This brief post states my support of the St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books boycott. In October, a Wednesday Books employee posted Islamophobic, Queerphobic, and anti-Palestinian content on their personal social media. The boycott of St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints directly responds to the publisher's lack of accountability regarding that employee.
I'm standing with other reviewers and holding back on reviews or promos for St. Martin's Press. If you feel the same, feel free to join us! This only applies to the imprints under St. Martin's Press, like SMP itself and especially Wednesday Books - not the whole Macmillan family. The graphic I've included explains which imprints are affected. And remember, this isn't about boycotting these imprints or their authors - it's about addressing a situation that needs change. So keep on reading and supporting our favorite authors!
Boycott Demands
#SPEAKUPSMP has three demands:
Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from their employee.
Offer tangible steps for how they're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to their BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.
All receipts and a more thorough recap of events can be found on the “Readers for Accountability” website here, along with a list of the boycott demands, screenshots, graphics, and all other relevant information.