Where and How Book Censorship Is Impacting Children’s Publishing Right Now

In mid-March, Dial Books, a long-time imprint at Penguin Random House, shut down unexpectedly. No one knew it was happening, including the authors or the editors, many of whom lost their jobs. News about the closure offered no answers as to why this happened and why it happened so swiftly and unexpectedly.

Industry chatter suggested that one of the key reasons for this decision was a “softening” of the school and library market. That’s the kind phrasing for libraries and schools are no longer buying books the way they once did. This theory is not only likely, but it points to where and how people who haven’t been paying attention to the ongoing attacks on books and libraries the same way that advocates and those within these institutions have. While books have been banned nationwide in unbelievable numbers since 2021, that’s not been the only thing happening.