Not long ago Bloomsbury published author Justine Larbalestier’s novel Liar, which revolves around an African-American protagonist, with a white girl’s face on the cover. The choice was made against Larbalestier’s wishes and to the shock of many readers, and Bloomsbury eventually agreed to publish another edition with a cover model more in line with Liar’s protagonist’s appearance.
Astonishingly, Bloomsbury has just released yet another novel about a brown-skinned female with a white cover girl on its facade: Joclyn Dolamore’s Magic Under Glass. In her article “Publisher whitens another heroine of color” for Salon, Kate Harding examines Bloomsbury’s rationale for whitewashing multiple book covers, and also delves into a shadowed publishing industry saturated with those who are convinced that “white sells.”
Harding illuminates the thoughts of several activists and writers, and points to the fact that “white sells” is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. For our culture to show its support of ethnic diversity in the content we read and images we buy, explains Harding, we must pressure our librarians and booksellers to amp up stock on cover art that supports our multi-faceted population.
