Legacy is the first imprint focused on work by writers of color at Hachette, which, like Simon & Schuster, is one of the five largest American publishing companies. With the launch of her own imprint, Ms. Trotman, 39, will join the ranks of a small but growing group of Black publishers who are reshaping the industry, which remains overwhelmingly white. In a company survey released in September, Hachette found that among its new 2019 authors and illustrators, only 22 percent were people of color. Lack of diversity is also an issue within Hachette’s work force, which is 69 percent white. “There are not very many Black editors and publishers in the business, and that will be meaningful.”Other publishers are also launching diversity-minded imprints.

Source: New York Times October 29, 2020 13:52 UTC