Melanin in YA is Here!

The day has come! Melanin in YA has officially launched! Hooray!

What does this mean? This means that this database is 90% complete! The goal was to make the database 100% complete by launch day but we can thank 2020 for the delay! Onward! If you’ve been following Melanin in YA since its soft launch in August, tremendous thank you! If you’re new to Melanin in YA, welcome! You can find directories for Black YA authors, Black literary agents who represent young adult fiction, Black editors, Black influencers who feature Black YA books, and so much more! Take a look around!

Huge thanks to 1) My CP Group and Lit Squad Slack for being a sounding board throughout this process. Many thanks to the Anonymous help with the YA NYT List and to those who volunteered their time over this past weekend (Michelle, Cossette, Megan, Candela, Jessica, K. Imani, and Steve) for your help in gathering data for the database. Thank you to everyone who has emailed with what you’d like to see on this database (please, keep it coming!), as well as everyone who has liked, RTed, and shared Melanin in YA in every form.

To celebrate the launch, it’s time for another giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. (Reader Recipient: Leet C.)

There are 10 ways to enter the giveaway in total and all Patreon patrons up until January 1, 2021 automatically get instant entries to this giveaway.

Melanin in YA Book Launch Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. (Reader Recipient: Leet C.)

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

Lux: The New Girl and Micah: The Good Girl and When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

One January 2021 YA Book Release Written by a Black Author of Your Choice

Every traditionally published young adult U.S. book that was released in December 2020 and December 2019

$25 Netflix Gift Card

$50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

Surprise Swag (Bookmarks, stickers, etc)

Guidelines

U.S. Only.

Giveaway Ends January 20, 2021 11:59pm PT

10 Ways to Enter

Follow @Melanin_YA on Twitter

Like this Twitter Tweet

Quote Tweet/reply @melanin_ya’s tweet and include #MelanininYA hashtag

Follow @MelanininYA on Instagram

Like this Instagram Post

Comment on this Instagram post

Re-post & Tag @MelanininYA on Instagram Feed with #MelanininYA hashtag

Re-post & Tag @MelanininYA on Instagram Feed Story

Make a public post on your Facebook Account and share the link to melanininya@gmail.com

Comment on this post (and be sure to mention either or instagram handle or twitter handle)

What’s Next!

Call for Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering your free time to help gather data for Melanin in YA, please email melanininya@gmail.com. Thanks so much!

Coming Soon

• Author Directory: Links to Starred Reviews from Booklist and BookPage, Speaking Engagement Topics
  Dream IP Projects

• Narrators Directory: Photos

• Influencers Completion of These Directories

• Newsletter: February 2021 (Including News Roundup of book deals, movie/TV adaptation news, cover reveals, new releases, awards) – Patrons will get early access to the monthly newsletters

• Exclusive Cover Reveals

• Interviews with Authors & Industry Professionals

• The ability to search books by medium (novels, anthologies, graphic novels), genre, LGBTQIA representation, disability representation, books set in different countries, books set in present tense or past tense, books in First Person or Third Person, and books in Dual POV and multiple POV.

Reach Out!

If you are a Black high school teacher teaching in the United States or Canada and you have a classroom wishlist, please email melanininya@gmail.com from your work email account with a link to your wishlist, the school website, and if you have socials (FB, Twitter, Instagram) those as well for verification purposes. Melanin in YA would like to create a directory of wishlists just for you!

If you are a Black librarian in the Teen section at your library or a Black high school librarian in the United States or Canada, please email melanininya@gmail.com from your work email account with a link to school’s website and if you have socials (FB, Twitter, Instagram) those as well if you are interested in being interviewed for Melanin in YA.

Everyone, if there’s something you’d like to see on Melanin in YA, please do not hesitate to reach out at melanininya@gmail.com or via Twitter/Instagram DM.

Support

If you’d like to make a one time show of support for Melanin in YA (which helps Melanin in YA or “MIYA” for short, continue to conduct giveaways and put Black YA books in the hands of today’s readers and tomorrow’s future, please do not hesitate to donate here.

Thank you so much for your support!