Four Easy Ways to Support Diverse Romance on Goodreads
As you know, I’ve been on a bit of a tear about supporting diverse romance. In light of what's been happening with the RITAs and even articles that have been showing up in the New York Times, it seems that we have a long way to go before diverse authors get some of the credit they're due. This is not a problem that can be solved in a single day, and, at some point I'll publish a more sweeping article about how I believe that readers can change a few habits to support this cause.
In an attempt to address this on just one front, I took to GoodReads and did some thinking about how I can better-support diverse authors on this platform. What came out of that was me spending about twenty minutes making sure that diverse romance that I like (or romance by diverse authors) has been voted-for on a couple of lists.
So, here's my ask: can you take a look at these lists and do four specific things. It will only take 15 minutes of your time, but for diverse authors (or authors writing diverse books) who may need extra social proof to demonstrate their value to the markets, taking the time to give them a boost will make a difference:
- Check out links to lists below focused diverse romance and/or neurodiverse fiction
- Upvote books that you’ve read/liked that appear on these lists
- Add any books that fit these lists that don't already appear (above the top-ranked book is a tab that says "Add Books to This List"--from that window, you can hit a general search button that lets you look up books by name)
- Add books that you look interesting to you to your own TBR list. Commit to giving them a try some time soon.
- If you recall books by diverse authors that you like that you haven’t rated or reviewed, please rate/review on Goodreads and at least one other retail site.
The list of lists is below. Please and thank you!
Goodreads List: Fiction Written by People of Color
Goodreads List: People of Color in Romance
Goodreads List: Read POC - List of Books by Authors of Color
Goodreads List: Read POC - List of Romance Books by Authors of Color
Goodreads List: Diverse Romance Reads 2017 - POC Leads and Writers
Goodreads List: Love Stories with Diverse Couples
Goodreads List: Beach Reads by POC
Goodreads List: Disability-Positive Stories