At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are under political fire in Washington, the Publishing in Color (PIC) writers' conference holds to a goal of “growing ethnic diversity in Christian content.” And PIC director Joyce Dinkins reiterated this point in a conversation following PIC's annual meeting, held virtually in late April.
"We include all ethnicities with a mission to serve underrepresented ethnicities,” Dinkins said, describing PIC as offering an inroad to the publishing industry for writers, agents, PR and marketing people, and editors. “We need encouragement repeatedly toward inclusion. It’s not something that comes naturally to people to understand and welcome what’s different from them.”
The 2024 Diversity Baseline Survey, conducted by Lee and Low Books, found incremental progress in the publishing industry: white people made up 72.5% of the workforce, down from 76% in 2019 and 79% in 2015; PW’s own 2024 Publishing Industry Salary & Jobs Survey, which polls only workers at publishing houses rather than the broader book business, found that white workers still comprise roughly 80% of respondents. And a first-time survey of the ethnic, racial, and gender makeup of Christian publishing, conducted in 2023 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, found that the workforce in the sector was 85% white.
Dinkins acknowledges the challenge. “How do you change from thinking and publishing for a European audience of the 1950s to one that is realistic in its representation of all people? The reality is that God made us diverse, but the publishing industry has been monochromatic. You can’t keep selling vanilla ice cream to people who want chocolate.”
Dinkins has been part of Publishing in Color since 2018, and became owner and director in 2023 following PIC founder Brian Allain. The spring meeting offered a blend of prerecorded sessions and live events via Zoom, a format made popular during the pandemic. There were 77 attendees, with seven publishing houses offering information on submissions and editorial needs and 30 speakers, chiefly people of color, making presentations amid the networking events.
“There is such a wealth of community and resources here,” said attendee Henrica Bresil. “I am so grateful to have learned so much.”
