2006:Only 87 Children's Books by Black American Authors

Out of an estimated 5000 children’s books published in the United States, only 87 were by Black children’s authors.

Even more disturbing was the fact it's a decent ( 16%) increase from last year. Check out Kyra’s “Black Threads in Kid's Lit” for more details.

Bearing in mind that the South African publishing market is small, with only 5% of the estimated 46 million population buying books, I've always wondered if my career would take a giant leap forward if I focussed on the US market (more publishers, more books being published, more potential buyers.)

Now I realise I might be better off writing for the SA market for now, because it seems pickings for Black children's writers in the US might be very thin indeed.

Does anyone know how many children's books were published in South Africa in 2006? Which institution is tracking this?