Get ready to bid!

WHAT’S THE #FRIENDS4LEVINEQUERIDO AUCTION?

Over 300 authors, agents, and friends have donated a service or item to help raise funds to support Levine Querido’s mission to spread light and lift-up underrepresented books and authors! To those early supporters, THANK YOU for your generosity and your commitment to LQ.

The auction is a response to book bans and government laws that make it legal to censor and ban books by LGBTQ + BIPOC authors. This latest surge of book bans targets the gains we’ve made in recent years for visibility of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices. We’ve seen data from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center and the American Library Association that shows a correlation between increase in representation for marginalized voices and a 40% rise in book challenges. 

As representation has grown, so has the backlash. Political extremists are touting phrases like “go woke, go broke.” They are serious about shutting down companies like ours and undoing our efforts to shine a light on marginalized stories.

WHAT’S THE TIMELINE?

The auction goes live for 10 days starting Labor Day weekend. Bidding starts on Sunday, September 3 and ends September 13.

WHY DOES LQ NEED TO RAISE MONEY?

The answer is simple yet complicated.

1. Book bans have led many gatekeepers toward self-censorship. We call these “shadowbans” because while specific LQ books may be officially banned, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Many gatekeepers — from librarians to booksellers to teachers — won't wait for the official ban and simply won't order in the first place. Carrying books that shed light on the experiences of BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ creators, they fear, might lead to them being attacked as "woke" or worse. People are afraid to lose their jobs.

2. These bans directly affect LQ’s bottom line. LQ consistently shines in the institutional market, with a long list of awards and accolades that includes the Newbery, the Printz, the Pura Belpré, the Stonewall, the Sydney Taylor, the National Book Award long list, and many more. Yet this year, LQ’s institutional sales — sales to schools, libraries, and education departments — have dropped over 1/3 from last year. That’s an enormous drop for a small team like ours.

3. We want to be a light in this darkness. To do so, LQ needs a transfusion of cash in order to bridge this temporary and difficult moment in the life of our company. Your donation helps secure a future for LQ for many years to come.

WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA?

Thanks to organizational efforts by Debbi Lakritz and Liza Wiemer, two generous authors who heard Arthur speak on the Book of Life podcast and volunteered to fight on our behalf, we are taking the perhaps extraordinary step of admitting our vulnerability and creating an auction of goods and services.

WHAT ARE WE OFFERING?

We received a wide range of donations, from a three-course meal cooked by Daniel Nayeri, to a book dedication to your pet by Darcie Little Badger, to an original fantasy or fairytale from Donna Barba Higuera. (“The 3 D’s,” as we call them, because – in addition to being literary powerhouses – they’re OG’s from our inaugural list back in 2020)!

Some of the most popular donation items include:

  • Virtual school visits

  • Personalized signed books

  • Workshops, critiques, or portfolio reviews

  • Sketches of original artwork

CAN I GIVE IN OTHER WAYS?

Help us amplify!

  • Share with friends & family

  • Share with aspiring authors and illustrators

  • Share these graphics on social media

    With love,

    Arthur, Antonio, Nick, Irene, Arely, Danielle, Kerry and the organizers Debbi and Liza

P.S.

A wise person once said, “LQ is 5 people and 8 cups of coffee.” We’re 7 people now (8 with Freesia in San Francisco), but the adage remains. We’re a small team of readers who love what we do and want to change the world—one book at a time.

Team LQ