One of the things that sets Black publishing spaces apart from a lot of others is that our primary goal is almost never just to earn our place in the industry. By virtue of our identity, our presence and our voices will always be viewed as dissent. Because...well...they are. While the experience, culture and aesthetic of Blackness has remained a central theme and inspiration in western art, actual Black voices have always been both disregarded and viewed as a threat by those with the most power. Much of the western world has been built on the systemic exploitation and subsequent erasure of Black people, leaving us in a situation where those who most benefit from our ancestor's suffering fear that sharing any of their power with us jeopardizes the very systems that continue to generate it.

Which brings me back to what sets Black publishing spaces apart.

We don't have the privilege of access.

Black (and brown) authors are both the most qualified to write the art that western consumers have been conditioned to love and the least invested in by the corporations and readers who have the most power to decide which art gets read. Which means that, regardless of our intentions or mission, Black publishing spaces are never just about bringing stories into the world. We always exist to disrupt.

When I partnered with Bindery to start this publishing community, I knew what I was getting into. I knew that success, for us, would never just mean well-sold books. It had to--has to--mean meaningful disruption to the very systems that force us to fight on our own.

This is a nuanced and complicated fight however. Because while I am very invested in disruption, that does not mean I want everything to crumble. It also doesn't mean I want authors who aren't Black to fail or to give up their spot. In fact, my effort to bring meaningful change as a Black publisher has led me to believe that this fight has to be fought together, and on many fronts. We cannot fight alone. Change will require Black, brown and white authors demanding it. It will require us continuing to pressure traditional publishers to open the door for us and to show up for the authors they let through. And it will also require us throwing our support behind outside dissenters who are beating at the gate with force.

That is what Left Unread is. We are a force beating at the gate, refusing to be told that we don't belong.

We (independent publishers) are not the only force at work here. And we are not the only important element in bringing change. But we ARE important. And if I am being completely honest, I don't think we will get to change in the industry without substantial support for indie authors and indie publishers. Which means we have work to do.

I am not anti-traditional publishing. I am pro-change. Which means diligently holding traditional publishers accountable and passionately supporting every single step in the right direction.

I have spent a lot of time in the last year growing support for this publishing community, and I want you to always know exactly what I'm fighting for. This is it. I believe that the work we are doing moves the needle. It forces readers to see not only Black and brown authors differently, but publishing itself. That is why you have seen me openly challenging not only publishing companies, but publishing standards. Because a lot of the standards that exist in this industry only exist to protect publishers and to reinforce their hold on the industry. And that has to end. Professionalism cannot come before activism. Respectability cannot be more important than justice. Gentleness is not valuable enough where it deserves to replace progress.

Left Unread will successfully publish many books by Black and brown authors that I am CERTAIN will go on to be some of the greats of this generation of writers. And we will stay on mission, publishing books that say something necessary and challenging about the world. But additionally, Left Unread will continue to be an abrasive voice. One that does not accept things the way they are, and will not allow anyone to ignore the need for change.

Why am I sharing all of this? Because we desperately need your help.

We have the resources, the connections, and the community that we need to champion our projects well. Our books will sell. Our authors will be represented passionately and successfully. But there is so much more work to do. More authors to champion. More conversations to be had. Larger stages to build, more powerful microphones to wield. Helping authors sell books and make a name for themselves has always been massively important to me, as evidenced by how consistently I've done so for years now. But behind all of that is an equally important--and far more difficult--goal... to bring down the barriers that require us to fight for Black and brown authors to begin with.

I want the work that we do here to change the way Black and brown authors engage with the industry. I want to challenge standards. I want to create standards. I want to set examples and challenge expectations. I want to prove that Black and brown authors are not a risk. I want to prove that Black and brown books are not a risk. That our voices can not only lead the charge. but should.

That is the goal I've spent months and months asking you to be a part of. And I hope that if you haven't already, you will take this opportunity right now to throw your support behind the work we are doing. I am committed to change. I know that as time goes on, we will learn and grow. Goals will shift. Ideas will fail. Opinions will change. But one thing that will not change is our resolve to win this fight. And our commitment to doing it together. Community is the only way forward and I want every single one of you to be in ours.

I have a collective following of almost 140,000 people across my social medias. My most immediate goal is to see just 1,000 of them (you) subscribe or upgrade at the $5 tier or higher.

We need your help...

As you know, we are an indie press. Which means that we are operating differently than the major publishers who represent the majority of your favorite traditionally published authors. We do not have the unlimited resources and staff that they do. The way that we have been able to successfully compete is by centering community in our publishing process. We are not in this alone and that gives us an edge no one was ready for. We are working alongside you--a community of dedicated and conscientious readers who are just as devoted as we are to fighting for authors who the industry has often left behind.

Left Unread has been able to accomplish incredible things because of the large, invested community we have built together. Because of the way that you have believed in the work we are doing, we have been able to sign four books already, and will continue to publish two books every single year for as long as we are in this together. However--and I need you to hear me--I want us to be able to accomplish much more than that. And the only thing standing in our way is the resources we have at our disposal. We have already built an active enough community to warrant more projects. I firmly believe we can successfully invest the time and energy into more authors every year without any issue whatsoever. You have shown up again and again and I know you will continue to. But we also need to be able to financially carry the projects we take on. And our paid subscribers directly help us do that.

My goal is to reach 1,000 paid subscribers so that I can go to Bindery and ask them to invest in more projects. If we can rally and build the necessary budget, I am confident we can handle publishing 3 or 4 books a year. That would mean changing a Black or brown authors life every couple of months. That's the dream, y'all. To consistently increase our capacity so that we can fight for more and more authors and become a noticeable disruption in this industry.

And trust, I am not JUST after paid subscribers. I am absolutely still pushing to grow our community to 10,000 members overall. My ambition is for this community to be large enough where we can EASILY ensure that every single book we publish is an instant success. I want to know that every book we put out has thousands of people who are eager for it. And I know that not every reader is interested in every book. So the larger our community, the more certain we can be that every project will have sufficient champions.

Yes, I know I dream big. But hey, I also want to change an entire industry that has been systemically designed to not give me access. So, subscribers isn't likely to be the hardest part of this mission. lol. But it IS an important part. The more we want to accomplish, the stronger our community is going to need to be. And yall... I want to accomplish a hell of a lot.

Before I let you go, let me just answer the question I posed in the title to this blog...

Is disruption really revolutionary?

Yes. Yes, it is the answer. This industry has been very successful at keeping dissenting voices at bay. Disrupting that is revolutionary. And that is exactly what we're gonna do.

Other ways you can support this community:

• Order a copy of: Cry, Voidbringer -- https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781964721521

• Leave a review for Cry, Voidbringer on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/223222877-cry-voidbringer

• Pre-Order Devil of the Deep: https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781967967049

• Add Devil for the Deep to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195378184-devil-of-the-deep

Black indie authors and publishers to pay attention to

• Amanda Weaver -- www.amandaweavernovels.com

• Antoine Bandele -- www.antoinebandele.com

• Deston Munden -- linktr.ee/AuthorDJMunden

• Row House Publishing -- www.rowhousepublishing.com

• E.A. Noble -- eanoble.substack.com

• Wunmi Aramiji -- www.wunmiaramiji.com

• Jessica Cage -- www.jessicacage.com

• Neeka Marie -- linktr.ee/neekswrites

• CM lockhart -- writteninmelanin.com

OK, Y'all! Now let's get to work.

And don't forget to subscribe. Thanks.