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Why community matters

Publishing is an incredibly competitive industry. And unfortunately, it is also an industry that works very hard to limit the reach of Black and brown voices. Since 2020, we have seen major publishers talk a big game about their commitment to diversity and inclusion, but the numbers do not support those efforts. Instead, we are seeing a handful of marginalized authors be championed while the majority are rejected for trivial reasons, or worse, they are given a publishing deal only to be forgotten and/or under championed. And that is just not acceptable. Not only because Black and brown authors deserve access, but also because literature plays a pivotal role in shaping society, and under-representing the most marginalized voices only helps reinforce systems of oppression.

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Our mission is to champion authors in the margins and to bring the world stories that have something bold and challenging to say. And as an independent publisher, we are only able to compete with major publishers with your help. Our founders have spent decades in this industry and have built the necessary network to position our authors well, but publishing at this level also requires a significant amount of legwork, and significant investment. Which is where community comes in. By subscribing to the Left Unread community, you are helping us to compete with major publishers and to position Black and brown authors for success. 

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Our goal is to build a large enough community where every author we publish can find an audience ready to champion their work and help to push it out into the world successfully. 

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