Delving Into Diversity:
Book Expo sparked quite the controversy a couple years ago regarding diversity in books and authors. Where are we now? OR, let’s take a different direction and explore the diversity of the format of a book. Do we judge a book by its cover and/or content (e.g., audio, digital, graphic, etc.)? Or, combine the two topics and discuss diversity found in alternative content (e.g., representation in graphic novels). Get creative and maybe even controversial!
Julie:
I’m not huge on the diversity aspect of the book itself in that I don’t search out diverse characters specifically. I don’t want to read a book only because it has a diverse character – to me, that’s secondary to the story. I will read a story because I care for the story, and expect my characters to be unique and interesting. That is all.
As for the diversity of format – yes I absolutely judge by the format. I pretty much mostly listen to books these days, so only select review books in audio format. I very much judge books by the cover, and we even have a feature on judging books by the cover!
And to combine the two – I love when there are diverse characters and the audiobook narrator does an amazing job with voice, accent, intonation, etc. This will make or break an audiobook and a story for me.
Lynn:
Like Julie, I don’t necessarily search out books just because they are labeled as “diverse”. I want to read a book because of the story or plot or characters or author. I want the characters, like Park in Eleanor and Park, to just be who they are, irregardless of their diversity.
I read\listen to all the formats. Hardback, paperback, e-book, audiobooks. I try not to discriminate in formats. I just want a book that will fit in my purse. And yes, I do tend to judge books by covers. Though, I find that with audio and e-books, I don’t think about the covers as much. The covers are not as much in your face in these formats. But I will say, a pretty cover will definitely catch my eye!
Dining With the Authors:
Every year at Book Expo, children and adult authors are featured during breakfast. Who would you dream of enjoying a meal with? Would it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or simply coffee? What would your meal be? What would you discuss?
Julie:
I actually was lucky enough to have a few meals with authors local to the Houston area. Actually, one author more than once. Some wonderful book club meetings included authors who joined us for a chat on various occasions and those were just amazing. Getting to meet an author face-to-face, outside the formalities of the publishing world is just splendid. As for who I would like to have a bite with these days? Likely Marissa Meyer, because she’s brilliant and creative and her books take stories and twist them up fabulously! Let’s have a low-key brunch and talk about how she gets her amazing twisted ideas.
Lynn:
- Cora Carmack
- Laini Taylor
- Colleen Hoover
- Rainbow Rowell
- Matthew Reilly
- Ernest Cline
- Neil Gaiman
- Seth Grahame-Smith
DELVING INTO DIVERSITY:
Formats – I would love it if all books could be released in audiobook format as a rule. If I ever won the lottery, I think this would have to make the list of hobbies I’d fund in addition to charitable groups. As for diversity, I will totally one-click a novel that has an eye-catching cover with a minority represented. It’s how I discovered Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink series for example – Hard to Hold on To (Hard Ink, #2.5).
I grew up reading romance books that didn’t reflect characters from different minority ethnic groups or non-heterosexuals. They pretty much always featured a heterosexual, white ethnic group character with an occasional Sandra Kitt novel thrown in when she’d publish one. I realized that I had to be part of the book community that showed publishers there is a market for novels featuring diversity by actually reading, reviewing and collecting them when I notice one that piques my interest.
The thing is, books with diversity just don’t get as much exposure because stories featuring able-bodied, white ethnic and heterosexual became our normal reading aesthetic here in the U.S. Those sell, and publishers want to make money first and foremost. So getting publishers to gamble on the non-majority character tropes is hard. That in turn makes it even more challenging for novels featuring diversity to get market share and become part of the normal selection of options.
I 100% understand the related #WeNeedDiverseBooks Movement, and it mirrors the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite controversial issue Hollywood is still talking about in the tv and film industries. Although I still don’t read as many diverse-rich novels as I’d like, I’m glad more are falling on my radar. It’s too bad though they are even less likely to be released in audiobook format which happens to be my primary reading format now.
I understand your point about not seeking out diverse novels though. I tend to judge a book by its cover for e-books and physical books. I picked up Everything, Everything at the Pasadena Loves YA book festival simply based on the matte finish cover and the synopsis. Then I noticed she was Jamaican-American when I read the author bio. I’m so glad I took a chance on her. I highly recommend her debut novel Everything, Everything which is available in audiobook and is also a feature film playing in movie theatres currently. The paperback novel has cool illustrations drawn by Nicola Yoon’s husband, David. The Sun is Also A Star was her 2nd novel, and I liked how she exposed immigrants issues in it in such a clever way. It’s also available in audiobook because luckily Nicola snagged a traditional book publishing deal when she left her day job as a scientist.
Okay, that’s my long-winded reply. =)
I love your long winded reply! Woot! You always have the best comments!
But 100% agree that all books should be on audio since that is the only way I read. Diverse or not, all should be that way.
I’m breaking up my reply because it’s mega long, lol!
Dinning with authors:
JULIE – Yay on your Houston meetup with authors! I got to have pizza & other fried goodies with Helena Hunting at the 2016 RT Booklovers Convention, all on her dime, too! She did a meetup for her fans and even gave us all an autographed copy of her AREA 51: Pucked Series Deleted Scenes & Outtakes (Pucked, #4.1) novella. Her husband was also there. And since he’s the one who picked my name as the winner of Clipped Wings back when I first was introduced to Helena, I had to take a picture with him and thank him in person. Helena is now one of my must-read authors, and I may not have ever picked up a novel of hers if she and I hadn’t participated in Emma Chase’s Twisted (Tangled, #2) release party on Facebook that day.
LYNN – Colleen Hoover is cool in person, great choice! I met her at The Beautiful Wedding book signing event in Las Vegas back in January 2015. Finding Cinderella and Maybe Not are my top 2 favorite novels of hers in audiobook format. I also like your idea of doing a low key tea & coffee meetup a lot because I found myself being a bit tongue-tied when I was at author meet-ups with other fans. My natural introverted personality typically crept in, and I always ended up thinking I don’t have anything interesting to talk about like the other fans do, darn it! I do better when I can chat with an author one-on-one, so those authors that have exchanged PMs with me on Facebook -like Helena Hunting, AL Jackson and Christina Lee – have been the ones I had an easier time talking to at book event meetups so far.
That’s so fun that you got to meet and interact with an author you may have otherwise never read and is now a favorite.
I love your replies, especially how you went out to eat with local authors. That must have meant the world to them.
And to us! we are lucky that we have some really talented and famous writers right here in our city.
Good choices! Thank you both for sharing! I hope you enjoy the rest of Armchair Book Expo!
You too! Thanks for hanging out!
Another vote for Neil Gaiman. I think he would be a kind and articulate guest.
Lory @ Emerald City Book Review recently posted…Armchair BookExpo: Dining with the Authors
Agree, Neil Gaiman would be fun to dine with.
I’ve skipped the author dinner question because a meal with an author isn’t happening any time soon for me. Armchair Book Expo: May Inclusive Reading Report.
Sarah @ PussReboots recently posted…Review: On the Trail to Sunset by Thomas William Wilby and Agnes Anderson Wilby
Well, even if not a reality it is nice to dream, right?