I thought 2013 was very disappointing in terms of releases by authors of color. While the quality of the releases was superb, the amount of releases left much to be desired. It could be that my hopes were too high, we’ll see what the numbers show.

It seems Asian Americans, particularly those from East Asian were most frequently publishing sci fi, with a romance or two now and then. Latinos seem to be publishing ‘real’ fiction. I’m not sure what corner African American authors were placed in, but it seems historical fiction is back strong on the scene. While there are a growing number of African American authors in speculative fiction, even I have to search hard to find them. Latinos? Haven’t seen many.

Please understand, I’m not saying Latinos, African Americans and Native Americans don’t write speculative fiction. It’s just not published.

What is published? What’s coming in 2014? I can tell you that I found way more debut authors of color this year than I did last year. I can tell you that I may have spent countless hours on this list, but I know it isn’t complete. It just can’t be! There are no Native Americans. It is ridiculous how few new Latinos and African American authors will debut in 2014.

Let’s imagine what it’s like to be a debut author. To have spent years creating, molding and shaping your own special story and to know that in a matter of months, you’ll be sharing it with the world. Courage! Giddiness! Terror! High expectations! I won’t be doing BFYA next year, so hopefully I’ll be reviewing the books, interviewing the authors and sharing news of the awards. Let’s wish them all unbounded success, many reprints and countless books to come.

Do come back to this post. Let’s hope to see the list grow.

 

Valynne Maetani Japanese American

Remnants of the Rising Sun (working title); Tu Books, 2014

website: http://nagamatsufamily.blogspot.com

 

Brandy Colbert African American

Pointe; G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, April 10, 2014

website: http://brandycolbert.wordpress.com/

 

Ki-Wing Merlin Chinese American

website: Ki-Wing Merlin http://kiwingm.blogspot.com/

represented by Laura Dail Literary Agency

 

Livia Blackburne Asian American

Midnight Thief Disney Hyperion 2014

website: Livia Blackburne http://liviablackburne.com/

 

Amy Zhang Asian American

Falling Into Place; Greenwillow, 2014

 

Winifred Burton African American

Girl Out of Water; January 2014

website: http://winifredburton.com/

 

Crystal Chan Mixed Race

Bird; Atheneum Books for Young Readers

website: http://crystalchanwrites.com/

 

Varsha Bajaj Asian American

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood; Albert Whitman and Company, March

website: http://varshabajaj.com/

 

Rin Chupeco Filipino

The Girl From the Well; Sourcebooks Fire, Aug 1, 2014

follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rinchupeco

 

Lori M. Lee Asian American

Gates of Thread and Stone; Skyscrape/Amazon, 2014

website: http://www.lorimlee.com/

 

Jason Reynolds (author) African American

When I Was the Greatest; Atheneum Books for Young Readers, January 2014

website: http://iamjasonreynolds.com/

 

Lamar Giles African American

Fake ID; Amistad, 2014

website: http://lamargiles.com