Book Banning

The Authors Guild advocates for the rights of professional writers to create, publish, and earn a sustainable living as fiction and nonfiction writers, poets, translators, and journalists. Book banning, whether challenged by the right or the left, interferes with those rights, not only by suppressing free speech and freedom of expression but by making it harder for authors to sell copies of their work.

Book Bans Reach Record Highs

According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of books challenged in schools and public libraries hit a record high in 2023, with 4,240 unique titles targeted for censorship—a 65 percent increase over the 2,571 unique titles targeted in 2022. This is in part because national groups have compiled lists of books to be challenged rather than allowing books to be challenged on an individual basis; in 17 states, there were attempts to censor more than 100 books at once.

State laws are also causing books to be banned. According to PEN America, in 2024, 56 bills were introduced that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how K-12 teachers can discuss racism and sexism; seven of them became law and one was implemented via executive order. A number of these bills are modeled after Florida’s H.B. 1557, commonly known as the Don’t Say Gay Act. At least five of them apply to colleges and other higher education institutions. Legislatures are even attempting to criminally penalize librarians for providing certain books to minors.

How the Authors Guild Is Fighting Back

The Authors Guild believes that books should not be censored or banned. We challenge federal, state, and local attempts to censor or ban books through legal action, advocacy, and public education.

Join Us to Stop Book Banning

Getting involved in the fight against book banning is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Support Our Efforts

If you’re an Authors Guild member, your dues help support our ongoing advocacy. If you’re not a member, or you’d like to increase your support, our Freedom to Read Fund is a dedicated initiative to combat the escalating threats of book banning and censorship in schools, libraries, and public institutions.

2. Stay Informed

Our Protect the Freedom to Read one-pager has a list of actions authors can take when their own books or those of authors they know are challenged.

3. Write to Your School Board, Lawmakers, and Media Outlets

Letters are a powerful tool in the fight against censorship. Our Stop Book Bans Toolkit provides templates and information on how to contact your local school board, write to your state lawmakers, or submit a letter to the editor to your local newspaper or radio station.

Other Resources

• The Authors Guild Banned Books Club is a free virtual book club held on the Fable social reading app.
• The American Library Association has lists of frequently banned and challenged books as well as free infographics and statistics.
• The National Coalition Against Censorship has a list of resources for authors dealing with attacks on their creative output as writers.