Founded by marginalized authors, We Need Diverse Books strives to diversify the publishing industry and make bookshelves more equitable—all to promote literacy, build empathy, and reduce bias.
What does We Need Diverse Books do?
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, WNDB aims to create a world where every reader can find themselves in the pages of a book. To reach this goal, we've created programs to mentor diverse writers and illustrators, support diverse publishing professionals, and provide books to classrooms nationwide.
What has WNDB accomplished?
Since our founding in 2014, the landscape of children's literature has experienced a dramatic shift. The number of diverse books written by diverse authors increased four-fold between 2014 and 2022, according to data from the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We're also excited to share our programming successes, icluding:
- The writers we've supported via grants and mentorships have won the Newbery, Printz, Morris, Pura Belpré, and American Indian Youth Literature awards.
- Over 70% of our Internship Grant recipients now work full-time in publishing, helping diversify an industry where marginalized voices have been historically underrepresented.
- We've donated over 100,000 diverse books to schools and libraries, impacting students throughout the nation.
"WNDB has literally changed the narrative of Young People’s Literature."
Jacqueline Woodson, 2018-19 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, National Book Award Winner & MacArthur Fellow
Are you an educator?
WNDB provides book giveaways, grants, and resources for teachers and librarians! Stay up to date on the latest news by following us on social media or subscribing to our educator newsletter.
Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
We Need Diverse Books is compiling resources from members of our community on race, equity, anti-racism, and inclusion.
