#PublishingPaidMe is a

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...

, used mainly on Twitter, and a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

campaign to expose racial disparities in pay in the publishing industry. The hashtag was created by writer L.L. McKinney on June 6, 2020, and culminated in the development of a crowdsourced Google document in which authors shared their advance payments. The document showed relatively lower advance payments offered to Black writers compared to their White counterparts.

Purpose

The hashtag, #PublishingPaidMe, was created on June 6, 2020, by U.S. author L.L. McKinney to "highlight the disparity between what's paid to non-Black authors vs. Black authors." About the name, McKinney said in an interview, "It was short and to the point. I like alliteration, so it was just one of those things that clicked together. It was for the people who would be using it, so it’s like the beginning of a sentence." Information shared using the hashtag has focused on book publishing advances, because they are easy to tweet and understand. A publishing advance is a payment authors receive while still writing a book.

Response

Quickly after the hashtag went

viral Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). Viral may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...

Google Document Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. Launched on April 24, 2012, Google Drive allows users to store files in the cloud (on Google's servers), synchronize files across devices, and share files. In addi ...

was created and writers began

crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

and sharing information about advances. As of June 12, 2020, the Google document had information for over 2,500 books. The document shows that well-known and award-winning Black authors earn comparatively small advances compared to some virtually unknown White authors with little to no publishing history who have received incredibly large advances. The same week the hashtag was created it was tweeted and retweeted thousands of times. News outlets such as the New York Times, National Public Radio, and the Guardian covered the story. Although started in the US, within days the hashtag sparked conversations in France and the UK about racial disparity in publishing.{{Cite web, title=#PublishingPaidMe: A Hashtag to Expose Racial Disparities in the Publishing Industry, url=https://www.lappthebrand.com/blogs/latest-posts/publishingpaidme-a-hashtag-to-expose-racial-disparities-in-the-book-industry, access-date=2020-06-13, website=lappthebrand

Impact

Approximately one week after the hashtag #PublishingPaidMe went viral, another hashtag, # BlackOutBestsellerList also rose to prominence. The creation of this hashtag was propelled by both the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

and #PublishingPaidMe hashtag. The #BlackOutBestsellerList was used by

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

publishers and authors to encourage readers to buy books by Black authors between June 14 and 20, with the ultimate goal of taking over the bestseller lists.

References

External links

Crowdsourced Google Docs Spreadsheet
of publishing advances Hashtags Race-related controversies Equal pay for equal work Book publishing Black Twitter Social media campaigns