Americans of Asian origin are one of the most numerous minorities in the United States, currently representing over 6% of the American workforce. While people with Asian roots are increasingly present in the country, Asian American authors are not following that trend.
In this report, we take a detailed look at US writers and authors of Asian origin – how many of them there is, how their numbers have changed over the years, and how they compare with other minority authors. We’ll also look into children’s and young adult authors and see how Asian writers compare in this category.
How many Asian authors are in the US?
There are over 6,728 authors and writers of Asian origin in the United States as of 2020.
There are 4.62% fewer Asian authors in the US compared to 2019, when over 7,054 of them were registered.
Aside from a 2020 decline, the number of Asian authors has been increasing every year since 2014.
Overall, since 2014, the number of Asian authors in the US has increased by 15.19%, making them the third-fastest growing minority group of authors in the country, after Latine & Hispanic and Black authors.
There are almost 900 more authors of Asian origin in the US in 2020 compared to 2014.
Year
Number of Asian writers in the US
Change
2020
6,728
-4.62%
2019
7,054
0.11%
2018
7,046
4.91%
2017
6,716
0.98%
2016
6,651
10.67%
2015
6,010
2.89%
2014
5,841
Since 2014
15.19%
Asian authors account for 3.94% of all registered authors in the United States as of 2020, making them the third-largest minority group of US authors.
The share of Asian authors in the US has declined by 5.48% since 2019 and has declined in 4 out of the last 6 years.
Since 2014, the share of US authors of Asian origin has dropped by 2.2%, and Asian authors are the only minority group with a negative growth trend in this segment.
Year
Share of Asian writers
Change
2020
3.94%
-5.48%
2019
4.17%
-0.67%
2018
4.20%
0.88%
2017
4.16%
-1.48%
2016
4.22%
5.93%
2015
3.99%
-1.05%
2014
4.03%
Since 2014
-2.20%
As of 2020, over 9.03 million people in the US eligible for work have an Asian origin, accounting for 6.1% of the total American workforce.
While the share of Asian authors has dropped by over 2% since 2014, the share of the Asian workforce in the US jumped by 12.74% over the same period.
The average Asian American is 35% less likely to become an author compared to the average US citizen, while in 2014 Asian Americans were 25% less likely to become authors compared to the national average.
This means that the average US citizen of Asian origin is increasingly less likely to become a writer or an author.
Year
Share of Asian workforce
Change
Share of Asian writers
Change
2020
6.09%
1.78%
3.94%
-5.48%
2019
5.99%
1.83%
4.17%
-0.67%
2018
5.88%
1.99%
4.20%
0.88%
2017
5.77%
2.68%
4.16%
-1.48%
2016
5.62%
1.42%
4.22%
5.93%
2015
5.54%
2.42%
3.99%
-1.05%
2014
5.41%
4.03%
Since 2014
12.74%
-2.20%
How many Asian children’s writers are in the US?
The most recent CCBC database containing children’s and young adult picture books and their authors and main characters shows how much Asian writers are represented in this category. We analyzed data on book authors and illustrators to see how the number of Asian authors has changed over the years:
As of 2023, around 15.92% of all children’s and YA picture books published for the year in the US are written by at least one Asian author and illustrator.
This is, however, a 15% drop compared to 2022, when over 18.71% of all books had at least one Asian author.
From 2018 to 2022, the share of picture books by Asian authors grew every year, jumping from 10.96% in 2018 to 18.71% in 2022.
Overall, the share of picture books written by Asian authors in the US increased by 45% from 2018 to 2023. This growth is slower compared to Black and Hispanic authors.
Year
Share of books with Asian authors
Change
2023
15.92%
-15%
2022
18.71%
27%
2021
14.72%
21%
2020
12.21%
10%
2019
11.14%
2%
2018
10.96%
Since 2018
45%
Among all authors and illustrators of children and YA picture books published during 2023, around 14.90% of them are of Asian origin.
Asian authors are the most numerous minority group of authors in the US in picture book category, along with Black authors.
This is a 2% drop compared to 2022 when over 15.14% of all authors of books published during the year were of Asian origin.
The share of Asian authors among all US children and YA picture book authors has been over 10% for the third year in a row.
Since 2018, the share of Asian authors among all picture book authors has increased by 64%.
Year
Share of Asian authors
Change
2023
14.90%
-2%
2022
15.14%
33%
2021
11.36%
15%
2020
9.86%
9%
2019
9.03%
-1%
2018
9.11%
Since 2018
64%
Among Asian authors publishing picture books during 2023, over 82.22% are female authors.
Male authors of Asian origin account for 12.22% of all Asian authors for 2023, while authors of other genders account for 5.56%.
Since 2018, the share of male Asian authors has declined by 46%, dropping from 22.70% to 12.22% over 5 years.
On the other hand, the share of female authors jumped by 12%, from 73.58% in 2018 to over 82% over the same period.
Asian authors of other genders grew the most since 2018, from 3.72% in 2018 to 5.56% in 2023, representing a 49% increase.
