How This One Book Publisher, Led by a Black Woman, Is Helping Black Authors Share Their Stories With the World

Where would we be as a culture — and as a society — without recording our stories, lessons and successes? Of course, one way we do that is through literature, but Black writers don’t always have their voices heard in publishing.  

For instance, in its 2020 analysis of books released by prolific publishing houses, the New York Times found that while “non-Hispanic white people account for 60 percent of the U.S. population; in 2018, they wrote 89 percent of the books in [the] sample.” The analysis also confirmed the heads of the “big five” publishing houses were white, noting this was “likely linked” to the imbalance.

Enter Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, founded in 1986 to “specialize in the works of authors who honor and consecrate the memory of those who fought — and continue to fight — for freedom.”

TracySherrod_headshot.jpg

As Amistad celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2021 as “the oldest imprint devoted to titles for the African American market at any major New York publishing house,” it has helped Black writers share their voices and find and empower audiences. And, as a Black woman, vice president and editorial director Tracy Sherrod continues to lead Amistad, which has released titles like Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston, Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson and even Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey.

As we look ahead to 2022, when Amistad will publish the memoir by actress, reality star and entrepreneur Garcelle Beauvais (Love Me As I Am in April), a book of essays by comedian and actress Jenifer Lewis (Walking in My Joy in August) and more, we interviewed Sherrod about the significance of her work, her personal accomplishments and what we (and she) can look forward to. (Note: This interview, done in two parts, has been edited for length and clarity.)

Tracy, you’ve been a publishing executive for some time. How are you feeling now as the head of such an esteemed imprint, given its history and the 35th anniversary?

I feel honored, and I feel that it is a privilege to lead Amistad. And it’s not something that I take lightly. We, as a team, are very careful in what we decide to publish and who we want to bring into the family.

Why is Amistad’s work so important? 

The type of books that we publish is what makes our imprint necessary. For instance, Bakari Sellers’ book proposal was rejected throughout the industry, but Amistad signed him on and he became a New York Times best-selling author with My Vanishing Country. We also acquired projects by other authors who were rejected by many publishers, such as Clyde Ford’s Think Black, which won or was a finalist for many awards. The same was the case for Jacqueline Woodson’s adult novel (Another Brooklyn) that we published in 2016 and was a National Book Award Finalist. We take on projects and voices we believe in. We don’t consider what other publishers are doing. We publish from the sensibility of our community.

Would you call out any milestones or accomplishments that make you particularly proud?