The arts world is facing a fierce reckoning about diversity. But is it too late? | Arwa Mahdawi

A scandal has exposed massive pay disparities in publishing and journalism. But the information may not help muchThe writer Chip Cheek got paid an $800,000 advance for his erotic debut novel, Cape May. Good for him, right? Even he, however, admits he was shocked by the figure. “But I’m more shocked to see the numbers from writers of color like the extraordinary Jesmyn Ward,” Cheek tweeted earlier this week. “I hope this movement begins to change things.”The movement in question is #PublishingPaidMe. Started by the black fantasy author LL McKinney, the hashtag urges authors to share the amounts of their book advances, in order to highlight the disparities between what black and non-black writers are paid. Cheek, I probably don’t need to tell you, is a white man. His advance, received as a relatively unknown writer, eclipses that of many established writers of colour including, as his tweet notes, the two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. Related: Top editors resign amid accusations of racist ‘toxic culture’ at US publications We’ve been having the same conversation over and over again for the past decade but nothing seems to change Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-12 09:30:18 UTC ]

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