Identifying #OwnVoices in What We Read
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jul 17 2018
A reader asks:
Jessica, I’m curious… I know authors identify themselves as #ownvoices when submitting to an agent (who I assume also identify it as such to a publisher). The #ownvoices I’ve read, I’ve heard of from writing circles (conferences, agents, authors etc), but most readers wouldn’t have that exposure.
How does a reader identify #ownvoices? Is something included on the back of the book with the blurb?
Just like in any business there a number of terms we use inside the industry that readers might not ever know. Things like high concept, page count, and #ownvoices. When it comes to selling books to readers I don’t think publishers intend to label them as #ownvoices. The real intent is to publish more books for and by all voices and to market them in a way that everyone will read them.
For readers looking to read more #ownvoices works, the best thing you can do is tell others about books you love that are #ownvoices and read author bios to learn more about who you are reading in addition to what you are reading.
For readers looking to learn more about #ownvoices, or curious to learn what it is, please refer back to this blog post on Defining #OwnVoices and this one on Further Defining #OwnVoices
Thanks, Jessica. With so many people saying they want to read #ownvoices (because they themselves identify with them) I thought publishers might use that as a marketing angle.