Latinos push for more representation in publishing

Authors, readers and publishing industry experts lament the underrepresentation of Latino stories in the mainstream world of books, but have found new ways to elevate the literature and resolve misunderstandings.

- By FERNANDA FIGUEROA

“The stories now are more diverse than they were 10 years ago,” said Carmen Alvarez, a book influencer on Instagram and TikTok.

Some publishers, independent bookstores and book influencers are pushing past the perception of monolithic experience by making Latino stories more visible and discoverable for book lovers.

The rise of online book retailers and limited marketing budgets for stories about people of color have been major hurdles for increasing that representation, despite annual celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in the United States.

There’s been a push for ethnically authentic stories about Latinos, beyond the immigrant experience.

“I feel like we are getting away from the immigration story, the struggle story,” said Alvarez, who is best known as “tomesandtextiles” on bookstagram and booktok, the Instagram and TikTok social media communities. “I feel like my content is to push back against the lack of representation.”

Latinos currently make up roughly 20% of the U.S. population, according to census data.

However, the National Hispanic Media Coalition estimates Latinos represent only 8% of employees in publishing, according to its Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition created in 2023.

Brenda Castillo, NHMC president and chief executive, said the coalition works directly with publishing houses to highlight Latino voices and promote their existing Latino employees.

The publishing houses “are the ones that have the power to make the changes,” Castillo said.

Some Latino authors are creating spaces for their work to find interested readers.