The 2024 Essence Fest Authors Stage and bookstore showcased the talent of Black writers and book influencers, and why the industry needs to support them.
During the July 4th weekend in New Orleans, festivalgoers packed the audience as some of their favorite Black writers took the Essence Authors stage at the 30th annual Essence Festival of Culture.
In a country where reading for pleasure is often entirely replaced by scrolling (only 54% of Americans read a single book last year), and Black authors are increasingly the target of book bans, the fight to get Black audiences to savor the pages of books feels more urgent than ever.
That’s why a Black-owned book organization known as The Collective Curates partnered with Essence Communications to ensure Black authors got some shine during the pivotal festival weekend that draws thousands to the Crescent City for entertainment and culture. This year’s featured writers included theGrio’s Michael Harriot, along with Ayana Mathis, Denene Millner, Dr. Ian Smith, Raquel Willis, Rickey Smiley, Keke Palmer, Bakari Sellers, Ijeoma Oluo, Dr. Jamila T. Davis, Roxane Gay, and Jay Ellis.
Founded by three Black women book influencers, Casey R. Kelley (@iamcaseyrkelley), Sierra Tribble (@whatupsisi), and Jen Brooks (@iamjenbrooks), The Collective Curates also hosted a massive on-site bookstore at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center where Essence Fest is held in the spirit of the “We Love Us” convention theme. The pop-up featured classic and new books alike, as well as children’s books by Black authors.
“Data shows Black authors whose books are supported by a competitive marketing budget make the bestseller list because the demographic that wants to read these Black stories exists and is sizable,” says Casey R. Kelley, Chief Marketing Officer for The Collective Curates.
“They say Black books don’t sell because Black people don’t read, but then don’t market it so the target demographic knows it exists…They have created this self-fulfilling prophecy that justifies this ridiculous narrative,” Kelley tells TheGrio. “Meanwhile, I am a member of an active online reading group with 110K Black women readers”
Strikingly, each bookshelf in the store featured bold statistics revealing just how much the publishing industry lacks diversity:
“Only 4.3% of executives in publishing are Black.”
“Book influencers can increase a book’s sales by 812% yet only 5.8% of reviewers are Black.”
The struggle to ensure Black voices are represented in the book world is one many authors and book influencers bonded over, sharing tales of inequities in the business.
In one instance, a book influencer revealed they’d been asked to review books for free, while white influencers were offered payment for the same exact assignment.
In other cases, Black authors revealed that even after getting book deals, publishing houses wouldn’t consistently or adequately promote their books, leaving them to fend for themselves to get the word out and push sales. Black publicists who know how to reach Black cultural audiences are often needed to move the needle, but such culturally competent support generally comes at the author’s own expense.
Many Black authors expressed concern that the self-fulfilling prophecy of low expectations would be subsequently used to justify a lack of investment in future book projects.
By raising awareness and engagement, the Collective Curates hopes their efforts at Essence Fest can change the narrative around how much Black audiences love to read. To demonstrate our impact, they brought top Black book influencers to New Orleans and showered them with book goodies sponsored by the organizations Yelle, Dreamscape, Black Women’s Lives Matter, and celebrities Keke Palmer and Sarah Jakes Roberts. Most strikingly, they featured black-and-white portraits of the book influencers and reviewers throughout the bookstore while inviting them to moderate conversations on the Essence Authors’ stage.
These reviewers, such as Jerid P. Woods (also known as @ablackmanreading on Instagram), Morgan Menzies (@prettylittlebookshelf), and Talia Cadet (@TaliaCadet), have attracted thousands of online followers by combining honest reviews with a genuine passion for stories, making them voices readers can trust.
Nevertheless, the question of whether publishing will not only see the value in publishing books by Black writers and amplifying Black book influencers but also actively invest in their success will ultimately be answered by power players in the industry.
The Collective Curates and Essence hope Black readers are reminded that even if they don’t work in publishing themselves, each Black author, influencer and book they support reflects their own power to make a difference.