We know the POC sidekick trope. And we know how we feel about always being the white protagonist’s (often dispensable) BFF. But have we come to internalize it?
When you first started writing, were your characters white? Nigerian American writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says hers were: “I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: All my characters were white and blue-eyed.” Why? Because the British and American books she read held these up as the standard.
When we write stories featuring POC characters, there is a temptation to name race when we describe them on the page. But to only name a character’s race when they are nonwhite is to assume whiteness is the default. In the words of Korean American writer Matthew Salesses, “It is to write toward the expectations of how white people read the world.”
Traditional publishers—and the audiences they serve— reward this line of thinking. Often, when publishers call a book “too niche,” what they actually mean is that they don’t see the story appealing to a “mainstream” audience, an audience they envision as white, cis, and able-bodied. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
At Third State Books, we want to de-center whiteness. We want a world in which people of all backgrounds can see themselves as the main character.
BIPOC narratives are universal. AAPI stories can be relevant to any audience, especially the so-called “mainstream.” That is how we operate every day. Thank you for supporting us in this mission.
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Citations:
Salesses, Matthew. Craft in the Real World. New York, Catapult Books, 2021.
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story." Youtube, uploaded by TED, 2009, /watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg.
At every level, the publishing industry is overwhelmingly white. Where does that leave BIPOC writers? And what types of narratives does it push?
At Third State Books, we believe AAPI stories are universal stories 📖 Thanks for joining us here. We hope you stay 💫
A million thanks to @marcowerman and @pritheworld for featuring Third State Books on your broadcast today, highlighting the need for narrative change and more authentic representation of Asian American and Pacific Islander stories 🙏🏼 Hear TSB author @drchoijoy share about writing and finding a home for LA CORONER, out in early March 2025.
Link to the segment in bio!
On December 7, 2022, Dion Lim stood at my front door, bright, curious, and impeccably styled, glancing at the toys on our living room floor and immediately asking me what it’s like to be a mother, to which I raised a tiny eyebrow and said it shows you what you’re really capable of.
A few weeks later, she would announce her pregnancy. A month after that, we would officially launch Third State Books on Lunar New Year 2023, a day before the Monterey Park shootings.
We were both, in different ways, preparing to bring something new into the world.
Just a week before, Dion had begun shopping a proposal for her book on AAPI hate when our team reached out, hoping to make her the very first author TSB ever signed. Charles and I pitched her hard on a vision for an AAPI-led publishing house—one that could push back against a system that is often gate-kept, cautious, and difficult to navigate.
Dion understood the vision immediately, especially after receiving feedback on the proposal that suggested maybe she should “tone it down.” As if the real, lived experiences of our elders and community members under attack during the Covid-19 lockdown were something to be made palatable for a “mainstream” audience.
Dion’s book, AMPLIFY! My Fight for Asian America, was originally scheduled for August 2024. The fight she names is core to the Asian American experience: our ongoing struggle against invisibility and erasure. Through her reporting, Dion refused to let these stories disappear. She worked tirelessly to get them on the air, onto social media, and into public consciousness; highlighting the urgency and relevance of stories that, without her, might have been lost entirely.
And then there were attempts to silence the very book that resisted that invisibility. Dion eventually made another brave choice: to walk away from a decorated career so she could tell these stories on her own terms.
Twenty-one months later, we are finally here. We are so proud to publish this book—for the AAPI community, and for anyone who believes these stories deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
—Stephanie, Co-founder & CEO, Third State Books
AMPLIFY! is out now, wherever books are sold.
I’m so excited to announce that LA Coroner been nominated for an Anthony award! As always, thanks to my wonderful press! @thirdstatebooks And thank you @boucherconworldmystery
To celebrate reaching 1K followers and #aanhpiheritagemonth , I’m partnering up with @thirdstatebooks (the first general-interest publishing house to focus on AANHPI stories and voices) to give away the groundbreaking two-part graphic novellas /mini-textbooks (there’s a brief teaching guide at the end from @theveryasianfoundation ):
📕Fighting to Belong!: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History from the 1700s through the 1800s
📗Fighting to Belong! (Vol. 2): Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, 1900-1970
Publisher description: “…our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history…Fighting to Belong helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.”
Even though these books are meant for middle grade, I’ve learned a lot of new Asian American & Pacific Islander history reading them (and I have a PhD in Asian Am lit!)
To enter the giveaway:
1) Follow both @nancyslitlounge and @thirdstatebooks
2) Like this post
3) Comment with your answer: If you could time travel to witness history, which historical event would you want to see?
Bonus entries:
1) Tag a friend (or two!) in the comments
2) Share to your stories and tag @nancyslitlounge and @thirdstatebooks
3) Let us know in the comments if you’re a teacher— this bonus entry is our Teacher Appreciation gift to you! 🍎
Giveaway closes end of day May 18 (pst), and winner must live in the U.S. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or Meta.
Let’s amplify the stories, voices, and experiences that deserve to be heard. ✊
Join Dion Lim (@dionlimtv ) on May 12 for the launch of her book, Amplify! My Fight for Asian America.
This story of our community almost didn’t get told. So I’m doing a 3 book giveaway before we launch May 12th ✨
❤️ Like
🏷️ Tag 3 people
🔁 Share
🤞🏼 Good luck!
#booklover #amplifymyfightforasianamerica #aapiheritagemonth #bookstagrammer #dionlim
SEOUL SPIT BOOK RELEASE PARTY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS WAS WHOLESOME! 🇰🇷❤️🥹 A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR @hustlej of @yeeyaakee AND @terrencetk AT @kith FOR HOSTING US! LAST BUT NOT LEAST MY BROTHER @moresojuplease FOR MODERATING OUR TALK AND HOLDING ME DOWN OUT HERE FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES @moresojuplease
📸: @giuklee_
CLOSED.
‼️📣 GIVEAWAY ALERT 🎁✨
We have ONE last Casually Yours swag box and here’s your chance to win it! The box includes: a copy of Casually Yours, a “quiet, I’m reading smut” mug, a “Do Not Disturb/I’m reading romance” door hanger, and 2x Vietnamese coffee with a recipe written by yours truly! 💖
💫To enter:
1. Follow me @vivianjialac & @thirdstatebooks
2. Like this post
3. Tag a friend who you’d grab Viet iced coffee with ☕️
🌟Bonus:
4. Share to your story for an extra entry!
💌 Open to residents of Canada and the U.S. only, aged 18+
Ends on May 7 at 11:59PM EST. The winner will be selected at random and contacted by me via DM. Please note you will be required to share your shipping address with me if you win.
This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram.
Good luck!💫
