"Do I owe publishers full disclosure about my identity?"

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Just letting you guys know that I'm reading all of these very thoughtful comments, but holding off on responding because 1. I've got a few more deadlines I'm desperately trying to hit 2. I could write a book to each of you in response lol 3. I want to save it for the video. But THANK YOU for sharing all of these thoughts!!

[@ejrhyker5725]

That question is absolutely heartbreaking. When I was querying literary agents, I got rejections essentially because I'm not the 'right kind' of author from a minority background. I'm black, female and very disabled. A few agents told me that there was no market for my kind of characters. Reading between the lines, I got the impression that the nature of my disability (seizures, occasional paralysis, cognitive issues) is alienating. Even though some of these agents could swallow their discomfort, because I don't want my personal medical history (near death experiences) used as a marketing ploy, that's when I became 'unmarketable'. My agent was mortified when I told her. I personally believe that publishing was convenient diversity: stories that are on the surface diverse but not deep enough to cause the majority white publishing infrastructure discomfort. It is an unfortunate reality, made worse by the fact that minority authors don't get the best marketing support. Publishing is happy to promote a few and praise themselves from putting in the effort. This will be an issue as long as there are people in publishing who don't want to be challenged or see the world through different eyes. For context, I live in the UK and queried US and UK agents. Our situation on the ground is nothing like the US. Since the US is the biggest market, we are digesting issues not reflective of our reality. I wish we lived in a world where the content of the story mattered more than the author. If someone has taken the time and done the research to write these beautiful stories in a sensitive and caring manner it's better than no story. Just because people may be in the minority, doesn't mean they no longer exist.

[@ThisMagicHouse]

Publishers are dumping the diversity issue onto authors because they are not diverse themselves. If they had people from diverse backgrounds reading the books and able to recognize authenticity, they would not need authors to disclose their backgrounds if they do not want to. A lot of the controversy over the past few years that has lead to the "own stories" push (which started out with very good intentions but often turns toxic) was because of books like 'American Dirt' - about Mexican migrants and written by a white woman. When Mexicans who had immigrated to the US read it, they noted how weird some of the characterizations were. Because there was no diversity in the publishing process for the book, they were blindsided by the backlash. I would argue that if someone can write a character who is not like themselves in a way that people who *do* have that lived experience feel is authentic, then there is no problem. The problem comes when people write about other experiences in an inauthentic way that ends up harming the community presented. And for that to be determined requires a diverse staff at publishing houses.

[@Jennifer-fl8tv]

For me it depends on the type of book. Yes, authors should be able to write with all sorts of characters and relationships and identities. As an asexual individual, I will basically have to write outside my lane as romantic subplots are basically a requirement in the fantasy genre that I want to write in. But, for me, the line is that if you are specifically writing a book that explores what it means to be a member of that marginalized community then you should be able to claim that identity. Example: I am a white, asexual female who believes that it is okay for me to write a book where a pov character is a black gay man but I also believe that I am not the person to write a book exploring what it means to come out and live in the world (real or fantasy) as a black gay man.

[@CR-qg4xz]

As a Queer author, I'm not happy that 'LGBT' is now trending in publishing because of how it's trending. I'm pleased that publishing is becoming more open to our stories, but I'm not happy that they are forcing us out of the closet to tell our stories by contributing to the commodification of identity. Publishing has taken identities that do not belong to them and made them trends. At some point, they are going to have to accept that and actually dismantle the system they continue to perpetuate as well as actually put BIPOC, Jewish, Queer, neurodivergent, and disabled people in positions of higher power . It's very upsetting to be Queer and neurodivergent and see a cishet agent say 'I'm only accepting authentic stories!!!' Who is this agent to judge my authenticity? I would never, in a million years, do this to them. And that is something that agents are going to have to reconcile with: they are not good judges of what kind of stories need to be told for communities they are not a part of. The only thing they can be a judge of is if they, personally, want to read that story. And, fine if they don't. No skin off my nose no matter how frustrating it is. But that's the key difference: they are in a position of power and they have to recognize it and decide if they are willing to push themselves further and give a chance to tropes or ideas that they might not be initially interested in and be open to having their minds changed or they can stick with what they like, but also stop with this authenticity stuff. They are not good judges of it. I have a problem with the cost of sensitivity readers being pushed onto authors. Times have changed; publishing needs to start hiring freelancer sensitivity readers, pay them properly, and take on the monetary burden if they are actually committed to doing the right thing. It's going to make it even harder for authors who don't come from wealth to get published. Telling a cishet author that they just shouldn't be writing Queer characters isn't the right answer because, as a Queer person, cishet people have a responsibility to actually learn and do better and take in our stories and how we want them to be told and then write Queer characters so Queerness is always present on the shelf even if it's not marketed as a Queer book. I also say this as a neurodivergent author and I have heard this from my friends of color as well. Identity stories is not the same thing as the MC being of an identity and we need to have stories where our identities are normalized, too. Identity shouldn't be a trend; it should always be on the shelf and being published. Asian fantasy and Black sci-fi and Demisexual romance and Autistic thriller should be constantly pushed out because the writing is good and the story is good. And maybe we're in a period where we have to do this to get there. I don't know. Maybe this is growing pains before we get to the ideal; but even if it is, it sucks in the moment. And this goes further because agents and editors and publishing as a whole has been picking and choosing the tropes that they like. Last year, every single call from publishing that I saw for Sapphic historical romance was 'older lesbian convinces younger lesbian' and some of it was leaning into the predatory lesbian trope. That really isn't OK. It's one thing to have a trope you like; it's another to pigeonhole an entire identity to one or two tropes and not giving us room to tell other stories. We are the judges of the stories that we need now and we needed before, not someone outside of our community. And I think a lot of this would be moving faster and smoother if, at every turn, publishing didn't keep putting in white cishet people in senior positions and other positions of power. I'm very happy that there have been reports of a handful of BIPOC acquiring editors and there has been a growth of Queer agents, but it's not enough. It's not going to be enough until publishing is as diverse on a corporate level as it claims it wants the stories it pushes out to be. Furthermore, there still isn't really a push for disabled or neurodivergent authors. Still. After all of these conversations around Autism and ADHD and PTSD and mental health post-Covid, we're still not being uplifted in the ways that we could be. Publishing wants ALL of us on social media and I think they are aware that they are going to get pushback from neurodivergent and disabled authors and aren't ready to deal with that. Marketing, in general, needs to fall back on the publisher. They have to start taking that responsibility back and start holding the hands of all of their new authors that need it instead of only the ones they pay big money for. Heck, I would even take a buddy system where more senior authors at the imprint or house are paired with brand new authors to help them how to navigate the world as an author and publishing makes those pairings. I've heard that editors want to give more money to books that they know might be quiet. I've seen the tweets. I know Amazon is partially to blame for this. It doesn't mean I don't still think something has to give and they have to start reducing the pair of their senior officials to actually uplift marginalized creators in terms of marketing beyond a handful of us a year. And the quota thing has to go and replaced with a 'at minimum, this is how many Queer books we have to publish a year.' I'm tired of seeing Jewish authors being told that the imprint already has a Jewish book for the season. They deserve shelf-space, too.

[@riversong9541]

Preach! I'm sick and tired of publishing only wanting queer stories they can neatly package for the pride month or Black stories then can sell for Black History Month, or POC people only existing in stories about racism or in some tourist destination version of their culture (look at "Asian Fantasy" as a whole). In some genres it's getting better, in some authors are still asked "is there a plot reason you made your protagonist this race?" There doesn't need to be "plot reason" to be straight, white, or any other dominant majority. It annoys me every time I see things like the recent London Fair saying that "LGBTQ stories are trending" or "we want queer joy". Don't turn people into a trend. It's also sad when we have some marginalizations that aren't trendy or flashy. Especially stories about disability, chronic illness, mental illness and neurodivergence aren't something you can drown in rainbows and hang on a flag. Therefore we're not "marketable". There's also a lot of stereotypes how ND authors are "hard to work with" or "need special accommodations" and how ND characters are "not relatable" or "hard to connect to".

[@CR-qg4xz]

@@riversong9541 The Queer joy thing is incredibly frustrating. Do I want Queer joy on shelves? Yes, yes I do. Do I want cishet people to be calling for it? Well, yes and no. I want them to call for a diversity in our stories; I want Queer joy AND Queer trauma on the shelves. I want MCs who are Queer where their Queerness only plays a part in who their romantic interest is or what pronouns we use for them. I want Queernorm worlds that are actually Queernorm, not just straight but sometimes two men are holding hands. I want Queer people to exist in stories about trauma that has nothing to do with Queerness. The only real answer to solving any of this is more representation for all marginalized identities, across all genres and age categories. I think litfic is very much still dominated by cishet white women. We could absolutely use more Pacific Islander authors in that space. Fantasy still doesn't give a lot of attention to Indigenous or Pacific Islander authors, either. Asexuality is, last time I checked, pretty much nonexistent across the board. Publishing wants our stories because they know the market is hungry for it and I can accept that we all live under capitalism and agents and editors, individually, can only do so much and they believe that they are doing the right thing. But I want all of them to read the Vox article on Isabel Fall and remember that they need to not only uplift us for profit, they need to stand behind us and push for a variety of our stories. The way I, as a Bi Enby, experience the world isn't the same as the way another Bi Enby might. Not everyone connected with Fall's story (I personally did), and she got so much hate for, what was essentially, an act of reclamation. The people who attacked her believed they were doing the right thing and they destroyed a woman's life because of it. Clarkesworld did the right thing and stood behind Fall and only took the story down because she requested it. I hope publishing took note because, as more and more Queer people get published, there are absolutely going to be those of us who do not want to openly come out and there will be people in our community who don't connect with our stories because no community is a monolith. I pray that publishing doesn't sacrifice us for profit and abandon us when we're no longer a trend or shiny and new.

[@DaisyXMachina]

I definitely know some trans people who get angry at non-trans authors writing about a trans MC (i.e., they’re taking the slot of a real trans author as though there is a quota of those types of books that can be published-but maybe that’s true?). I’ve also read books by cis heterosexual women about gay men who didn’t seem remotely realistically gay (but perhaps those books weren’t for gay men to begin with?). Many people say they want diversity in books, but I feel for authors who include a diverse cast but are knocked for not perfectly representing one of those cast members. In trad pub, money should flow to the author (or so we’re told), so it doesn’t seem right that the author has to pay out-of-pocket for sensitivity readers but will publishers pay for them? (Just curious.) I question myself as an Asian writer whether my MC’s can only ever be Asian (or default to white). Personally, I think it depends on the book. I’d personally prefer to read about the Asian experience by an Asian author, but if a book with an Asian MC isn’t about the Asian experience (but a fantasy or mystery or whatever), then it doesn’t even occur to me to consider the race of the author. I feel wishy-washy as I think about all this, but I guess that’s why it’s such a tough question!

[@riversong9541]

There's a sense of worry especially among authors with ND (autism, adhd, etc.), mental health issues, chronic illness or disabilities that disclosing these will cause subconscious biases to emerge, stigmatize them, make agents and editors / publishers consider it a downside ("won't meet deadlines", "will need special accommodations that are too much trouble", "will have problems communicating", "won't attend events") so it's gonna be shooting yourself in the foot to disclose and lowering your chances. Basically, will publishing weaponize people's marginalizations against them when disclosed?

[@Sue-pn7mq]

This is such a great video topic. I stopped querying after only sending a couple of letters because of this reason. Not knowing how to handle it made my queries stiff and impersonal. There was just no way to feel comfortable with the amount of disclosure needed about my personal life and I also struggled with the lack of opportunity to explain what I was pitching in the required format. I found someone to represent me in my own circle and if it works out we want to do this for others in the same situation. I once wrote a pitch that makes me feel icky to this day, more than a year later, and I never even received a reply while they asked for more personal details than even many members of my family are having.

[@cynthiaking5308]

My daughter is dyslexic. In grade school, the resource teacher showed her a series, I want to say the Pony Girls Club but that's probably wrong, but one of the three girls was dyslexic. My kid was afraid to read, she knew she didn't ‘get it’ and didn't want to add to her pile of failures, but when she found something with a character that resembled her, she was interested enough to try. By high school, the gap had closed enough she no longer qualified for resource. She had a college professor tell her ‘she thought weird’ but instead of internalizing it she told him he taught weird. She’s an adult now, and she’s not afraid to fail. Having those books at that age were a Godsend.

[@jazzminewillis4724]

Thanks!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thank you so much, Jazzmen!! :)

[@Avionne_Parris]

I'm gonna hold my opinion until the video comes out, Michelle but that's such a good question! I write mixed raced protagonists in Caribbeanesque settings because I'm a mixed raced author living in the Caribbean. My romance plots are interracial because that's what I know; that's what I grew up with. An interracial bond literally gave me life! Anyways, before I rant any further, congrats on the new video, the new livestream simulcast format (I had a blast!) and sending your draft to your editor. Have a great week / weekend, Michelle! Hi Rosa :-)

[@tanyabc]

I feel like the letter writer is talking about two different things. You're allowed to disclose whatever you want to disclose. But I'd have her really examine why she's hesitant to disclose that she's a cisgender woman. In the bio statement it's as easy as saying "I'm a cisgender woman living in xyz." By the nature of her book, people looking for representation are going to assume she's trans. They just are, it's human nature. If she wants to get ahead of that, she might want to consider disclosing. Criticism may come from it, but actual harm likely won't come from disclosing you're cisgender. And I think all authors should be able to take criticism of their work / ideas. If she's not disclosing because being cis may not sell her book, that feels less awesome. As for her second issue, is she the right person to tell this story? She's the one who came up with the story, so yes. Ashley at Bookish Realm did a great video on the topic, with supplemental articles, that gave me food for thought. I'm a black bisexual woman, but I have people from other marginalized identities in my book. Basically what I took away from the video and articles was that if you have a real reason (either personal or story-driven) for the characters maintaining those identifies and its not just pasting an identity on for diversity's sake, then you'll be fine. Be open and honest and willing to take criticism and feedback and its NBD. I have a writer friend that uses this question as an excuse to self-reject, to not put her story out there and query. Please tell the letter writer to still move forward with her book. I really don't think the writers who are aware or concerned about these issues are the issue in publishing. Ashley's video + the articles linked honestly put everything to bed for me: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZjMaoCupbR1rMk

[@hunterhatfield7157]

The forced outing of personal characteristics is important and needs to stop. On the other hand... just because we don't see someone writing a story out there doesn't mean the stories aren't being written. To take the example from the email, there ARE trans women writing novels; but they are not getting that many novels PUBLISHED. If publishers treat certain identities as "we've already done that this year", then it is unfortunately true that a person NOT of the identity has taken the place of a person of the identity. Of course, the real solution is for publishing to change, but if they haven't what do you do? I've never known. There's just soooo many issues in this and this comment can't be a dissertation. Main point: not seeing does not equal not existing.

[@louisaglancy3394]

Really looking forward to next weeks' video on this important subject Michelle. The person who emailed you, and was brave enough to raise this question deserves our thanks. I am just watching a webinar to launch an award for new writers for children over here in the UK, and the very nice people with really good intentions running it, have just said that those submitting an entry should briefly outline their 'lived experience;' with regard to what they are writing about. I'm not sure anyone is properly thinking through the consequences of asking writers to do this. I think it's deeply problematic.

[@MT-lk7qt]

As a queer person I absolutely understand the need for stories about marginalized identities being written by people with the lived experience, but disclosure of sensitive information should not be a barrier for entry in an industry that already treats marginalized authors like shit. Ownvoices got weaponized to hell, which is so frustrating. I care much more about the angle an author chooses to approach a queer character from than what they identify as. Willingness to deconstruct bias is key, no matter which perspective you're building a story from. (Obligatory disclaimer that I'm a white queer person and I don't pretend to be the expert and arbiter of all Real Queer Experiences. These are just my thoughts.)

[@CaitlinAsche]

Thanks for always touching on the important topics in a respectful way. As I'm currently querying, this is something I debated including in my query letter. I ended up going with: "As a part of the LGBT+ community myself, I hope to have representation in all of my stories." It's not too specific, but hints at it. I feel comfortable sharing that part of me. Not everyone does. Yet I felt I had to include it because of that pressure. It's a great topic to explore and I look forward to the video about it!

[@JoeyPaulOnline]

I'm not trad pub so I don't think my thoughts will help in that regard, but i do feel like it shouldn't matter and you shouldn't have to disclose things about yourself, especially with the laws and such that make it unsafe! Look forward to next week's video!

[@lexhasgoats5106]

I can't speak for the professional side of things, only my personal opinion, and I will freely admit I'm just your basic white cisfemale and probably don't have authority to speak on these matters, but I'm glad that you're bringing this up because continuing the conversation and hearing more voices is the only way we'll keep moving forward as a society. While I understand the argument against publishing books with perspectives from identities that aren't yours (i.e., a white author publishing a book about a culture that isn't theirs overshadowing another author who belongs to that culture), it also doesn't account for a lot of the nuances in each situation. If we continue with this example (which could apply to gender/sexual identities as well), what if the white author is very passionate about that culture and did everything possible in their power to portray it respectfully? What if they married into that culture or have kids in that culture and want to write that story as a love letter to those they care about? And if all of these offer permission to writing identities that aren't your own, how does this feed into the ignorance society still has of minority groups? How are we supposed to stop drowning out the voices of others and let them tell their own stories? I don't think there's any one-size-fits-all answer to this. They say "write what you know" but writing what we DON'T know is how we learn, and we all need more diverse books to read so we can keep learning and growing and having these conversations. It seems like no matter what you do, you'll face criticism. No one culture or identity is a monolith and everyone has a different opinion both inside and outside every minority. People will disagree. All you can do is be true to yourself, respectful of others, and tell a good story. Long story short, I don't think that anyone should ever be required to disclose their identity, and I wish I had more insight on the publishing side and would be interested to hear any other responses. I wish whoever wrote this email the best of luck in their endeavors.

[@Splendicity]

I feel the same about the book I'm working on. Conflicted, but resolved to write the story in my heart. The idea of someone outing themselves before they're ready just to make their story more palatable to publishers and editors feels very wrong, especially given that it might not be safe for them to do so. As for writing a marginalized character who represents a group that I am not a part of, I try to accept that I won't please everyone, and that some might take offense. I think you need to have a balance of humility and confidence. Be prepared to dismiss condemnation from people who are judging you unfairly, but also be willing to listen and take responsibility if you caused any real harm, even if unintentionally. Sensitivity readers can help with that, I bet. Great channel though! Subscribing.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Been hoping you would make a video about this, because I've been noticing more and more agents that I have been considering querying have grown more and more specific about who they want to work with and what book they want to see. They want trans characters even though that's not necessarily everyone's thing. They want #OwnVoice novels even though there are plenty of great novels and movies and shows that depict very rich and nuanced characters that aren't the same identity as the creators themselves. For context I've been working on novels and short stories about female Native American, often religious or at least spiritual characters, but these agents I look up, they're not interested in Natives at all. They all just want black or trans or both, and one even demanded a book that is against "established religion".

[@nothing-to-see-here-3c]

I don't usually comment on videos, but I have a couple of thoughts on the questions that were sent. I apologize in advance for how uncomfortable the beginning of this message is going to be. I am going to be blunt, but I need to get this out of the way. Frankly, if you can't get through the beginning of this comment then I don't think you should be quering this book because your ego might be too involved, and when you're dealing with writing people outside of yourself, it's best if your ego is kept to a minimum. I'm putting passion into my response because I think the emailer is someone who is willing to listen (as is whoever decides to continue reading this comment). I find the statement "but nobody else is writing it" infuriating. How do you know that? How do you know there isn't a single bisexual transwoman out there who is writing the same story as you? Maybe it only looks that way because someone of that identity hasn't had the chance to publish that book yet. I find the implications of that comment to be a touch egostical, and I'm being blunt because, as I stated previously, keeping the ego to a minimum will be best in this situation. It'll be much easier to figure out what to do with this story once you take yourself out of it. I'll cut some slack on (but still point out) the "what about my comfort?" vibes coming off the questions from the first paragraph of the screenshot since I agree that those are important questions to ask oneself (I'm sorry for sounding pretentious, but I really don't know how else to phrase that ;-;). But I don't think that's the most important question to ask in this situation. From the looks of the screenshot, it seems like this was taken from the end of the email this person sent, so perhaps the emailer already talked about what I'm going to discuss which is "Am I really the best person to tell this story?" It's a fantastic question, and I hope that every writer asks themself this when creating their work. So, what if there is a bisexual transwoman who is writing a similar story to yours? What if there is /anyone/ of the marginalization you're trying to represent writing a similar story to yours? Should you just give up? There's no place for your book to belong? You shouldn't bother writing or quering it? I don't think so. Personally, I find the whole sentiment of "nothing is original, why bother even trying?" idiotic. (I promise this is related.) If you give a group of ten writers the same message to have in their book, they're going to write ten different books. And the glorious thing about that is those ten different books will resonate with readers to varying degrees. Maybe a reader won't see that message in the first or second or third book that they read from this set of novels, but it's the fourth book that they read where that message finally sinks in. All of those previous books were necessary to read, they were all sowing seeds for the message to bloom and be understood. Who knows, maybe for one reader, it's a book they hate that will make the message sink in! It alleviates a lot of pressure to get things right and make it palatable for the widest possible audience. Your only responsibility will be to do /your/ best to communicate the message you want. So, so what if someone of a marginalization you're trying to represent is writing a story similar to yours? Are you /really/ the best person to write this book if that's the case? That depends. Do you really need to be the best person to write this book? Not every book needs to be a paragon of perfection. In fact, none of them can. But that doesn't mean we can't try our best to make the best product we can. In that case ask yourself: What do you bring to this story? In this instance, maybe the emailer can't speak much to the transwoman experience, but she can speak to her experiences as a bisexual woman (while keeping in mind that as a transwoman things might be different and to do research and hire sensitivity readers). Maybe the characters of both authors have the same hobby, like playing video games, but the emailer has a lot more experience with video games and is more familiar with that culture. This doesn't mean that the bisexual transwoman shouldn't write her book (I don't think any of us are stupid enough to believe that); it just means that both books are going to be different and appealing in different ways. :) Like if you fail miserably at representing transwoman, people who hate transpeople might love your book! (And maybe don't try to intentionally appeal to them!) Ultimately, I think it's best to focus on the similarities you have with your characters by highlighting them and doing due diligence for your differences. Finally, I offer resources. I think anyone who shares the emailer's concerns should read the article "How Not to Be All About What It's Not All About: Further Thoughts on Writing About Someone Else's Culture and Experience" by Nisi Shawl on tor. There are several strategies that Shawl recommends in order to figure out what to do with a story where you're not sure if you're the right person to write it. I apologize for recommending another KZbin channel, but Bookish Realm's video "Should White Authors Write About BIPOC Experiences?" is also insightful along with the articles linked in its description. I realize that this question is pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ community, but I think the insights shared in that video are useful for anyone trying to include people outside of their communities in their story. I would link to everything I've mentioned, but I don't think KZbin is allowing links.

[@thesaladczar]

Thanks. I found that statement ""but nobody else is writing it" infuriating too. It is a strong clue they haven't done the research.

[@EmmaBennetAuthor]

This is something I hadn't considered, thank you.x

[@Neil-writer-author]

I only disclosed my disability because my character is likewise disabled.

[@astoldb]

I think that people are allowed to write characters that they have no identification with whatsoever. This can be done respectfully if the research and effort is put into it! That's why sensitivity readers exist! I think they are an investment you definitely need if you're writing outside of your identity. I don't like that you have to share something so personal and something you might not be comfortable sharing just to share a story from your heart... Looking forward to your video Michelle!

[@astoldb]

also there are just so many different types of people in the world, if you only write within your identity it's sort of limiting your world and story at the same time? I think the key is really respect and effort in the writing/creation part of it

[@kanashiiookami6537]

I'd say it depends on whether the person is doing it right, and doing the community of the minority/marginalised community they are writing justice. As an example of a different minority (one I can speak on because I'm part of it) is the autistic community. I would say we need more autistic characters and while I do believe it should be actually autistic authors writing these stories, if it's done right I wouldn't object to a neurotypical (aka not autistic or otherwise neurodivergent) author writing these stories if they know they're the only one to write this specific book. I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with was this parent of an autistic kid that wrote this book that they believed only they could write to give representation and a voice to autistic people like their child so that they (the child) could understand where they (and in essence all autistic people, from what the author said) belong in the world. Sounds good put like that right? Except for the fact the author constantly used every character to belittle, bully, infantilise and abuse the autistic character and made the "struggling" neurotypical side characters that "have to put up with the MCs autism" the actual heroes of the story that they said the MC would die without. Essentially the author wanted their kid to know what a burden they were and made this story to say how autistic people ruin families by being autistic. (Pretty much words right out of the Autism $peaks handbook) And that, quite obviously, was not how to do representation of a marginalised group. So, long story short, so long as this person (and others asking the same question) isn't using their story to do a hit list, and they do this character, and the community it represents, justice by giving accurate and respectful portrayals, I'm all for it. But that's just my two cents. Anyway, thank you for the video, and so glad to see you again. (The live stream did pop up and confuse me yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to enjoy it as I usually binge livestreams after they're done as they're known to run longer than I have time for during the actual live stream.) I hope you're doing well, and congrats on your story. Hope all goes well with it, and that you enjoy the rest of your week.

[@floragraves5167]

Hypothetical: what if the person had a beta reader who was trans woman who gave feedback and help and mentioned that in the ‘identity’ section? Would this help solve the issue or at least help?

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

That's addressed in the full email, which I'll get into next week! :)

[@victoriatalkswriting8352]

I feel like most of the own voices discourse should belong to readers and reviewers and not publishers. I just find it so odd for someone to use your identity as a marketing term. It's completely different for a reader (especially a young reader) who shares the identity of someone in a book to be curious about the identity of the author. It's a genuine curiosity and wondering if someone is the same as you instead of a question of whether someone is valid enough or worthy to tell the story. I also don't think there's anything wrong with not wanting to read a book because you're skeptical of the author's ability to tell an authentic story, as long as you leave said author alone (don't critique the book before reading it or bully the author off the internet). When I look for books that represent people outside my own identity, I try to look for reviewers from that specific identity and see their opinions on the books but I don't know how that involves the publisher at all.

[@victoriatalkswriting8352]

An edit: Just wanted to add that these conversations function very differently when it comes to representing different things (gender, sexuality, race, disability, socioeconomic status, etc.) I think the skepticism comes from previous patterns of being dehumanized and misrepresented and different communities have experienced that harm in unique ways. I feel skeptical of certain book because I don't know for certain if the author will see me as human, but if an author shares that identity that feels guaranteed. Of course, anyone can make mistakes but because of that baseline I just feel like I trust them more. I'm not sure that's the right phrasing but that's kind of the sense I get from other people. I'm keep thinking about this more because I'm currently reading Imogen, Obviously (a book about the harm assuming one's sexuality can cause) and I have Yellowface on hold at the library which tackles these questions in (regards to race) in publishing directly and I have a feeling they'll be in an interesting conversation with each other. Thank you for being so nuanced in this!

[@Vickynger]

i think all authors should just be completely anonymous and have no socials and no author bios or photos at the end of their books and no public appearances. that way books would be evaluated by their merit only. i think that would be very nice. lets try that for a little bit and see how it goes.

[@lauraelaineallen21]

Wow. That's a question I myself could have sent you.

[@thegeekylibrarian360]

I think anybody can write trans characters even tho they are not trans themself, as long as they do it in a respectful manner! Sensitivity readers are something a lot more authors should use =) But when it comes to the query letter I have no idea how to frase stuff, because what I see from others experiences is that it's really hard to get books with characters that are trans for example published, and maybe even more so if you are not trans yourself and they can not use you in the marketing. And that sucks!

[@alwaysapirateroninace443]

Life happens.