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Re: Winding Down the February Discussion
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From: srhf92_at_hampshire.edu
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 12:53:59 -0500
Malinda, thank you so much for this post, which I'm sharing with several other writer friends who've also faced similar experiences.
I also just wanted to say before the conversation is completely closed-- I hope people sharing the list of action items feel free to continue to make adjustments and additions based on points and concerns and information people have shared. It wasn't meant at all to be any kind of final statement, but just a continuation of the conversation. (And again, is definitely not mine!)
Thanks to everyone again, Sarah
From: Diversity in YA <diversityinya_at_gmail.com> Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 08:05:39 -0800
Ilene Wong wrote:
As an Asian-American author whose first book was turned down by three
> separate editors because "it was too similar to another book [with
> an Asian-American main character] on their list," this topic is near
> and dear to my heart. I've had a couple of writer friends have
> similar difficulties selling their novels with POC characters, and
> one of them was frustrated to the point where she said "from now on
> I'm writing about white people." I'm sure she was to some extent
> joking, but even in retrospect the words make me uneasy, because in
> a way I chose to do just that with my second book, which tackles
> gender diversity rather than racial/ethnic diversity. My WIP does
> have a POC main character, but I go into that project with a sense
> that I need to do better job of differentiating my story from
> "similar titles" this time around.
Ilene, and everyone, I know we're wrapping this up and I'm sorry to jump in on the tail end, but I just wanted to say: Don't give up! Ilene, this has happened to basically every author I know who is writing about POC or LGBT characters. Every author. We've all faced hurdles at various steps along the way, in which sales departments do indeed say "no" even when editorial wants to say yes; in which we're asked to whitewash characters or conversely to make them more exotic; in which the very presence of gay characters makes the books unsellable.
(For example, so far I've been fortunate in the US market, but there's no way my books will sell in certain foreign markets. Foreign sales have long been a significant portion of a writer's income, and giving that up is no small shakes, plus I'd guess it contributes to lower US advances when US houses know they're not getting foreign sales out of it either.)
I've noticed many times that books about POC characters or LGBT characters are compared to what's out there and if they're "too similar" they're rejected or dismissed. Of course, we can have dozens of summer romances about white girls in a beach town, but two books about a black kid in Boston are "too similar."
Every major publisher publishes diverse fiction, at least a few a season. The few that get through have to be better, in my opinion, than the dozens of non-diverse titles also acquired. This is a burden that is punishing on authors' careers, which shuts down many promising writers just as they're getting their feet wet, and which limits the diversity we're fighting for. I want to be clear that I'm not talking only about my own experience, which has largely been positive; I'm talking about the experiences of many authors I know who are also writing about diverse characters. This month of discussion may be over, but this battle is clearly far from over in the real world.
So, Ilene (and everyone): don't give up. :)
Malinda Lo Co-Founder, Diversity in YA
www.diversityinya.com Diversity in YA - Puttin' a little diversity in ya since 2011.
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password: Look4Posts Received on Mon 03 Mar 2014 12:09:41 PM CST
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 12:53:59 -0500
Malinda, thank you so much for this post, which I'm sharing with several other writer friends who've also faced similar experiences.
I also just wanted to say before the conversation is completely closed-- I hope people sharing the list of action items feel free to continue to make adjustments and additions based on points and concerns and information people have shared. It wasn't meant at all to be any kind of final statement, but just a continuation of the conversation. (And again, is definitely not mine!)
Thanks to everyone again, Sarah
From: Diversity in YA <diversityinya_at_gmail.com> Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 08:05:39 -0800
Ilene Wong wrote:
As an Asian-American author whose first book was turned down by three
> separate editors because "it was too similar to another book [with
> an Asian-American main character] on their list," this topic is near
> and dear to my heart. I've had a couple of writer friends have
> similar difficulties selling their novels with POC characters, and
> one of them was frustrated to the point where she said "from now on
> I'm writing about white people." I'm sure she was to some extent
> joking, but even in retrospect the words make me uneasy, because in
> a way I chose to do just that with my second book, which tackles
> gender diversity rather than racial/ethnic diversity. My WIP does
> have a POC main character, but I go into that project with a sense
> that I need to do better job of differentiating my story from
> "similar titles" this time around.
Ilene, and everyone, I know we're wrapping this up and I'm sorry to jump in on the tail end, but I just wanted to say: Don't give up! Ilene, this has happened to basically every author I know who is writing about POC or LGBT characters. Every author. We've all faced hurdles at various steps along the way, in which sales departments do indeed say "no" even when editorial wants to say yes; in which we're asked to whitewash characters or conversely to make them more exotic; in which the very presence of gay characters makes the books unsellable.
(For example, so far I've been fortunate in the US market, but there's no way my books will sell in certain foreign markets. Foreign sales have long been a significant portion of a writer's income, and giving that up is no small shakes, plus I'd guess it contributes to lower US advances when US houses know they're not getting foreign sales out of it either.)
I've noticed many times that books about POC characters or LGBT characters are compared to what's out there and if they're "too similar" they're rejected or dismissed. Of course, we can have dozens of summer romances about white girls in a beach town, but two books about a black kid in Boston are "too similar."
Every major publisher publishes diverse fiction, at least a few a season. The few that get through have to be better, in my opinion, than the dozens of non-diverse titles also acquired. This is a burden that is punishing on authors' careers, which shuts down many promising writers just as they're getting their feet wet, and which limits the diversity we're fighting for. I want to be clear that I'm not talking only about my own experience, which has largely been positive; I'm talking about the experiences of many authors I know who are also writing about diverse characters. This month of discussion may be over, but this battle is clearly far from over in the real world.
So, Ilene (and everyone): don't give up. :)
Malinda Lo Co-Founder, Diversity in YA
www.diversityinya.com Diversity in YA - Puttin' a little diversity in ya since 2011.
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password: Look4Posts Received on Mon 03 Mar 2014 12:09:41 PM CST
