Matt de la Peña was n't a reader , until the words finally spoke directly to him . It was n't until college that de la Peña read an entire novel , `` The Color Purple . '' At first , he did n't like it . But by the time he finished , he was on the verge of tears . That story , and others , became his gateway to literature , while spoken-word poetry was his gateway to writing . `` 'Drown ' by Junot Diaz was the first book that made me think I might be able to make writing my livelihood , '' de la Peña said . `` And I thought , 'Wait , people publish the kind of stories I write ? ' That novel made me feel like publishing was a possibility . And then I started digging in on the hard work . '' Finding himself on the page -- and characters he could relate to -- made him who he is today . He 's now a creative writing teacher and award-winning author of `` Ball Do n't Lie , '' `` Mexican White Boy '' And `` The Living . '' He writes his experiences , usually with stories starring Mexican-American characters . `` Where 's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss ? '' de la Peña asked . `` That would change the game . '' According to the Cooperative Children 's Book Center , fewer children 's books were written by Latinos or African-Americans in 2013 than in previous years . Numbers increased slightly for American Indians and Asian-Americans . There were also more books written about Latinos and American Indians , but fewer about African-Americans and Asian-Americans . This concerns some in the industry , as American youth become more diverse . Young people from ages 10 to 18 represent 13.6 % of the U.S. population , according to the 2012 Census . More than 16 % are African-American , 12.2 % are Asian-American and 17.7 % are Hispanic . Teens `` are hungry for good literature and it hurts me because we 're not offering them enough of what they need , '' said Sharon Draper , author of award-winning books like `` November Blues '' and `` Copper Sun . '' In 2014 , the movement to publish more authors of color and write multicultural main characters remains slow and incremental . This is not a new discussion : There has long been criticism about the lack of diversity in young adult literature , books written for readers ages 12 to 18 . Experts and authors like Walter Dean Myers point back as early as 1965 , when educator Nancy Larrick stirred the conversation with an article entitled `` The All-White World of Children 's Books . '' Myers recently wrote about the topic in The New York Times : . `` As I discovered who I was , a black teenager in a white-dominated world , I saw that these characters , these lives , were not mine , '' he wrote . `` What I wanted , needed really , was to become an integral and valued part of the mosaic that I saw around me . '' Even though young adult literature is enjoying a golden age and authors are working to diversify their stories , lead characters of color or characters who are lesbian , gay , bisexual or transgender are still slow to appear in popular mainstream young adult fiction . Without these characters , the landscape of young adult literature is n't reflective of our society , author Sherman Alexie said . He 's one of many authors , teachers , librarians , publishers and editors have ideas of how to transform this persistent negative with positive changes . Reaching more readers . Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo discovered each other when they published their Chinese young adult fantasy stories . What began as a book tour grew into a website , Diversity in YA , where they emphasize that books featuring diverse characters are for everyone -- not just people who relate directly to the characters . `` Readers look at our books and if they are n't into Asian culture , they think it 's not for them , '' author Cindy Pon said , `` Our books are for everyone . It 's not just about identity . '' After realizing his other books spoke strongly to the Mexican-American identity angle , de la Peña decided to write a story with more mass appeal , `` The Living . '' He 's currently writing a sequel . `` There is an evolution within our own work , '' he said . `` When you are writing with race as one of the elements of the story , early on , you write about race . As you do more work , the race becomes part of the story and not the story . I think that will be the biggest boost for multicultural literature . `` But on the flip side , I get worried about people who just make the character black on the outside , but not on the inside . '' Facing down challenges . Sherman Alexie 's book `` The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian '' is a National Book Award winner that was hailed as one of the best reads for young people in 2007 . It 's also one of the books most often challenged or banned in schools and libraries . With young adult fiction , `` you can make real significant social change , '' Alexie said . `` There is a political , social meaning and everything I believe about the way the world should be has been reflected in the way that my book has been treated , appealed to and offended people . '' Currently , there are more than 500 federally recognized tribes of Native Americans in America , according to the National Congress of American Indians . But in young adult fiction , they are often misrepresented as romanticized `` mystical Indians '' and they do n't reflect the experience of Native kids growing up on the reservation , said Debbie Reese , founder of American Indians in Children 's Literature . Authors such as Alexie , Eric Gansworth , Cynthia Leitich Smith and Debby Dahl Edwardson are working to fight stereotypes that American Indians can only be present in `` buckskin and beads '' by writing the real experience the Native American teens have on the reservation . `` I 'm not this tragic figure from the past , '' said Gansworth , author of `` If I Ever Get Out of Here . '' Sites such as Diversity in YA encourage all writers to diversify their book characters ; after all , not every book including multicultural characters comes from an author of color . But for any writer deviating from his or her own experience , it requires extensive research and cultural immersion to avoid stereotypes or misconceptions . Still , some authors feel that the publishing industry is reluctant to take risks by marketing books that do n't mimic previous successes . Cheryl Klein , executive editor of Arthur A. Levine Books , said publishers do n't see `` enormous numbers '' of books from writers of color , and publishers turn down 97 % of manuscripts they receive , regardless of the topic . Klein , co-founder of the Children 's Book Council Diversity Committee -- a group of editors passionate about publishing books that reach and reflect the demographics of their readers -- said there 's room for improvement . `` We want to keep hearing more and more voices , '' she said . `` It 's important to have advocates at every stage , from editing to marketing , from librarians to authors , so it 's an industry-wide effort . '' Changing the publishers . Authors like Alexie and Walter Dean Myers see the growth of small press publishers of color as one way to expand multicultural representation in young adult fiction . `` We see it time and time again : Innovation comes from the small press world , '' Alexie said . At the National Council of Teachers of English convention in late 2013 , Myers spoke about his dream of subsidizing publishers . His vision ? Teaming up with a university press to host a yearly contest for people of color who write young adult fiction . A brief history of young adult literature . The exposure to editors and publishers would benefit talented writers who otherwise have a difficult time being seen . `` Hypothetically , here are five finalists who would be exposed to all aspects of the publishing community whose voices might never be heard otherwise , '' Myers said . It could be the beginning of real change in young adult fiction . `` Looking at these kids when I 'm speaking , I think , 'This is the generation , ' `` de la Peña said . `` They are going to write what they want and feature themselves . '' What young adult books did you relate to as a teen ? Share your thoughts in the comments , on Twitter @ CNNLiving or on CNN Living 's Facebook page !
Different cultural backgrounds are n't well represented in young adult literature , authors say . Author : `` Where 's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss ? '' I think that is a fair question and one of many reasons why there has been such an explosion of YA fiction over the last few years ( especially with regards to race ).