Meet Writer & Publisher Delvin Howell (Part 2)

Hello {{ first name | friends}},

Welcome to part two of the interview with Barbadian writer and publisher Delvin Howell. In part one, Delvin talked about how he became a writer, and his choice to move beyond struggle stories and show Barbadian protagonists as heroes and more. Ready to dive in?

The response has been positive. People are often surprised at the approaches I take to certain ideas. Whether it is the reimagining of Bajan (Barbadian) folklore characters in a fantasy setting, the intricate fight scenes that I weave using them, or the novel approach to things that should not work on paper, it is always exciting for the audience.

I’m especially happy with my prose, being smooth to read but also poetic or visceral when it needs to be. I admit I wasn’t comfortable with my writing for quite some time. Despite the accolades I received when I first started, I always consider myself a student of the form. With my progress having tangible results to the reader, I am excited to see my style evolve as I continue learning and improving.

Beyond Publishing Caribbean was formed due to our established relationship as comic creators in Barbados. It made more sense to pool our resources and come under one banner as opposed to try to operate separately. This allowed us to reach a larger audience and have more of an impact when it came to our roster of titles.

We also had more control of the stories we want to tell. Not beholden to established brands and labels, we could focus on the ideas that we were passionate about and the execution of said stories. [Editor's note: a great point, which is why I advocate for self-publishing.]

As for prose, it seemed natural to expand to different products and mediums as the publisher grew. There was also the added landscape of traditional publishing when it came to fantasy novels and Caribbean novels at the time. There is an established presentation when it came to those genres and it clashed with the way I wanted the Offset novels to look. To coincide with the comic series, I opted to add illustrations to capture key moments in the story in cinematic ways throughout the book. This was something that was not explored in the traditional space, and it is still limited to this day, at least in the Western hemisphere.

The biggest challenge right now is distribution. We have natural limitations being in the Caribbean when it comes to shipping and it is limiting how quickly we can scale. We have adjusted our business models to suit, but it is still a tall task in expanding our reach.

As for successes, Beyond Publishing has released 11 titles across multiple genres such as fantasy, science fiction, crime drama, horror and adventure. We have won several awards from the Caribbean Advertising Federation in publication, illustration and book design, along with collaborations with the National Cultural Foundation, U.S. Embassy and with international publishers such as Wise Acre Comics and Megascope Books (an imprint of Abrams Publishing).

We are currently working on a project with UNESCO through their Creative Caribbean grant initiative that seeks to encourage financial literacy and entrepreneurship in readers. The comic series called Loose Change is seeking to launch in August 2025, and I am excited to share this one with the world.

Stories from the African diaspora about the Black experience are still largely unexplored. At the base level, I prefer to see stories that come from the source cultures rather than appropriated by someone else. I make an effort to check out any books, comics, films etc from unique regions when I have a chance because I believe they have a more authentic point of view that wouldn’t be reached from the outside.

In the speculative fiction space, Black creators have been making strides whether there are based in the U.S or U.K or coming from African countries themselves. While this is fantastic, I believe the Caribbean has much to add to that conversation. Our unique history, character and setting allows for massive narrative opportunities. Especially, since the Caribbean is a melting pot of sorts for various other cultures.

I would like to see established industries around the literary medium in the Caribbean. Despite the strides made from organisations such as Bocas Lit Fest, Frank Collymore Endowment and many others, I still think we should have more tangible environments to encourage creators to publish their work.

For example, it is difficult to find professional editors, literary agents and book designers within the Caribbean market. I am sure they exist but there is no Writer’s Digest for the Caribbean that a new author can use to shop or improve their manuscript. Regional printing presses also do not have a print-on-demand model which can force new writers into massive print runs that will be a challenge to sell.

There is also a certain look and feel people have for Caribbean stories in the literary space. It is often rustic or abstract in their presentation, with grass-roots narratives. Some of these books are favourites of mine. However, I do think there is room to present the Caribbean in cinematic ways without sacrificing our identity to do so. It is my hope that through my series, as it grows more readers and upcoming authors would begin to reimagine the Caribbean in a different light.

I know that for comics and even animation/film, Caribbean storytellers have been trying to shift towards this trend. There is hope for the future, for sure.

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This may be a controversial take, but I believe that the best way to tackle racism is to create empathy without guilting people who look like our oppressors. I have seen many stories that are combative against certain groups, and I understand why and the need for this. I even enjoy those type of stories from time to time. But they can have an alienating effect. I would like people to see people as human beings. The colour of our skin or our background does not diminish the human experience that we have, and stories are a powerful vehicle to show that human experience.

The best-case scenario is that people see the African Diaspora as being cool, without wanting to gentrify it (for lack of a better term). I have seen this in Hip Hop culture which is the most dominant in music right now. Despite it not being limited to the African-American demographic anymore, it is still a cultural leader in that space, without keeping out anyone else who may not be in that demographic. People look up to Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, etc., across the world without insisting that rappers' music to be repurposed through a rapper of another “race”. I would like stories to happen the same way and I believe we are nearly there as the world opens up its access to global content.

Thank you, Delvin. Folx, if you want to see something new from the Caribbean, please feel free to connect with Delvin on the Offset Series and Beyond Publishing Caribbean websites, and on Instagram at @offsetcomic, @beyondpublishingcaribbean and @loosechangecomic.

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

Note: poll feedback is private - if you’re happy to share your thoughts in public, then please also leave a comment.

I am an anti-racism educator and activist, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. This newsletter is published on beehiiv (affiliate link).

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2025. All Rights Reserved.