Authors, readers and publishing industry experts lament the underrepresentation of Hispanic stories in the mainstream book world, but are finding new ways to elevate literature and dispel misconceptions.
“Stories are more diverse now than they were 10 years ago,” said Carmen Alvarez, a book influencer on Instagram and TikTok.
Some publishers, independent bookstores, and book influencers are trying to break the perception of a monolithic experience by making Hispanic stories more visible and discoverable for book lovers.
The rise of online book retailers and limited marketing budgets for stories about people of color are major obstacles to increasing representation of people of color. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month September 15th – October 15th In the United States There is a growing movement for ethnically authentic stories about Latinos that go beyond the immigrant experience.
“I feel like we’re moving away from stories of immigration and stories of struggle,” said Alvarez, known as “Tome Sand Textile” on the social media communities of Bookstagram, Booktalk, Instagram and TikTok. “I feel like my content is about rebelling against the lack of representation.”
Latinos in Publishing
Latinos who are currently making up Approximately 20% of the US populationAccording to census data.
However, the National Hispanic Media Coalition estimates that only 8% of the publishing industry workforce is Latino, according to the 2023 Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition.
NHMC President and CEO Brenda Castillo said the coalition works directly with publishers to highlight Latinx voices and promote existing Latinx employees.
“Publishers have the power to make a difference,” Castillo said.
Some Hispanic writers are creating space for their work to find interested readers. Award-winning children’s authors Mayra Cuevas and Alex Villasante co-founded the 2024 Book Festival and Storyteller Conference to showcase authors and illustrators from the community.
“We were very intentional in creating a program that centered around technical advancement and professional development,” Cuevas said. “And to provide participants with access to the publishing industry, and most importantly, to create a space for community connection and belonging.”
Villasante said the festival and conference allowed them to sustain themselves within the publishing industry while giving others a roadmap to success in an industry that doesn’t always require mass production of work.
“We’re not getting representation for ourselves,” Villasante said. “We believe it is changing, but it is changing slowly and we need to continue to push for change.”
Entering the mainstream
New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is a Mexican-Canadian novelist known for her novels “Mexican Gothic” and “Dr. Moreau’s Daughter,” and one of the few Hispanic writers to break into the mainstream. But it wasn’t easy, she said.
Moreno-Garcia recalled the first time she was turned down by a publisher. The editor praised the quality of the story, but said it wouldn’t sell because it was set in Mexico.
“The publishing industry has a system in place that makes it very difficult to achieve the kind of regular distribution that other books naturally incorporate,” Moreno-Garcia says. “You may not feel comfortable sharing some of these books.”
Award-winning author and poet Cynthia Pelayo said marketing campaigns often determine a book’s success. Writers of color often want more promotional support from publishers, she says.
“I have seen exceptional Latinx novels that have received very little of the marketing and promotion that some of my white colleagues have received,” Pelayo said. “What happens in that situation is that their white colleagues’ books are placed at the front of the bookstore, while their books are placed in a different part of the bookstore.”
But, she added, Hispanic Heritage Month helps bring attention to Hispanic writers.
independent bookstore
Independent bookstores are persistent in elevating Hispanic stories. According to the American Booksellers Association’s 2024 report, 60 of the 323 new independent bookstores were owned by people of color. According to Latinx in Publishing, a network of publishing industry professionals, there are 46 Hispanic-owned bookstores in the United States.
Online book retailer Bookshop.org featured Hispanic books and offered discounts to readers during Hispanic Heritage Month. Ellington McKenzie, the site’s president, said the site was able to provide financial support to about 70 Latino bookstores.
“People always want to support minority-owned bookstores, and we’re happy to be a bridge between them,” McKenzie said.
Chawa Magaña, owner of Palabras Bilingual Bookstore in Phoenix, said she was inspired to open her store after seeing a lack of diversity and representation in books being taught in Arizona schools.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t experience much literary diversity in school,” Magaña said. “I couldn’t see myself in the stories I was reading.”
Of the books sold at Palabras Bilingual, 30% to 40% are Latino stories.
Magaña said it brought tears to her eyes to hear people say they had never seen so much representation in bookstores.
“The most fulfilling thing for me was being able to see how it impacts other people’s lives,” she said. “My motivation is to see others inspired to do something, and to see people be moved by seeing the diversity of books in the store itself.”
