Shane Dawson isn’t just a YouTuber, he’s a #1 NYT bestselling author. In #publishing ESP celeb authors, editors/assistants dive into researching their platform to answer the no. 1 question: profit, or bust? —-> a thread https://twitter.com/popcrave/status/1276671216133107712

I.e. how many followers, why do they watch that celeb, and will they buy the book? That includes watching their videos, reading their articles & articles on them, figuring out their messaging.

Idk if his vids, or his previous apology, were found but either they were, and no one thought it would affect the bottom line; or they were, and no one saw anything wrong; or they weren’t, because no one thought to look. It wouldn’t be the first time. We don’t think to look.

Because racism and discrimination was, is, and continues to be a CAPITALIZED BOLDED BLINDSPOT in publishing. So often we hide behind free speech, arguing that it’s our job to offer ever perspective, not suppress.

But throwing dollars at and offering platforms for racist & otherwise phobic writers/writing is SUPPORTING those perspectives; choosing not to isn’t suppression, it’s putting your $ where your statements and social media mouth is.

It’s choosing not to offer yet another platform (because don’t tell me celebs don’t have their own, that’s WHY we buy the book in the first place) to those racist, sexist, phobic perspectives.

The past 6 months esp (Weinstein, Kristina Gill, Charles Murray, etc.) have held a spotlight over this thinking. We’re gatekeepers, we have a role in whether a racist book is published or not, in validating a phobic platform.

We have to rethink “tradition”, we have to dig deeper. And pay attention.