BDA Publishing is ceasing operations after its CEO, Mel C. Bell, made controversial statements that left readers disappointed. The company took to Instagram on Monday (Mar. 31) to announce its closure.
“BDA Publishing has made the difficult decision to cease operations, effective immediately,” the company shared. “We are so beyond grateful to our readers, authors, and partners for the time we spent amplifying subversive fiction together.”
BDA Publishing was born out of Mel C. Bell’s desire to allow authors to be authentic to their craft. “We were once the bookworms becoming friends with the creators behind the pages,” the company’s About page reads.
“But, it wasn’t long before we realized the harsh truth – our beloved authors were being exploited and silenced. That’s when BDA Publishing was born. Our goal: to create a space where authors can explore and unleash their creativity without being tied down by trends and sales expectations.”
BDA appeared to have all of the ingredients to change the industry by “tearing down the walls of the publishing world.” The walls, however, seemed to cave in on the company after Mel C. Bell made racially insensitive statements that left many in the LatinX community hurt.
Company executives took to Instagram after the CEO’s remarks drew backlash to bring clarity to the situation. They assured readers that Mel B.’s role would no longer be public-facing. Many supporters, however, wanted more consequences in the way of the CEO not having a role in the company at all.
“We’re hearing that some people would like her removed from the company completely, but doing so would mean our authors lose a publisher and we lose our jobs since we’d flat out have no money to continue,” BDA executives wrote in the comments section of an Instagram post. “We’re prioritizing figuring this out, though,” they assured. “It just might take a little time.”
Several writers expressed sadness over the loss of BDA as a publishing company. “This is devastating to hear,” Emily Flynn-Jones shared. “Thank you for all the good things you have done and [for] letting me be a little part of it.” KP Roberson said, “As one of the first writers signed on, this is devastating news.”