Article
A Book Ban Action Guide for Authors
July 13, 2026
When your book is challenged or removed, it can feel sudden, personal, and disorienting. Many authors don’t know what to do next—or whether to speak publicly at all.
Book bans do not just affect individual books. Book bans affect authors’ livelihoods, what readers can access, and which stories are told. Many of the books targeted center people of color, LGBTQIA+ communities, and issues of identity, history, and belonging. Removing these groups’ stories can make their members feel “erased” and unwelcome in schools or other environments.
This toolkit is designed to help authors make informed decisions about how to respond to challenges targeting their books, protect their work, and take action if and when they’re ready.
The toolkit covers three areas:
It’s important to understand what is and is not a ban. Criticism, negative reviews, or disagreement with your work are part of public discourse—not censorship.
A book ban is the intentional removal or restriction of a book from any school, library, or bookstore because of its content, which has the effect of limiting access for readers. Legislation that requires such removals may also be referred to as a ban. If the removal is because of the views expressed in the book and the ban is conducted by a government entity, that ban may be unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful.
Note that a book can be subject to a ban and still be available elsewhere. Some common myths:
Preparing a response means you want to do what you do best as a writer: Collect your thoughts, document what is happening, clarify your intent, and ensure your book is accurately represented.
First, call your agent and publisher. They also have a stake in the ban and may be able to help. They may also know other authors who have faced this difficult situation.
As you gather information, try to get some clarity on:
Ask your publisher to submit your book to the Book Résumé Project, hosted by Unite Against Book Bans. This project collects and presents objective information about a book through its website. Providing your information is a proactive step that helps people defend your book from future challenges by clearly establishing its themes, purpose, and literary merit on the record.
Self-published authors of books that have been banned can reach out to Eric Stroshane at estroshane@ala.org and he will assist in this process.
If an appearance is canceled due to a ban, first review the terms of your agreement with the school. The cancelation may amount to a breach of your contract. If that’s the case, you may have grounds to negotiate some type of resolution or get some of the compensation you were expecting.
Next, get in touch with a local public library or independent bookstore. It is often possible to reschedule visits so students, parents, and community members can still attend outside the school. Publishers may also be able to help coordinate and support the event.
One final note: Do not censor yourself. The worst outcome of book banning is the chilling effect it creates—authors writing less freely, stories going untold. Try not to let it change what you write.
Connecting is about building support, strengthening your response, and making sure you’re not navigating this in isolation. A robust national network of authors, librarians, booksellers, and legal advocates has grown up around this issue—and they want to hear from you.
Your first calls should be to the organizations already fighting this fight. They may have talking points or other advice that can help in your situation. Sometimes they can send other authors to speak on your behalf, and they can help you understand your options.
Start here:
If you become aware of an organization in your community that is active in this area, please let us know so we can advise our members and update this list accordingly. The more people advocating for books and authors, the better.
If you are in the area and feel safe doing so, attend the school board meeting where your book is being discussed and make your case directly. Frequently banned author Ellen Hopkins has done this. Ta-Nehisi Coates sat silently at a school board meeting in South Carolina to support a teacher told to stop using his book on racism, and Laurie Halse Anderson spoke at a Central Bucks School District board meeting in Pennsylvania. No one can speak for your book better than you can; you can explain what the book is actually about and clarify any misunderstandings about the language or images that might be behind the challenge.
If you can, seek out sympathetic board members and engage with them one on one. Bringing supportive educators, librarians, and readers with you strengthens your presence and signals community support.
When you speak, consult the language of the “parental complaint” or “request for reconsideration” form on the district’s website. Addressing those criteria and the concerns expressed directly will carry more weight with the board than a general statement.
A practical note: Many books are removed because the challengers describe them (often incorrectly) as “obscene” or “pornographic.” While these terms are thrown around with abandon in many different ways these days (“food porn”, for example), they have specific legal meanings. Understanding the Miller test—a three-part legal standard that a work must meet to be considered legally obscene—can sharpen your argument. All three of the criteria (including that the work does not have artistic or literary merit) must be met for a work to be deemed obscene, and you can push back on any one of them. See below for the full legal framework.
If you want some examples of school board meetings, the documentary Banned Together features students, parents, and teachers speaking and sharing their stories. The documentary is free to screen on YouTube here.
One way to make your position known more broadly is to write a clear statement about your book and its purpose: why you wrote it, why the themes or scenes being objected to are important, why your book should not be considered obscene, and what you hope readers can take away from it.
If you have letters or accolades from young readers explaining what the book means to them, by all means include those as well. Patricia McCormick—author of Sold, about sexual trafficking in India—recently spoke about her experiences as a banned author. She said she had heard from young women who, after reading her book, felt free to express how they had themselves been sexually exploited; other authors have made similar statements about the impact of their works on younger readers.
You can send your statement to the school board or library board, advocacy organizations, and local media.
Here is a sample letter that JR and Vanessa Ford, authors of Calvin, sent to a Florida school board, as originally printed in the Aevitas Creative Management Book Banning 101 Author Toolkit:
Good Afternoon, We are the authors of Calvin — one of the books taken to task at your recent meeting. I’m writing today to let you know what it feels like to have something that represents your life, your family, your child and your experience, called horrendous and a danger to other children. Calvin is the opposite of that hatred. Calvin is the story of what happens when a child is affirmed and loved by the community that they live in. Calvin thrives and is happy. Isn’t that what we want for our children? Unfortunately, too many of our nation’s transgender and non-binary students are at risk of bullying, hatred and even worse death, because people like those sitting on this committee do not see them as human and are actively working to “suppress” their existence. As authors of Calvin, and parents to a transgender child, one of our goals was to humanize the experience these children go through as they explore who they are in this world and how they want to be seen. See Calvin. See our child. And then look in the mirror. Imagine parts of your identity being called dangerous or being suppressed. That is not freedom. That is un-American. The politicizing of our children at the expense of their safety and wellbeing has to stop. Our hope is that Calvin is able to find his way into the homes of people who need to hear his story, and we are thankful to those who can be there in person today to stand up for not only the books, but the books that represent children in Florida and nationwide who are under attack. Thank you so much to all here today to stand up for the freedom to read, tell stories and to support our trans and non-binary youth. We see you and thank you.
Good Afternoon,
We are the authors of Calvin — one of the books taken to task at your recent meeting. I’m writing today to let you know what it feels like to have something that represents your life, your family, your child and your experience, called horrendous and a danger to other children. Calvin is the opposite of that hatred. Calvin is the story of what happens when a child is affirmed and loved by the community that they live in. Calvin thrives and is happy. Isn’t that what we want for our children? Unfortunately, too many of our nation’s transgender and non-binary students are at risk of bullying, hatred and even worse death, because people like those sitting on this committee do not see them as human and are actively working to “suppress” their existence.
As authors of Calvin, and parents to a transgender child, one of our goals was to humanize the experience these children go through as they explore who they are in this world and how they want to be seen.
See Calvin. See our child. And then look in the mirror. Imagine parts of your identity being called dangerous or being suppressed. That is not freedom. That is un-American.
The politicizing of our children at the expense of their safety and wellbeing has to stop.
Our hope is that Calvin is able to find his way into the homes of people who need to hear his story, and we are thankful to those who can be there in person today to stand up for not only the books, but the books that represent children in Florida and nationwide who are under attack.
Thank you so much to all here today to stand up for the freedom to read, tell stories and to support our trans and non-binary youth. We see you and thank you.
A coordinated social media push can help boards and review committees stand up to book ban campaigns. Work with your publisher and advocacy partners on timing and messaging so your voices are amplified together. Also, reach out to and tag the following organizations when drawing attention to a ban:
*Social media handles courtesy of Philomena Polefrone, Advocacy Associate Manager, American Booksellers Association.
Whether you’re addressing a school board, speaking to the press, or posting on social media, preparation helps. Here is a five-step framework:
* Media training framework adapted from guidance developed by Lauren MacLeod, Aevitas Creative Management.
Letters and opinion pieces put your voice on the record and reach audiences beyond the school board room. Here are a few options:
Your publisher may also want to be involved in where and how a letter is placed or sent, so loop them in early.
Work with your agent and publisher to identify press opportunities and prepare your messaging. Some options to pursue:
Book bans are policy decisions, and policy decisions can be changed. You can play a role in this:
Not every author will want to, or even should, take every action listed here, and that’s legitimate. When deciding whether to fight a ban publicly, it’s worth thinking through:
Book bans are not just a cultural problem—they are frequently a legal one. Although schools have a good deal of leeway in deciding their curriculum and what books they make available, book bans may violate the First Amendment’s right to free speech. Understanding some of the legal arguments and principles involved can help you speak more confidently to school boards, work more effectively with attorneys, and know when a formal legal challenge may be worth pursuing.
Book bans frequently rely on mislabeling. Challenged books are often called “pornographic” or “obscene”—terms that are designed to alarm the listener, but which have specific legal definitions that most banned books do not meet.
While obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment, the bar for what is legally obscene is high and specific.
The Miller test, named for Miller v. California (1973), establishes standard for obscenity. For a work to be considered legally obscene, all three of the following criteria must be met:
What this means for you: If your book has serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value—and virtually every published book does—it is not legally obscene. A book may not be deemed obscene based on a single passage or excerpt under the Miller test and decades of subsequent case law; it must be evaluated as a whole, not by its most controversial statement or image. If your work is wrongfully challenged on the basis that it is obscene, you can argue back that it fails to meet the legal standard for obscenity.
Harmful to minors: Some states and localities may try to argue that while a work may not be legally obscene, it may still be “harmful to minors.” The standard for what may be considered harmful to minors can differ from the adult standard, and the government has somewhat more latitude to restrict content for younger age groups.
However, it is vital to remember that there is a difference between younger minors and older minors; books that are inappropriate for a 5-year-old may be entirely suitable for a 17-year-old. Courts have recognized this distinction, and it is one that you can and should mention to a school board—especially when your book is designed to appeal to older minors.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment also supports the right of students to read and be exposed to diverse ideas, which directly shapes what school districts can and cannot legally do when removing books.
In Board of Education v. Pico (1982), a school board on Long Island had removed from school library shelves books it labeled “anti-American” and “just plain filthy”—targeting titles including Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut), Black Boy (Richard Wright), A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich (Alice Childress), and The Best Short Stories of Negro Writers (Langston Hughes). Many of these same titles still face bans today.
In deciding this case, the Supreme Court found that:
Like a number of other legal principles, those set out in Pico are under attack—but that doesn’t mean we should let them go without a fight.
What this means for you: If your book is being removed because it features LGBTQIA+ characters, centers the experiences of people of color, or explores ideas a board finds politically objectionable, that removal is on constitutionally vulnerable ground. A board can make legitimate decisions about curriculum and age-appropriateness, but it cannot weaponize those decisions to suppress ideas or identities it dislikes.
You are not the first person to go through this. Here are some examples of authors who faced bans and found ways to push back effectively.
This case study is drawn from an interview with Toluse Olorunnipa conducted by Sam Babiak at Aevitas Creative Management.
In 2023, Toluse Olorunnipa and his co-author Robert Samuels were scheduled to visit a high school in Tennessee to discuss their book, His Name Is George Floyd. Days before the visit, they learned from a reporter that it had been banned. When they contacted the school, they were told they couldn’t read from the book or distribute it to students.
They went ahead with the event anyway. With support from their publisher, Viking, and their employer, The Washington Post, they partnered with a nonprofit to distribute free copies to students at a local mall.
Toluse’s advice to other authors: Get as much information as early as possible: why the book is being banned, who is doing the banning, how it will affect you, and who you can contact to push back. Then build a team. Reach out to your agent and publisher and develop a strategy together.
On amplification, Toluse noted that because he and Robert were established journalists, they had platforms to use. Not every author does—which is exactly why organizations like Authors Against Book Bans exist. His broader message:
“Don’t just accept the impact of a book ban. You can reverse it, you can push back against it, you can use it to your own advantage. The ultimate goal is to get the book in front of more people and sometimes you can even use the ban to do that. And I would say, don’t allow [a ban] to take place without speaking out, without taking action, without being proactive using this toolkit and the other tools that might be available to push back. Be your own advocate because no one else is going to fight for your book the way you do.”
After a poem by Amanda Gorman was restricted in a Miami-Dade County school, a local independent bookstore organized a campaign to make it and other restricted books available to students and parents for free—turning the ban into a community reading event and a news story.
This is a model worth noting: Local booksellers and libraries can be powerful partners, both in getting books into readers’ hands and in generating the kind of attention that puts pressure on decision-makers.
A note on the “Streisand Effect”: Efforts to ban books can generate publicity and, in some cases, stronger sales. But the sheer volume of books being banned today makes it difficult to organize a campaign around each one, and bans still carry real emotional, professional, and commercial costs for authors. Many young adult books and children’s book authors make a good portion of their income from school visits, and if these are cancelled (or simply not booked), the authors still lose. The goal is not to hope a ban helps you. The goal is to be proactive, stay connected, and fight back.
