The group VIDA has gotten a great deal of attention lately for its count of how few women write for major magazines, including Harper’s, The Atlantic, the New Yorker, Granta, Poetry, and others. This has prompted lots of reactions, some nuanced, thoughtful, and detailed, some less so.
I am put in mind of something I noticed by Gina Frangello that I linked to on this blog not long ago. For my part, I think the most important discussions that will result here are those among women writers and editors, many of whom are at the top of this field. I look forward to seeing what, if any, consensus might emerge among them.
In the meantime, many other magazines and presses are posting their own VIDA counts. Here are Agate’s: overall, since Agate began in 2003 it has published 43 books by women and 34 books by men. Across our three imprints, Bolden (devoted to African-American writers) has published 19 books by women and 13 books by men. Our B2 imprint, devoted to business-related nonfiction, has published 4 books by women and 15 books by men. And our Surrey imprint, devoted to food, dining, and entertaining, has published 20 books by women and 6 books by men.