The trade publishing industry in the U.S. has largely depended on American markets that cater to English-dominated, white communities. While that has been successful, it is clear the industry is, not only in need of internal and external diversity and inclusion but will flourish from it. In the past few years, many of the larger publishing houses are realizing the importance of diversity in the workplace, authors, and the creative works themselves to not only create a more inclusive environment, but to expand their audience and share stories that bridge various communities and cultures together.
The Hispanic population in the U.S. as of 2021 was nearly 62.5 million according to Pew Research Center. That is nearly 20% of the entire U.S. population. With a number that significant and rapidly growing, big five publishers are realizing the importance to spread cultural awareness and richness while accessing this largely beneficial market group.
Simon & Schuster recently announced their newest imprint under Atria: Primero Sueño. Led by the well esteemed v-p and executive publisher, Michelle Herrera Mulligan, the imprint will be entirely dedicated to the Latinx/Latine/Hispanic authors and editors, as anyone hired for the imprint must be bilingual in both English and Spanish. The imprint will focus on both fiction and non-fiction to appeal to individuals within and outside of the U.S.
Primero Sueño will provide new titles, backlist titles, and translations “for English and Spanish speakers seeking identity, culture, inspiration, entertainment, wellness, and personal development,” an Atria representative told PW. With upcoming titles such as The Shadow Work Journal (published in English and Spanish), along with new debut fiction such as The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo, the imprint is discovering new voices and communities to spread its richness to.
HarperCollins has similarly uncovered the power of the Hispanic community through their commitment to publishing Spanish-language books. With their recent release of Vida, Pope Francis’s memoir, they expect the Spanish translation to account for nearly 20% of total sales of the book.
Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperOne, explained, “You can’t ignore Spanish as a first language for many readers in the United States.” Curr was clear that the house was “committed and not dabbling” with Spanish-language publishing. HCE will begin to expand their reach by translating many current backlist titles from the larger HarperCollins list.
Penguin Random House has seen the direct results of Spanish-language trade publisher already. In a rarer case than most, PRH has seen the success in Spanish to bring a new market to the English side of publishing. Specifically, PRH has seen the sales of religious books grow nearly 40% year over year.
Silvia Matute, president and CEO of PRHGE, gave insight into this rise in number, “Global conflicts and uncertainties are leading readers to seek solace in religious content, resulting in increased interest in Bibles and religious books.”
However, the Spanish target market moves the needle beyond that. For instance, the trends in the U.S. are often followed in the Spanish-language market, with romantasy being a top genre.
Therefore, there is immense potential for original Spanish-language titles to find great success in the English market. With the recent release of En agosto nos vemos by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Matute is seeing the significance of the Hispanic community in U.S. trade publishing that will continue to move the conversation further.