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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.
Numerous schools and libraries nationwide have been told they cannot purchase new materials, while others have been told that in order to acquire new materials, they need to jump through several hoops before they can hit “purchase.” And that’s if the budgets for these institutions haven’t been slashed before, during, or after the process.
Unfortunately, the pervasive idea that book bans affect thee and not me has led to overlooking what book censorship looks like right now, where it is, and how it will continue to impact the entire literary ecosystem. Whether or not you live in a state with protections for libraries and their collections, the reality is you face the consequences, too–including a shrinking selection of books that showcase the whole diverse and inclusive nature of the world in which we live. For those in states where partisan interests dictate your rights to you, the landscape gets grimmer and grimmer. Books and literature will never completely go away. What has been disappearing, and what will continue to disappear, are choices, voices, and perspectives that do not align with the regime at hand and white supremacy.
Texas has enacted some of the worst legislation to censor books in school libraries. The state would top the list were its legislative sessions annual, rather than biannual. Texas, the second-most populous state, means that what happens in public schools there has a tremendous ripple effect nationwide. Thanks to Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 13, Texas schools have been put under strict scrutiny that applies not only to books already on shelves, but also to those that may be added. School board approval or approval by parent-led School Library Advisory Councils is required for books to be considered for purchase. In a story from the Dallas Observer in November 2025, two Dallas-area county schools were waiting for approval for over 23,000 new books. If the average earning from each of those books was $5 for the publisher (a rough estimate, given that libraries get institutional discounts from book jobbers and different book formats cost different amounts), that’s $115,000 in lost sales.
Again: that’s two counties.
Things aren’t better elsewhere in the state, and the truth of how bad things have gotten is itself difficult to assess. New Braunfels Independent School District, which last fall shuttered its school libraries to check for books, has lied about how many books were relocated or removed; who knows how many books have simply not been purchased during this time. Down the road in Leander Independent School District, administrators have leaned into using Artificial Intelligence to comply with the new laws.
Such demands about where and how materials can be acquired, and the ever-increasing reality of books being removed or relocated from school shelves, have a chilling effect. Though it’s been said time and time again, many aren’t quite getting how bad things really are. These educators and librarians are unable to do their jobs appropriately or ethically because their jobs are on the line thanks to SB 12 and SB 13. Districts are overcomplying and demanding that staff do the same, which is leading libraries to simply not buy new material. It’s too risky a prospect.
If 23,000 book purchases are on hold in two counties, imagine that on the scale of the state. Then imagine how many of those books aren’t approved by boards eager to be too compliant. Then imagine how many of those books aren’t approved because School Library Advisory Councils are made up of the people who’ve been chomping at the bit to “curate” school libraries since their cult told them to do this beginning in 2021. Then, perhaps, consider how many school librarian jobs have disappeared in the state since 2021. There’s not good data on it, but several districts which have been among the quickest and fiercest in banning books have also conveniently cited “budget challenges” for why they’ve cut school librarian positions, period: school libraries and associated librarians were eliminated in Houston Independent School District in 2024 Spring Branch Independent School District began their 2024-2025 school year with no librarians, and Hays Independent School District is slashing librarian positions next school year, to name just a few.
Getting rid of librarians in school libraries is another way to turn libraries into facilities that are overly compliant with bigoted legislation. If you don’t have a professional in the building to abide by professional code and ethics and consider the needs of students, rather than the needs of partisan legislators, then it’s easy for books not to be purchased and/or the books that are acquired to be the “safe” picks. There’s a reason professional associations for librarians have been under attack and bills that would criminalize librarians have skyrocketed during this rise in censorship–librarians are obligated to uphold the First Amendment rights of all, rather than the interests of the current political regime.
That’s Texas. Florida’s decisions on what can and cannot be purchased for school libraries? They matter, too–Florida is the third most populated state in America. Together, Texas and Florida’s laws and practices regarding book bans have a significant impact on the literary landscape nationwide. If two of the most populated states aren’t buying books–and they’re not buying books that include characters or authors of color, books that are by or about queer people, and/or books that are about sexuality, puberty, climate change, or any other fact-based topic that the current administration deems “inappropriate” or “obscene”–then the publishing industry’s bottom line is hurt. That then prompts publishers to assess what they’re doing and course-correct.
That means even if you’re in a “nice” “blue” state, your reading choices are limited because of politicians banning books in Texas or Florida or the other states that too many have been eager to denigrate as “not my problem.”
Coming back to the shuttering of Dial, perhaps it’s worth briefly mentioning some of the authors published by the imprint. Among them are Kyle Lukeoff–a queer and trans author writing queer and trans books that are constantly and consistently among the most banned in the country; Adib Khorram–a queer author of color whose books centering queer characters of color are constantly and consistently among the most banned books in the country; and Tyler Feder–author and illustrator behind Bodies Are Cool, which features an array of diverse bodies that celebrates uniqueness and has come under fire by censors for just that. Dial boasts on their website that they’ve long been “publishing change-making books by Black, Indigenous, and creators of color. Their books are highly decorated, award winners–the very kind of book buoyed by the library and school markets.
There’s a reason that imprint felt the pain first.
Dial won’t be the only casualty of book bans; indeed, Roaring Brook Press was shuttered just weeks later, and this week, a powerful piece on the soft silencing in children’s publishing dropped, further adding insight into the decline of certain types of books being published. Dial’s the canary in the coal mine and a reminder to everyone that decisions made in one part of the country absolutely impact what happens to you. While your library may not restrict your access to diverse books and while your state may have a freedom to read bill, the reality is that restrictions in other states and the disappearance of professionals in those states snowball. They’re impacting the publishing industry more broadly. It took several years for us to see this, but advocates have been shouting about it since this rise began. Authors talked about losing significant income from schools no longer inviting them as speakers because they no longer fit the white supremacist laws of their state, if they’re not simply disinvited; in at least on Texas Education Service Center, authors who aren’t cisgender, straight, or white aren’t allowed to talk about any of these things if they want to present to students–and neither can anyone working for these authors. Agents who represent authors have spoken up about editors no longer seeking out LGBTQ+ books because of fears related to book bans.
Book censorship impacts every single one of us, whether or not we choose to believe it.
It’s the responsibility of every one of us to do something about it, whether or not it’s our school or public library under attack.
Five years into this fight, the need is not only greater than ever, but the tools available to do something are more prolific than ever. Pick a lane. Do what you can. If you’re in Texas or Florida, you’ve got incredible resources in the Texas Freedom to Read Project, the Texas FReadom Fighters, and the Florida Freedom to Read Project. If you’re not in either of those states, pay attention to what they’re doing. What’s happening there will create a larger ripple effect that will impact your state. Use that knowledge and insight as you get involved in your own local organizations or spearhead one to do the work in your region.
We can’t give up, and we can’t close our eyes. That hasn’t worked yet. It’s only made the situation harder, uglier, and bleaker for everyone–including the young people who are having their rights, their libraries, and their books stolen from them under the guise of “protecting them,” by the very class of people who’ve built political careers on abusing them and treating them as property, rather than as autonomous individuals.
If you’re among those who’ve sat back comfortably from your safe, “blue” city or state, perhaps this is a wakeup call. It might not be your library or your school yet, but it is absolutely your access to inclusive literature.
The goal has never been the books. It’s been about dismantling and silencing anything that differs from the white supremacist ideals. Their commitment to the long game, without concern about whether or not they’re operating in a “good” or “bad” state, is why they’re still seeing wins like these.
This roundup includes stories from last week.