concern, and I’m not the only black person who holds this opinion. It’s not right what Ms. Black was asked to do. There. However, my opinion stands about the editing. A book can be poorly written or edited and not affect sales one whit. As you mentioned, Dan Brown’s popularity proves that, depending on who you talk to.
The only double talk here is yours. Do not put words in my mouth. You have been arguing for the sake of argument now and making this into something it so clearly is not about.
Tricolli… right on!
“He says you’re not black? And we don’t understand what he has said? He must be joking. He’s busted and trying to wiggle himself out of a dilemma”.
Readerwriter…-:) boy oh boy!…
Your initial post says this:
“The publisher for The Great Betrayal doesn’t want to market it as anything but niche fiction, because white readers will expose it for what it is. No disrespect to Ms. Black, and I don’t really expect to see my post put on this blog, but the actual writing of the book is, in my opinion, the white elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge.”
(Well publisher has accepted TGB with white characters now, so what say you about that?)
Readerwriter, we live in a very interesting world– that astronomer,Carl Sagan says: our galaxy has 250 billion stars and billions of other galaxies.
In this world the precision that can be attained to within the scope of language and reason, carries a clear telescope. That availability of sight allows some of us to discern things many people would never perceived are being observed. Don’t take certain chances when you speak, know for sure that your fact and logic stand irrefutable.
READ YOUR OWN POST
An excerpt:
“If anyone hopping on this bandwagon even bothered to read so much as an excerpt from The Great Pretender, you should be aware, if you are being honest with yourself, that one fact is difficult to ignore: the book is in need of some heavy editing. It is also chock full of cliches and thinly drawn characters.”
Something is quite clear here; you didn’t offer one piece of evidence that shows the need for heavy editing in “The Great Pretender” nor of the other faults you generally alluded to as fact.
You’ve made some disparaging remarks with a twist, as though you meant no insult for Ms. Black, but we can see through that nonsense even without much efforts.
On behalf of Rebecca Donna Tricolli, and the Ancient Reader, We advise you to go back to the drawing board, get your thoughts together. Then come back with some evidence backing up your egregious statements and then you’ll get all the respect for your position. Until then, we’re holding that you have only stated unproven opinions to be taken as something positive. Oh no, we wont.
Because of that we’ll still view you as deceitful, White plantation racist– and we’ll change our minds subsequent to you bringing some solid evidence to the contrary. Is that fair?
Readerwriter, you poor guy (if a guy you are and not a girl)! Now you’ve met with the same phenomenon of internet-idiocy that has often called me a Nazi and/or likened me to Hitler when I am a German Jew, just because I don’t see everything in black and white (no pun…).
I absolutely see your point, but I do think it’s the same with every niche market. So, you could as well say,
“Novels for niche markets are not given the editorial scrutiny and degree of editing that novels for mass markets receive, because the niche market reader is taken for granted by the publishers.”
So, I do think it’s rather less a racist thing the publishers in question did (although here the niche market would be defined by racial parameters), but more a simple economic decision. Why try to better a product that the inhabitants of this particular market niche (be they black, Trek-fans or romance-loving women with lower education) will gobble up anyway?
Just a thought.
kete
Kete, it may be true about the publishing houses not paying the same editorial attention to niche material, but as I said before, that’s another topic.
And if the niche market as you said, is defined by perameters of authors’ race, isn’t that racism? Here is the definition from dictionary.com:
racism
n 1: the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races
2: discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race [syn: racialism, racial discrimination]
~~
In most bookstores, for the most part, books by black authors are segregated from, and ordered in much smaller quantities than, books by white authors. That’s a sad, but true fact. So it is not fair to niche a book in a much smaller market because of the author’s race and call it economics. It’s racism, pure and simple. Editing questions aside, it’s discrimination based on race…and I’m glad an author has finally decided to stand up for what’s right, and stop the pattern of acceptance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this issue being discussed on Oprah one of these days.
TRICOLLI, here you go again.
You say this:
“Editing questions aside, it’s discrimination based on race…and I’m glad an author has finally decided to stand up for what’s right, and stop the pattern of acceptance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this issue being discussed on Oprah one of these days.”
Will those guys learn to make good distinction before opening their mouths? I hope so.
Applause applause applause, Tricolli!
This is ridiculous.
Ancientreader, we’re not in court. I don’t have to offer “evidence” for anything, any more than you are required to justify the relevance of your tangential ramblings. I qualified my opinions as such. As for the facts I stated, they stand, and the book speaks for itself. It doesn’t matter if you agree with me or not.
Kete, your words echo exactly what I have been saying (“Why try to better a product that the inhabitants of this particular market niche (be they black, Trek-fans or romance-loving women with lower education will gobble up anyway?”) Perhaps it is true of every niche market; I only spoke on the one I have experience with.
Ms. Tricolli, by the definition of racism you posted, anyone who is the least bit objective can see that what I have said doesn’t qualify, so thanks. Of course, I don’t expect you to understand that the most egregious type of racism is that from allegedly “liberal” whites who presume to tell blacks how we should think. I’m accustomed to your kind of condescension; I’ve come up against it all my life.
‘readerwriter’, when did you realize the book can speak for itself? You’ve certainly been going out of your way to speak for it.
You sound racist. When you make remarks like “white readers will expose it for what it is” it’s loud and clear.
Also, when you say:
“If anyone hopping on this bandwagon even bothered to read so much as an excerpt from The Great Pretender, you should be aware, if you are being honest with yourself, that one fact is difficult to ignore: the book is in need of some heavy editing. It is also chock full of cliches and thinly drawn characters.”
It sounds like, more than anything, your entire post is a dig at the credibility of the author’s position. You concede that the publisher wronged her in a later post, but made sure you didn’t waste too much space on the concession, though, if you read Lee’s blog post, is the real issue at hand. I have said before that you should leave it to readers to decide what they like.
Did this author wrong you? Do you know her personally? Or are you just a bitter writer still going around, hat in hand, trying to sell your own work? Because that’s certainly the way you are coming across.
Another give-a-way: ‘readerwriter’ said, “It is also chock full of cliches and thinly drawn characters.”
How were you able to tell all that from the self-published EXCERPT on Amazon? I suppose now you’ll suddenly reveal that you’ve actually read the entire book? Sounding more and more like a bitter writer to me.
Look I read the excerpt. It got my attention. Is it Faulker? No. But neither is Jackie Collins. Again, let the readers decide.
And you’ve been going out of your way to spin things to make some self-serving point that doesn’t exist. I really don’t care what I sound like to you, but I take offense to being called racist.
From my first post, you have been arguing with a point of view that you created and wrongly attributed to me. It goes without saying that readers will choose what they want to read, yet you keep making that point as if I denied it.
No, I don’t know the author. No, I’m not a “bitter writer”. And I will acknowledge that what I said about the book itself was not the issue of the original post, but that doesn’t justify your continuing to read things into my words that aren’t there for your own purposes. Your imagination has been working overtime, give it a rest. You’re pandering (“Oh, look how liberal I am… I can call a black person a racist) and you really should stop. I’m done with this topic. Out of respect for the author I’m not going to discuss the merits of this book in detail even though you keep trying to lure me back there.
Readerwriter
You said this:
“This is ridiculous.
Ancientreader, we’re not in court. I don’t have to offer “evidence” for anything, any more than you are required to justify the relevance of your tangential ramblings.”
May I ask if you know why evidence is needed and offered in court? I know that the same need for proof in court do exist in people’s common transaction also.
Because you’re operating on judgment that disregards evidential proofs, lets me know that Readerwriter is a lawless person and much more that I’ll refrain from saying. You know yourself, and I believe others have envisioned what those traits are as well.
I’d like to point out something here for your sake. You say that I ramble, but if I did, it investigates what you’ve alleged about Black’s novels, and you have bluntly refused to validate anything comes from your very own mouth. Have you asked me to authenticate anything here? Not to my knowledge.
I will not dignify anything else you have to say by commenting on them, I’ll save my thoughts for people with more respect for what they say to others. As far as I’m concern you’re disqualified from this coherent discourse, unless you make an apology for your lawlessness in this reciprocation.
And really, you shouldn’t have to take any more beat-down for you nonsensical representations, you have disgraced yourself beyond limit already. Maybe you’re a little low on some shame though, that could be the damn trouble with you.
Kete, it may be true about the publishing houses not paying the same editorial attention to niche material, but as I said before, that’s another topic.
And if the niche market as you said, is defined by perameters of authors’ race, isn’t that racism?
Miss Tricolli, as I see it, the question of racism or not would depend on *why* the publisher made their decision. If they said, “You cannot write about white people, because you’re black”, as presented by the author in question, yes, that would definitely be racism.
But if they made their decision based on the fact that this writer will not reach a general market, but could do well in a niche market, then I’d say it’s an economic decision.
Treating people equally means not to relate anything and everything about them to their colour, religion or hairstyle, imo.
kete
‘readerwriter’ said:
I’m done with this topic. Out of respect for the author I’m not going to discuss the merits of this book in detail even though you keep trying to lure me back there.
It’s commendable that you have finally decided to show “respect for the author”. For someone who felt the need to stray from the subject of Lee’s entire post and point out “the white elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge”, defending your so called elephant with every comment, you certainly don’t need me to lure you back there because it’s clear you never left.
The purpose I’m serving is to defend an author’s right to be treated fairly. We’ve been going back and forth because you don’t seem to care much about that. I’m glad you are done with this topic. The readers of this thread can see what’s going on.
Kete said:
But if they made their decision based on the fact that this writer will not reach a general market, but could do well in a niche market, then I’d say it’s an economic decision.
How can it be a fact that a writer will not reach a general market…unless, of course, the publisher makes sure it doesn’t by stamping it a specific minority race? Did the writer write about some obscure subject matter, like the dialect of outer Mongolia or something? And beyond the general fiction of the book, this isn’t just any niche market they picked. It’s a very specific niche market, African-American. If the story isn’t about African-Americans, I would love to hear how they arrived at that particular niche market. It will no doubt have something to do with the author’s race. Books slated for a larger market are not expected to do as well as books slated for a smaller one. It’s racism, not economics. They are discriminating on the basis of race, not content. I’m perplexed as to why people feel the need to justify it.
Lee, what do you make of all this?
Becca Tricolli
Ok, Tricolli.
We’ve verbally killed and buried Readerwriter now, (for the lack of evidence to what he has asserts) if he has the power of Jesus Christ, then let him come up from the dead with a new tongue.
Pete says:
“Miss Tricolli, as I see it, the question of racism or not would depend on *why* the publisher made their decision. If they said, “You cannot write about white people, because you’re black”, as presented by the author in question, yes, that would definitely be racism.”
Well there’s no doubt now, we know that in the case of Ms. Black, based on what she has told us, aided by rumors, she was paid more than most debut authors for both books. When you put all this together with the fact her publisher has accepted the second book with all white characters subsequently to a demand letter, there’s no doubt as to why they niche the novel “AA” in the first place. Its pure conventional USA RACISM. Right?
Most of the respected commenters have now resolved that publishers action is racist… intent or not. Because “AA” classification of the book was distinctively reposed upon Black’s race. So maybe we should take this discussion to the next level if there’s one. Am I right about that?
Becca Tricolli said: “It’s commendable that you have finally decided to show “respect for the author”. For someone who felt the need to stray from the subject of Lee’s entire post and point out “the white elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge”, defending your so called elephant with every comment, you certainly don’t need me to lure you back there because it’s clear you never left.”
No. Once you called me a racist with no provocation, read things into my posts that were not there, then tried to provoke me into making more comments about The Great Pretender when I’d already said my piece on that, you exposed yourself as closed minded, bandwagon-hopping, and argumentative with someone who didn’t share your POV.
It is people like you and Ancientreader finding racism behind every nook and cranny, who do more harm than good for the cause of eradicating racism. I’ve already taken your bait far more than I should have but it is only because being accused of being racist is not something I take lightly.
And Ancientreader, don’t be smug. You’ve done nothing, exposed nothing, except yourself as a lemming.
BTW, have either of you gotten an advance copy and read The Great Betrayal?
Because if you haven’t, you cannot honestly say that the publisher’s proposal to the author to make the characters black was racially motivated.
There are several entities invested in the publication of a book aside from the author, and they all want to make money. From the agent, to the editorial staff, to the publishing company, to the bookstore.
Why is it so hard for you two to allow the possibility that this was an editorial decision, that the publisher felt this book would be more marketable if all the characters were Af-Am?
As Kete said, that would be an economic motivation, not a racial one, and it is infinitely more plausible. Publishers have no desire to bury themselves financially by putting out a book that they believe won’t sell as well under the category of “mainstream” fiction. If an author does not want to take the advice of editors or publishers, they are free to go the vanity press route.
Their interest in making money transcends race. Editors and publishers are in the business of knowing how to categorize books for optimal returns.
When they read this book, they must have felt it would make more money if the characters were black. Speculating racism is the reason is a knee jerk reaction and frankly, just too easy. It would be silly for them to shoot themselves in the foot (or pocket) by suggesting something to the author they didn’t feel would be to her benefit and theirs.
‘readerwriter’, I thought you were done with this topic? Now you’re off on another position, defending the publisher after admitting what they asked was indeed wrong. Hmm…I think all is even clearer now.
Miss Tricolli quite obviously is not used to contemplating a complex question from all sides – and come to the most logical conclusion. Like most people she prefers to categorise according to contemporary fashions instead of thinking for herself.
kete
This is distressing to say the least.
Kete:
Rebecca Donna Tricolli’s, many presentations do speak for her level of logic admirably, and I would hope you can do the same thing too. I’m going to ask you to prove yourself likewise, and please don’t turn us down with evasions and excuses.
When you compare Tricolli to most people who follow contemporary fashions not being able to think on their own, you’re just not serious but joking, got to be. Its calling light darkness and darkness light, if you engage in any kind of seriousness.
While you’re serious about this, please give us an example of what she has said to show that you’re telling the truth and not the one who lacks good logic. can you do so? If you back down like your conspirator friend “readerwriter” (who I will no longer dignify with comments since he has no respects for stuff he says to us)We’ll just bury you right next to him in the language, reason and honesty-graveyard.
Come on now, we’ll not accept any excuses from you just do the right thing and back up your own allegations when you said this, quote:
*** Miss Tricolli quite obviously is not used to contemplating a complex question from all sides – and come to the most logical conclusion. ***
where is the evidence kete?
You can go down in silence if you want, or what then say you?
“You can go down in silence if you want, or what then say you?”
I say that you’re either a mindless sycophant or RD Tricolli’s sockpuppet and I have time for neither.
kete
There’s nothing complicated about this situation, Kete. Books are segregated by race. That is a fact. Stop trying to mitigate the publishing industry’s role by calling the problem “complex”. It’s not.
If a book’s content has nothing to do with African-Americans, the book has no business being in African-American fiction. Nothing mitigates publishing by race. That’s not thinking “contemporary fashion”, that’s thinking humanity.
Becca Tricolli
I admit we’re a little backwards here in Maine, but we shelve all novels–regardless of the author’s skin color–in the fiction sections. I worked in four different bookstores over a ten year period, and I never saw black authors segregated.
I DID work in one store that had an “African-American Issues” section, but that was for works of nonfiction (Maya Angelou’s memoirs, books by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Nathan McCall, and so on).
Patrick,
Patrick, it’s the same where I live. I checked last time I was in my local Barnes & Noble, and I found Terry McMillan and Eric Jerome Dickey in the Fiction section. Maya Angelou was in Poetry. No segregation here either.
I manage a Borders and it’s practically company policy that African-American fiction have its own section, regardless of subject matter. Waldens is the same. I know Barnes & Noble mixes, but they don’t order the same volume, comparatively.
Kete:
I would like to stay polite in the face of your mud slinging. The truth has life in it, and it shouldn’t be an offense but unfortunately does frequently.
I did the prudent thing I believe, when I asked you to give a clear example of what you have alleged by saying, Tricolli amounts to a simpleton, who can’t handle complexities of issues.
This is a venue we can use to learn from one another, and it just wont happen by bringing in our ignorant biases and subjectivities. If you could show Tricolli was wrong then I’d definitely agree with you. But see, instead you give evidence that you’re right, you come back calling the Ancient Reader a “sycophant/Tricolli’s sockpuppet”, Hmm? man oh man. Where are you, back there in the middle ages somewhere? This is unbelievable. Then you expect to avoid responsibility to answer my question by saying that you’ve no time for either of us. WOW!
Well, just like I said. You’re dead as readerwriter, who have the same attitude of making false affirmations that never can be proven. As the saying goes, “only in the land of the blind, a one-eye man is king”…laughs…laughs..laughs!
Kete, you’re in the company of people with illumination, get with the racial issue of “Jim Crow Publishing… quit making excuses for the Penguin Putnam Publisher. Defend the cause of the victims and not the perpetrators.
“Kete, you’re in the company of people with illumination”
I bow to your superior light, oh knowledgeable one!
…and here come the nice guys with the pretty white jacket, why don’t you try it on?
kete
I don’t think it’s AncientReader the “guys with the pretty white jacket” are coming for. It’s for those who make excuses for giving publishers the discretion to treat authors by their ethnic background and call it business…and it’s pretty clear who’s been doggedly trying to mitigate the racism against the author in question Millennia Black. But, once it becomes clear that they are minimizing and side-stepping the real issue, shirking the point…. well, they obviously resort to what’s been illustrated above…..
How discouraging it is to encounter such disingenuous people. I would bet they’d sing a different tune if they were the ones being processed by their race in their own careers.
Becca Tricolli
Kete:
I think that you’re a good person at heart. The final results from your prognosis has put you in a position to re-examine your capacity to exercise logic, relevance and reason. For whether you’re cognizant of the facts here, you have been completely decimated by Tricolli and Ancient Reader’s ferocity in all those areas that I’ve stated above.
Now you come just to make some jokes about guys in white jackets. What that has to do in the seriousness of criminal racism by a publisher, the subject of our discourse?
Kete, if you’re really a black or white person you should know by now that some of us both whites and blacks have taken this issue very seriously, and are damn mad about it.
We hope that Millenia Black will continue the fight, like appararently she has already won the first round in the bout– and in the end be completely victorious. Then let all the supporters laugh the publisher, skeptics and fearful ones to scorn.
It think that folks who find tolerance of practice-racism, must be of the dark and middle ages… no where around the New Age for sure.
Readerwriter has disappeared, and Kete, You’re well on your way. We’ll welcome you back with better reasoning, you decide.
“Readerwriter has disappeared, and Kete, You’re well on your way. We’ll welcome you back with better reasoning, you decide.”
I don’t want to reason with you – I’m just not *that* interested in the topic – I said all I had to say in my first two posts.
We have no possibility to know what made MB’s publisher decide that they wanted her to change the race of her protagonists. As I said, it *could* be racism (as in you cannot write about white people, if you’re black), but it could also be just an economic decision (as in this book would probably sell a lot more copies, if it was marketed in a niche market).
MB says it’s the first, readerwriter assumes it could be the last. All *I* say is we cannot know, but given the political climate in your country and its fixation on political correctness I don’t believe a publisher would run the risk of basing a decision on racistic reasoning.
You want to engage in political discussions? Go on and find an interested public. I’m just not interested in your political agenda.
kete
You folks obviously aren’t familiar with Kete. Elsewhere on this blog she’s defended an adult fanficcer who wants to “educate” 13-year-olds on the finer points of writing sexually explicit boy/boy fanfiction!
kete said:
All *I* say is we cannot know, but given the political climate in your country and its fixation on political correctness I don’t believe a publisher would run the risk of basing a decision on racistic reasoning.
Hmm….I wonder how many white author’s they decided this particular niche would be better for and then forced them to change the race of their characters to pander to it….kete, you obviously don’t know as much as you think about the climate of the great USA. Political or otherwise.
It’s called hypocritical.
Becca Tricolli
Tricolli:
I affirm the position you’ve rightly stated. Society is screwed up because of active minds like Kete. Whether its in pretence, this individual obviously is not as civil for valuable reliance, confused as hell.
Like I’ve said Kete is dead as Readerwriter. By Kete declaring abstainance from proper reasoning at this point, has prompted an intant ridicule against this person for all of the uncivilize thoughts have been expressed on this blog. I’ll never waste precious energies responding to anything he/she has to say.
What has been said of Kete advocacy doesn’t seems far fetch at all based on Kete’s focal prism, just a warp mentality and we’ve no time for such foolishness.
People must know that there’ll be no real progress in matters, without a good sense of identity, judgment, distinction, relevance and discretion.
Its a simple thing to understand that there’s no excuse for publishers to market any author’s work general-fiction by their race, especially in cases where the author objects. And they say that’s the case with Millenia Black. Yes sir, she vehimently objected to it. Its “RACISM” period.
Tricolli:
Please ignore my previous comment.
I affirm the position you’ve rightly stated. Society is screwed up because of active minds like Kete. Whether its in pretence, this individual obviously is not as civil for valuable reliance, confused as hell.
Like I’ve said Kete is dead as Readerwriter. By Kete declaring abstinence from proper reasoning at this point, has prompted an instant ridicule against this person for all of the uncivilized thoughts have been expressed on this blog. I’ll never waste precious energies responding to anything he/she has to say.
What has been said of Kete advocacy doesn’t seems far fetch at all based on Kete’s focal prism, just a warp mentality and we’ve no time for such foolishness.
People must know that there’ll be no real progress in matters, without a good sense of identity, judgment, distinction, relevance and discretion.
Its a simple thing to understand that there’s no excuse for publishers to market any author’s work general-fiction by their race, especially in cases where the author objects. And they say that’s the case with Millenia Black. Yes sir, she vehemently objected to it.
Its “RACISM” with a period.
Lee:
It would appear you saw correctly. According to Millenia Black’s latest blog entry, she is suing her publisher. Now it seems we’ll see what the courts have to say about all this.
Wow, I’m just discovering these comments! Wish I could’ve joined in.
I’ll admit that I’m scared to death about this lawsuit. If she loses, it could very well create a precendent that gives publishers the legal right to racially discriminate. Oy Vey.
Then the next step would be to take them legally to task and ensure they discriminate against all ethnicities equally.
That would never happen.
Tess would have to go into the Asian American section (would they throw the East Indian authors there too? Probably).
Can you see Lee’s books being pulled out of mystery and thrown into a Jew/Middle Eastern American book section?
Which is exactly why all author’s should be in support of this action, fear of losing or not, black, white, Jewish, Asian, etc. A thriller writer should be a thriller writer no matter what their race. Period.
Can you imagine…..if you’re gay, you could write an excellent murder mystery, but your publisher has the right to label your work as “Gay Fiction” and it’s therefore shelved in Gay and Lesbian fiction, or whatever that section’s called. Implying, quite clearly, that only other gays are expected to be interested in your excellent murder mystery, in which the characters may be as straight as an arrow. How ridiculous is that?
I know many are following this suit. I finally got my hands on a copy of the complaint and posted portions on my blog. Interesting stuff, folks.
http://bestsellingauthor.blogspot.com/2007/01/millenia-blacks-complaint.html