Your 25 Favorite Authors of Color

Inspired by a recent study by Lee & Low Books which revealed that of 124 authors who made the New York Times Top 10 bestseller list in 2012, only 3 were not white and none were African American, we asked you to share your favorite authors of color.

Some readers objected to the question, stating that they don’t choose books based on the authors’ race or nationality and that the story and writing are all that should matter. And they are right. The story and writing are all that should matter, but because of biases in publishing and book media that lead to readers having more access to and being more aware of books by white authors, and therefore buying and reading more books by white authors, they are not all that does matter.

At Book Riot, we believe this is a problem, and we know that we are part of it. We don’t read enough books by authors of color, and we don’t write enough about books by authors of color. We can and should change this, and we are committed to doing so. The only way to work against the biases in our industry and the biases we carry, even if we are unaware of them, is to be deliberate in seeking out and sharing books by writers who are not white. We hope you share this goal, and we invite you to join us and expand your readerly horizons.