…As publishers, we serve as both cultural storytellers and gatekeepers of storytelling — one of the most powerful forms of entertainment and communication. Making publishing more diverse, accessible, and inclusive isn’t just the right thing to do — it makes good business sense…
I had the pleasure of talking with Carrie Bloxson. Carrie is a media and publishing executive known for her leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and her extensive career in marketing. She currently serves as the Chief People Officer at Hachette Book Group, where she oversees talent development, recruitment, workplace culture, and DEI initiatives. With a background spanning entertainment, publishing, and nonprofit work, Bloxson has built a reputation as an advocate for inclusion and accessibility in storytelling.
Bloxson grew up in rural Massachusetts, where books played a central role in her childhood. With few entertainment options in her small town, she spent much of her time at the library, reading widely across genres. This early love of literature later shaped her career path, though she first found herself in the media and entertainment industry after earning a degree in digital media from Syracuse University.
Her early career took her to New York City, where she worked in marketing and branding for some of the biggest names in television, including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Bravo, and Oxygen Media. She later transitioned to publishing, serving as Vice President of Marketing at HarperCollins, where she led promotional efforts for a diverse portfolio of books. She also worked at DoSomething.org, a nonprofit dedicated to social change, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer and later as interim CEO.
In 2021, Bloxson joined Hachette Book Group as its first-ever Chief Diversity Officer, a role created to lead the company’s efforts in making publishing more inclusive. She focused on increasing representation within Hachette’s workforce, diversifying the stories being published, and expanding access to books in underserved communities. Her work extended beyond hiring practices to include initiatives such as outreach to prisons, shelters, and schools with limited library resources. Under her leadership, the company saw measurable improvements in workforce diversity and launched programs aimed at broadening the reach of its publications.
Her influence in the industry has been widely recognized. She has spoken publicly about the need to address systemic barriers in publishing, including the historical lack of diversity among authors and industry professionals. She has cited a 2020 study by The New York Times showing that 95% of all fiction published since 1950 was written by white authors, using this statistic as a call to action for change. For Bloxson, DEI is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic business decision — she has argued that a more representative publishing industry can lead to better storytelling, stronger audience engagement, and increased profitability.
In 2024, Bloxson was promoted to Senior Vice President of Culture and DEI, a role that expanded her responsibilities to Hachette’s U.K. operations as well. Later that year, she was named Chief Human Resources Officer, taking on a broader leadership position overseeing the company’s workforce strategy while continuing to champion inclusivity.
Beyond her corporate roles, Bloxson has co-founded CMOs for Good, a network of marketing executives committed to social impact, and has been involved in various mentorship and fellowship programs aimed at increasing access to publishing careers. She is also a proponent of appreciative inquiry, a leadership approach that emphasizes building on strengths rather than focusing solely on problems — an outlook she credits with sustaining her work in DEI.
Bloxson remains optimistic about the future of publishing, acknowledging the industry’s progress while advocating for continued improvements. She emphasizes the need for data-driven approaches to DEI and stresses that diversity efforts should be integrated into business strategies rather than treated as separate initiatives. Her career trajectory — from entertainment marketing to publishing leadership — reflects a consistent commitment to broadening representation and making stories more accessible to all readers.
Yitzi: Carrie, it’s a delight and an honor to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Carrie: Oh gosh, well, let’s see. I grew up on a farm in Central Massachusetts, and it was incredibly remote. In fact, we had no neighbors — there was really nothing in the town. For fun, we went to the library. I spent most of my childhood going there with my mom and my brothers and sisters after school.
My childhood was really centered around books. I have such fun memories of all the books I read — Stephen King, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume. Then, graduating to the adult side of the library was also very cool. So yeah, my love of books really started in my childhood.
Yitzi: Amazing. So can you tell us about the next chapter? How did that background lead you to the career you have now?
Carrie: Well, I have to say that as nice as those memories sound, I was also very aware that people who looked different — basically, people who looked like my family, my dad, my mom, or my brother — were treated differently. You could really see the difference.
As soon as I could, I left. I went to Syracuse for undergrad and then moved to New York after I graduated — and I haven’t left since. I actually got into entertainment by accident. One of my first jobs was at MTV, and from there, I worked at VH1, Comedy Central, Oxygen Media, and Bravo. I’ve had a pretty broad experience in entertainment, mostly because I was in New York, where so much of it happens, and also because I graduated with a degree in digital media, so entertainment just felt like the natural next step.
Yitzi: Amazing. You probably have some incredible stories from the places you’ve been and the people you’ve worked with. Can you share one or two that stand out the most from your professional life?
Carrie: Hmm, well, I can tell you that before there was a television show called 30 Rock, I actually worked at 30 Rock — and I worked on the eighth floor, right next to Studio 8H. So one of the more interesting experiences of my career was working next to Saturday Night Live and constantly being surrounded by the energy of live television.
I’d run into comedians and celebrities all the time, but also just really bizarre props casually rolling through the hallways. One day, you’d see a camel being led into the studio; another day, a massive fake shark. You never really knew what you’d run into, which made every day feel a little surreal.
Another story I’ll share is from that same job — my role was to launch the very first Watch What Happens, which eventually became Watch What Happens Live. Back then, it was just an online show that aired right after Project Runway. I project-managed the first episode after Project Runway, so that’s my little claim to fame.
Yitzi: Okay, yeah. It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you tell us a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting out and the lesson you learned from it?
Carrie: Oh, I’ve made a lot of mistakes — this is true. I think I made the classic workplace mistake of accidentally hitting “Reply All” instead of just replying to one colleague.
First, always double-check your email recipients before hitting send. Second, own your mistakes and be honest about them. And third, conduct yourself with as much integrity and fairness as possible, because mistakes happen. We’re all human in the workplace, and every mistake is a growth opportunity — a chance to self-reflect and be better. That’s something I’ve carried with me throughout my career as a leader.
Yitzi: Can you tell our readers what you do at Hachette and what initiatives you’re working on?
Carrie: Yeah! So I’ve been at Hachette for about four years. I spent the first three and a half as the Chief Diversity Officer, really working to make publishing — which has traditionally been very inaccessible — as open and accessible as possible, both for readers and for people who want to work in the industry.
I firmly believe that as publishers, we serve as both cultural storytellers and gatekeepers of storytelling — one of the most powerful forms of entertainment and communication.So making publishing more diverse, accessible, and inclusive is something that makes good sense, and why I care so deeply about it.
Yitzi: So do you mean that you try to give more authors opportunities to get their books published? Is that what you’re saying?
Carrie: Yes, exactly. It’s about getting a broader diversity of authors published and ensuring their books reach as many readers as possible by broadening the places where those books are available
As a reader, you might typically find a book at your local bookstore or on Amazon, and that’s great — but a lot of people don’t have access to those places. I’m talking about prisons, shelters, reading deserts, and classrooms that might not have a wide variety of books available. So it’s about expanding access in all of those spaces.
The other piece is the stories themselves. One statistic that has always stuck with me comes from a study The New York Times did in 2020. They found that 95% of all fiction published since 1950 was written by white authors. Even the NY Times seemed surprised by that statistic — especially when you compare it to the demographics of the US population.
That statistic alone shows how much room there is to diversify the reading experience and ensure there’s a story out there for everyone that resonates. I definitely think there’s more we can do in publishing to make that happen.
Yitzi: So this may be obvious to you, but sadly, it isn’t obvious to everyone anymore. Can you tell us why it’s important to have diversity represented in books and publishing? Why is that essential?
Carrie: When I think about content and entertainment in general, especially over the last few years, we’ve seen some really groundbreaking work. Even beyond books, we’ve had movies like Parasite and TV shows like Insecure, which get talked about a lot in publishing circles. And I think that’s because they were created by people with lived experiences that inform their work. That kind of diversity and authenticity is really important because audiences recognize it when they see it.
Without diverse creators making this kind of content, we end up with the same recycled narratives instead of exploring the rich, complex beauty of the human experience. That’s one key point.
Another is that diversifying publishing, books, and storytelling actually makes us smarter and more strategic. The more perspectives you’re exposed to, the more you understand different experiences — and that broadens thinking.
And then there’s the business side of it. From a strategic standpoint, diversity is also profitable. When you’re creating content that genuinely resonates with your audience, you develop a stronger understanding of the market. That gives you a better chance of outperforming competitors and succeeding.
So beyond just being the right thing to do, it’s also a smart business decision. On top of that, it allows you to create content that informs, educates, and helps people discover new perspectives. It’s multifaceted in that way.
Yitzi: That’s great. Recently, the term DEI has become a boogeyman in certain circles. Just to play devil’s advocate, the argument is that DEI creates reverse racism, where it limits people and puts individuals who aren’t necessarily qualified into positions or gives them opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. How do you respond to that challenge or accusation?
Carrie: Yeah, I suppose I would say that it’s such a broad term, and it’s possible that may be happening in some cases. Ultimately, the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion is to create an environment where anyone, regardless of how they identify, has an equal opportunity to contribute to a business and help it succeed. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that goal in a workplace.
The second part of this is that DEI is really about ensuring people in the workplace are treated with respect, regardless of who they are or how they identify. And it’s tough to argue with that as well.
Yitzi: Are you hopeful and optimistic about the progress of inclusion and representation in the publishing industry? And what else needs to be done to create more opportunities for underrepresented populations?
Carrie: I am particularly hopeful about the progress in the industry, despite the fact that there’s been a lot of criticism lately. The reason I’m hopeful is that I’ve been doing this work for about seven years now, and even just looking at the statistics in publishing — at Hachette alone — we’ve seen a measurable increase in the diversity of our staff and our publishing catalog year over year. If you look at representation in publishing as a whole, that has also increased over time.
So, despite complaints that DEI hasn’t resulted in meaningful change, the data actually tells a more nuanced story. We’ve had a number of really successful, best-selling books by authors from diverse backgrounds — books that have been published, edited, illustrated, and created by publishing professionals from diverse backgrounds and read by diverse audiences.
Moving forward, I think what we need to do more of — within DEI and really within any business — is focus on data rather than aspirational discussions. When you measure something, it becomes much harder to argue with the success or lack thereof.
With any workplace initiative like DEI, we have to assume there will be trial and error. Things aren’t always going to go perfectly. But what matters is evolution and improvement as we go through the process. If we looked at DEI through that lens, we could have more constructive conversations about what needs to be done to keep improving.
So far, from my vantage point, I want to keep at it, and see where this goes.
Yitzi: Carrie, because of your great work and the platform you’ve built and occupy, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Carrie: I’m going to share something I learned from a mentor of mine — Melanie Riveria — who introduced me to the concept of appreciative inquiry. Have you heard of it?
Appreciative inquiry is a metaphor for how I approach my work as a people officer and a DEI practitioner. I probably would have burned out a long time ago if I hadn’t embraced this philosophy.
By definition, appreciative inquiry is a way of engaging with people and change by focusing on how to build on what’s working rather than dwelling too much on what’s not. The science behind it suggests that when you focus on how to improve and make something better — rather than just the concerns or problems — you tend to achieve better outcomes and set yourself up for success.
Another way to think about it is asset-based thinking versus deficit-based thinking. When we emphasize what’s wrong, we start seeing everything through a negative filter, which can be draining and demotivating. It’s just not an ideal way to move forward.
So much of my job is about solving problems, and this approach has helped me enormously. Instead of thinking, “Here’s yet another issue I have to fix,” I reframe it as, “How can I make this better?” It completely shifts the energy.
It’s been so valuable for me that I introduce the concept before any big brainstorming session or group discussion. I want everyone to come in with that mindset. So I’m just passing it along — it’s made a big difference in my work, and I think it can help others too.
Yitzi: You’ve been blessed with a lot of success and have learned so much from your experiences. Looking back to when you first started, can you share five things you’ve learned that you wish you knew back then?
Carrie: I actually just said this in our all-employee meeting
- Don’t give up.
- Relentless forward progress.
- Everything is a learning experience, even the failures.
- The appreciative inquiry approach that I just mentioned — always ask, “What can I do to evolve and improve?”
- And always be two steps ahead of your boss.
Yitzi: How can our readers continue to follow your work? And how can they support you in any way?
Carrie: They can follow Hachette on social media! We have a careers Instagram account, as well as a LinkedIn page that my colleague Gabrielle and her team manage. Definitely check us out there — we host lots of LinkedIn Live recruiting events, and you’ll see all kinds of cool things we’re working on.
I’m also on LinkedIn, so people can reach out to me there too!
Yitzi: Thank you for these great insights!
From MTV to Publishing Leadership: Hachette’s Carrie Bloxson on Expanding Representation in Books was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.