We’ve been thinking a lot about this question. After 2020, we saw a tremendous amount of attention directed toward Black voices, Black stories and Black authors. But as the urgency of that moment faded, so did much of the attention. That isn’t just an observation. PEN America found that the publishing industry continues to face significant barriers to bringing books by authors of color to commercial success. Its 2022 report identified persistent inequities in everything from

Every week the same question shows up in my inbox and on the Black Writers Workspace private Facebook page: “How do I self-publish my book?” The short answer? There’s no single “perfect” path—but there is a smart, strategic one. Self-publishing is no longer a niche option. According to industry data from Bowker, more than 1.7–2 million self-published books are released every year in the U.S. alone. That number continues to grow as authors realize they can maintain creative co

Effective writing and reading is a product of many factors, and a conducive environment is one of them. Creating and consuming content is...

By D2A Contributing Writer Writing is a creative process that allows you to tell your story to readers eager to hear it. But to start,...