Publishers weaponized

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Ah yes, making actual people and their communities a trend to profit from. What could possibly go wrong?
TIMESTAMPS
Intro 00:00
The starting point 05:02
The fundamental problem 11:07
Sensitivity readers aren't the solution 14:49
Inclusivity statements (or demands?) 21:06
The argument for staying in your lane 37.04
The argument for NOT staying in your lane 54.26
Where IS "the lane," anyway? 1:04:25
Should you disclose your private info to agents and editors? 1:09:21
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14 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 148

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

LINKS!!⬇ Writer Unboxed: Good Intentions and the Pathway to Hell, Part 2: Sensitivity Readers writerunboxed.com/2023/05/12/good-intentions-the-pathway-to-hell-part-2-sensitivity-readers/ Nisi Shawl's piece in Tor about writing someone else's culture: www.tor.com/2020/10/27/how-not-to-be-all-about-what-its-not-all-about-further-thoughts-on-writing-about-someone-elses-culture-and-experience/ Bookish Realm's video on white authors writing BIPOC experiences ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_gi9MxpOBvg.html

@cynthiaking5308 Год назад

I found that book by Wally Lamb I think it’s She’s come undone about the overweight woman very well done. I was surprised a man wrote it, but he wrote such a relatable female character. Some concepts are universal. Nobody wants to be rejected.

@wordcharm2649 Год назад

Not only does OWN voices keep authors from exploring other identities/cultures which creates empathy, but it creates this insane pressure for those authors who can write an OWN novel to suddenly make THAT their objective. So it's as much about telling some people NOT to write X if they ever hope to get published, while telling other people they better write X and take advantage of (insert trend) if they want to be published. Either way, it feels like publishing has become less about authors pursuing their own passions and is now about publishers forcing writers to get into a lane and sticking to it.

@CarrowBrown Год назад

Not surprised. Publishing is a disgusting place right now that are going to lose authors because we don't want to be part of their warped operation.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Very true. (Also - hey Carrow!!! :)

@MT-lk7qt Год назад

I've pretty much shelved my publishing dreams until some light can be seen through the clusterfuck. (Which is not to say I for sure WOULD be published, but yknow.)

@BarrettLaurie Год назад

Thank you so much for this video. I've been waiting for it. I've been pretty lost after a wild 2022. I had my second R&R and even though it went a heck of a lot better than the first, I was still left feeling like there wasn't room for me. Add to that the growing backlash against books for young readers with an LGBTQIA+ focus being banned and my mental health told me I needed to take a giant step back. It has taken me about 6 months, but I think I found a spot for me in publishing and a project that feels authentic and 'safe for me mentally.' Thank you for breaking down topics like this in a way that is relatable and from a place of experience. We very much value your opinion and point of view, and I so appreciate the video. I haven't been as vocal on videos the last few months, but I've been here. Sending you and yours all the best, with an extra bit of sparkly rainbows for Rosa.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I'm really sorry it's been such a rough time for you, Barrett! I thought your MG sounded fantastic - but I'm happy to hear you've found a project you feel good working on right now. I hope you, Ricky, and Brylee are all doing well!!

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

Overall I’m a fan of everyone’s comments. Thank you for sharing so this video exists. We need more voices in the discussion.

@Maryannesquire Год назад

There’s a difference between “own voices” and “only voices” (“we ONLY want voices who meet xyz criteria” and “your voice is ONLY valuable to us if….”). We seem headed for the bottom of that slippery slope fast. Wanting to publish more people from marginalized communities is long overdue. But it seems to be quickly devolving into the situation where a queer writer may be published for writing a queer main character, a black author with a black main character, etc., but “whichever is your lane, don’t step out of it.” That only hurts us all in the long run. It’s gate keeping by an industry that is nowhere near diverse. I’m loving all the diverse debut authors, but when I bring them to mind, I can’t think of any whose books were outside their own lived experience. That is disturbing.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Very well said! And yeah - diversity gatekeeping by a non-diverse industry is just never going to get us anywhere.

@tracy-eire 11 месяцев назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I think TradPub might be afraid of cultural appropriation accusations? Maybe? Forgive me if I'm not as adroit with some of these terms. I try to stay out of these waters and don't feel I have a right to talk about them. To say it differently, Tradpub is asking people to write their identities only, so that Tradpub won't be 'cancelled'. I'm sorry if I'm clunky and awkward talking about this topic, I'll try to sum it up by saying I think that Tradpub is slotting people into 'identity' boxes, telling them to 'write what they know', and is only interested in the stories created under those restrictive conditions. Perhaps the massive workload slamming them has made the whole effort reductive? As a Neurodivergent, I am used to a) some people being unwilling to work with me unless they have no other choice (because "I'm 'a problem'"), b) not being seen as diverse at all (white, disabled, but 'I look normal'), and c) being on the margins of conversations like these with the strong feeling I should have nothing to say on matters. But I had to step up when I heard the letter that addresses neurodivergence. I wanted to say it is so odd to me that there is an obsession with characters like Sherlock Holmes, Astrid (who I adore!), the cast in Scorpion, and arguably the lead in Numb3rs, on film, but distaste for divergents IRL. I'm very easygoing and understanding towards those I call neuro-classical people, but I also trained myself, long ago, to not be an inconvenience to them and to stay quiet on topics like these since doing otherwise often leads to exclusion. But don't you find it odd, that Sherlock Holmes paradox? Love Sherlock Holmes on paper, but don't have time to, or don't seem to want to, work with people like that IRL. Either way, I'm aware of this. I self-publish and probably wouldn't even try to do otherwise. I catch myself thinking that I don't believe there's room for NDs in the current system. Yes, you can see and feel my brain difference crop up in my characters to some extent. But people tend to like it! And no. For all I've been through, I don't 'require' people writing NDs like me to be NDs like me. I just want it well written. Oh. At 1:07:14 -- The Ponysitter's Club.

@PenumbraMineMMWard Год назад

If you meet one person from a marginalized community, then you have met ONE person from that community.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

About EJ’s comment at minute 19:00 : yo! I relate. My quest to find fiction books with blind, or partially blind MCs is harder than I thought. So far, “All the Light We Cannot See” is all I have, and oh, surprise, written by a straight white SIGHTED guy. OK. I know I’m not “marketable,” and so, I went indie. I stopped begging for trad pub to consider my stories. I already learned my lesson and I know they don’t give a crap. Blindness is among the most feared disabilities, because you sighted folk can’t imagine how we still dare to live without sight, I get it. EJ, you’re not alone. Different disabilities need to exist beyond the Disabled Activist Memoirs (I’ve found many of them already). Thank you for sharing. Keep writing your stories.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I totally agree, and I truly don't understand how publishers can hardly seem to find any works of fiction featuring disabled characters they deem marketable/relatable. I really don't think that's giving readers enough credit. Part of the beauty of fiction is realizing how much we have in common and resonate with people who aren't like us on the surface.

@floragraves5167 Год назад

Having diverse editors does affect how many diverse stories are accepted. I hate how editors have to be located in a particular city…like, do you not have internet? Zoom exists! Get into the year 2023 people! We don’t need to be in a studio to talk to another person and read a book. Same with agents. I think it’s terrible that we can’t move into a digital space to pitch and sell books. It’s crazy to me how a city dictates it all

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I get that - it's just the way all old industries are. I do think it'll change very slowly - maybe a virtual publisher will really catch fire and make waves one day!

@floragraves5167 Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor thinking about this for a day and, if at all possible in the future (factoring finances too), I’d like to start my own small virtual publishing house. There are literary magazines that are all virtual so I know it’s possible. I think more will creep up in time (with, again, finances permitting)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

@@floragraves5167 do it!!!

@DaisyXMachina Год назад

Fantastic video! Thanks for including so many of our comments! Now, can we get publishers and agents to watch?

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks for contributing! :) And yeah, that's the question....😅

@snapcrrracklepop 4 месяца назад

All submissions should forever stay anonymous. Let the work speak for itself!!

@CaseyCarlisleAuthor Год назад

Love this discussion! It raises so many issues that I have experienced and seen, as well as some of my fellow writer friends' experience. I live in Australia and belong to multiple marginalised communities, and want to share some of my experiences on the topics you have addressed: - I was signed to a big 4 publisher years back for my fantasy novel that had Aboriginal culture and characters in the narrative (not the protagonist) as it was set in the town where I grew up (Alice Springs) and the editor asked if I could move the novel to America and make the indigenous race Indian... because Australian books don't sell, (and they were nervous about the inclusion of Aboriginal culture being represented in my novel.) I grew up in an Aboriginal community and have many family members of the Arente tribe in my family who were sensitivity readers and wanted to see this book published, so I felt confident in my submission. The feedback I got resulted in my pulling the novel. It's still sitting on my shelf because my confidence was so shaken. - When submitting another novel I had completed to multiple publishers, I noticed in the submission process they required at least a paragraph from the author about themselves, many had the sentence "especially if you are from a marginalised community: person of colour, gay, trans, lesbian, disabled, etc..." and I felt confronted. Why is that pertinent to my novel - especially if it is not an 'issue' book? This then had me worried. Isn't it my choice to disclose whatever about me, to whomever I feel comfortable with? I think if some of my personal details got out in public I could be the subject of hate online, and quite possibly physical harm. Maybe make family members a target. I did not feel comfortable for one aspect of myself being reduced into a off-hand remark on a submission question that could potentially up-end my personal life. - I've read many books marketed as ownvoices to be an authentic representation of people in the queer community. Though an alarming number of these novels are written through a lens where the protagonist is a victim. That I understand. But the narrative tends to omit the services, organisations, and support systems available for the queer community and the protagonists are typically written in isolation, meaning that there is no help for them. And usually they are the only queer person in the story (that has been forced out of the closet. Other queer characters are either still in the closet or socially shunned.) It feels like that 'tragic queer' trope where their life is only given meaning if the character dies. I'd like to see more representation of happy queer people within the community that supports them in the ownvoices movement... because they are more than their identity. It get's me wondering if the reason that there are a lot of these books in this movement out there because someone (not of the queer community) is choosing which book to publish? And they really push the identity of the author hard in their marketing campaign. I love that we have the representation, but it feels slightly problematic. I want to say microagression...

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thank you so much for sharing all of this, Casey! To your first story - the audacity!! I mean, rejecting a novel because they think an Australia setting won't sell in the US...I've heard that before (and there are novels that have proven it wrong, but anyway). That said, to ask that you shift your characters from Aboriginal to Native American??? WHAT?! That's a frightening level of ignorance for anyone who works in publishing, imo. We're talking about two very different cultures from different countries with different histories...how could any editor think the story and plot would just 'slide' over like that? WOW. I'm really sorry that happened to you, and I really hope you find a home for that book one day. Your other points are great. I agree that it feels confrontational. And to your point about the tragic queer trope - I think, across the board, there's a tendency to go for trauma p*rn, you know? The drama! The conflict! Sometimes I wonder if the editor is just trying to milk all the tension and stakes they can out of it without taking a step back and reconsidering.

@JoeyPaulOnline Год назад

This was very well put together and loved what you were saying. Too often the whole 'stay in your lane' makes it so every book has to be about the struggle and that shouldn't be the case, with any minority

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Agreed! Thanks so much for watching, Joey! :)

@victoriatalkswriting8352 Год назад

Thank you so much for making this! It feels like a really necessary right now.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks for watching, Victoria - and for contributing! :)

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

At minute 57:17 Michelle, I am one of those writers who willingly writes from real traumatic experiences disguised as fiction. Why do I do that? It is healing, it is cathartic, and it is my form of discrete activism. I will share this openly in a comment because this is the video to do it. In my novel, there’s a moment when one of the characters says to the blind MC “if it were up to me, you can die.” This “gem” of dialogue is very real. It was said by someone I had to grow up with, someone I had to depend on. But what happened when I did open up about such “gems” to other people in real life? Many of them didn’t believe me. They said I was exaggerating and it’s impossible that a relative would treat a blind child so badly. Oh well. I guess if I fictionalize it at least some people will maybe empathize? I mean, since it’s all fiction? Because in fiction, if there’s ever a blind kid, they all have a lovely, kind and supportive family huh? Once again, media doesn’t always show the darker realities of marginalized communities in the world. The closest example I have in media is Toph and her stupid parents (from Avatar the Last Aurbender). Besides this comment, I won’t reveal what in my novel is real, what is fictionalized, and what was altered for the sake of the story. I have a pen name for a reason. I like having my catharses while keeping my legal identity away from all of it. If Avatar could do it, softly because it was a kid’s show, I would like to see more honest books, from writers who share willingly like I do. Even in those darker stories, there is a feeling of not being alone, because someone else wrote this. We still exist.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Good lord. I'm truly sorry, Dal. That's horrific. And also, that's a great point about readers/gatekeepers not believing these experiences, or thinking they're exaggerated. If we had a more diverse array of these stories out there, that would become less and less of an issue.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor thank you. It is true. We need more stories of all kind. The minority joy, the escapism, the dark catharsis, all of it. If someone made it into a story, that’s a window for readers to learn more about what’s out there, even when real traveling isn’t an option. Thank you for your work.

@floragraves5167 Год назад

So many people do not believe trauma because they have never experienced it. That’s what I’ve learned through my own personal experiences. Publishing suffers from middle class and upper individuals ruling the system who have never really dealt with serious traumas or any traumas and poverty. I’ve known people with disorders who were told they were responsible for making everything terrible. It would be better if you weren’t here, etc. by family too. It’s real and painful

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

The great thing about this video and similar spaces is that we can share and learn from each other, which makes bigger room for future diverse books and the privacy of the authors. And if anyone reading this feels like it’s still not the right moment to query and go the trad pub path, the indie community is wonderful. What would I do without my editor? They are so knowledgeable and compassionate, and we both work at our own pace. If volume of work wasn’t an issue for them, I would recommend their editing to everyone I could, because they are amazing. So, if this blind, asexual, biracial and pagan writer could find an editor and I’m soon going to publish my debut novel, I’m sure there are ways for many of us to find the publishing path for our books. Don’t let a couple of underpaid and overworked agents discourage you.

@cynthiaking5308 Год назад

I am a member of a marginalized group. Old(er), female who uses a wheelchair because of chronic illness (ms). I had a disabled MC in my first book, but that was more of a brains vs. Brawn struggle. She may be lame, but she be fierce.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

@@cynthiaking5308 love that resilient approach.

@cynthiaking5308 Год назад

@@DalCecilRuno it was funny I was talking about going somewhere but being nervous about the accessibility of the house and my husband told me I was overreacting and my 30-year-old daughter called him an ableist. He didn’t know what one was.

@kirtiomart Год назад

I'm gay and latin, but my story is not about that... and I don't want it to be. It's just a fun roller coaster ride. Those topics are mention at random but not as a central point.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Escapism is great, and anyone who wants to write it should be able to!

@Financiallyfreeauthor Год назад

Such an important topic and I appreciate you explore all the different sides of it

@therealannataylor Год назад

I have been *waiting* for this!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks Anna! :) Hope you enjoy it!

@likliksnek Год назад

Such a brilliant video to a very important discussion! Thank you so much.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much for watching!! :)

@angelxxsin Год назад

Ah, the pride I feel knowing I saw all of this coming way back in 2020...even when speaking about these concerns was seen as heresy.

@ejrhyker5725 Год назад

Thank you so much for this video Michelle. As always you are remarkable. Oh my goodness, thank you for including my comment (being rejected for not being the right kind of minority author). I don't know what I would do if I didn't write or read so many beautiful stories. Reality can be demoralising but the most important thing for all of us to remember is that we are gatekeepers to our self-esteem. We never have to condense ourselves to please the publishing trend that is short-lived. I suppose there is one concrete course of action: we make dozens of Michelle clones and put them in charge of hiring in publishing. Then we would see progress and genuine diversity. Until then, we can hope that books will be judged and praised for their merits, not due to the author's 'worthiness'. 🤞🏾🤞🏾 Out of curiosity, Michelle, what would you recommend authors do to empower themselves along their publishing journey?

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I'm cracking up at the irony of suggesting clones for diversity 😅 Thank you for contributing to the video, EJ!! And my biggest recommendation is that authors find some author community, Irl and/or online, and develop those friendships. I would've given up early in my career without the support of my author friends. And as I mentioned in the New Leaf video, the more connected you are, the better informed you'll be about shady goings on that authors are talking about in private spaces, but not (yet) public ones.

@wordcharm2649 Год назад

I don't understand how you don't have 10x the amount of viewers because your content is always top-notch! Like it's amazing how thorough and insightful you are! 🤗 BTW: Thanks for teaching me the term "escapism" in this context; I suppose that's what I'm writing. I could check off nearly every marginalized box there is but my books aren't really "OWN"; they are hard-hitting, dark, psychological thrillers that explore topics related to abnormal psychology that I find fascinating to research and explore. I could write about my own mental health issues but that would make me feel claustrophobic, like even in my imagination I have to be confined to my everyday reality which I'd rather...wait for it...ESCAPE. When I write, I want to cover new ground. Learn new things. Inhabit new headspaces. I don't want to dwell on my personal struggles or experiences. Besides, I find that no matter what you write, you put yourself into every aspect of the story anyway. It just happens naturally that I don't have to force the concept/characters to be "me" because no matter what I write, it is me.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Aw thank you so much! :) That's so interesting - I totally get the 'claustrophobia' thing. I never thought about it in terms of escapism but you're right, that's exactly what it is!

@singingsanja167 Год назад

THAT! Completely! Very well said.

@Vickynger Год назад

ooh thank you for including my comment!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

LOL no - your comment was great because I think a lot of us (myself included) think that sometimes in our frustration!

@kanashiiookami6537 Год назад

Oh goodness, I loved this video. So many people had awesome takes and opinions. (My brain is overwhelmed by them all, but I remember River and CJ [?] sticking in my mind, but I'll have to rewatch to be sure) And I loved your take, and your guidance, and want you to know you do have some authority in and on the authoring and publishing community because you are willing to speak out, and because you are risking being called out if wrong (which I'm assuming so far you haven't been as you do extensive research for your videos). So thank you for this video, and thank you for what you've done for us. 💜 Also, as an aside, I wonder if *not* disclosing disabilities, race, gender, sexuality, neurotype and all that may be a better course to get an agent and get published, because, like you said, they may just be seeing us as trends to follow (or not follow, as per the "this author will be too much work because they are disabled/ND/what have you") and maybe if they assume (based on their default idea of people) that we're all just cis white able bodied neurotypicals they might sign us before learning the truth. And I like the idea of what you said of doing this to make them ask why, and force them to reflect on their discomfort on figuring put how to ask why. 😈😇 There's so much I wanted to go on about, so may thoughts this video brought to mind. But I'll leave this here lest it become its own book....lol. I hope your work is going well, and that the rest of your week will be amazing. Thank you for the video, and all the work it took to make it!💜

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much, K (and also for contributing to the video! :) The idea that not disclosing will make agents/editors assume you're white/cis/able bodied makes me sad...but you're not wrong. So many people still default to those settings until told otherwise. And yeah, I think making people ask and sit in that discomfort is at least a first step! Hope you have a fantastic week too!

@bodine219 Год назад

Own voices has always made me uncomfortable and I think I finally understand why. Thank you for this video. My focus is more in the indie space, but if I was trying to be traditionally published, I would half expect to be steered towards writing physically disabled characters since I walk with a cane. Or ADHD characters. It's uncomfortable, but I can choose not to disclose at least one of those. I can't imagine how it is for people from the currently 'trendy' marginalized communities. ((And wow that felt icky to type -- you are 100% right that diversity shouldn't be a trend. And I'm not even someone who would consider myself progressive, I've just always thought diversity should be treated as a fact of life.))

@ArtemisMS Год назад

I'm only a third through this video, but you are hitting the nail right on the head, over and over and over again. Agree 100% with all of this. I'm at the part where you talk about MSWL, and yes, YES. Even more frustrating and confusing, I will often see MSWLs that actually COMBINE tropes and identities, so they'll be like: "the next Graceling, steampunk setting, sapphic enemies-to-lovers," etc. And I'm just sitting here, a very queer person with a very queer book, but it's not sapphic enemies-to-lovers, so like... do they not want my book? Is my brand of queerness not wanted or not marketable? It leaves me feeling lost and depressed.

@ArtemisMS Год назад

I also want to add that a lot of professional feedback that I've gotten has basically been: "Take a look at Cerulean Sea" or "Take a look at Legends & Lattes." Even when my book was nothing like those books, just b/c they were queer fantasy and my book was queer fantasy, those are inevitably the books agents and editors will tell me to look to. It's extremely frustrating. (In the contemporary romance sector, I have a friend with a gay romance who was told to "read Red, White, and Royal Blue." We speculated that this is probably the ONLY gay romance this agent has ever read... It's just so insulting.)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much!! And yeah, that is such a good point. I've found the specificity of certain wishlists baffling for awhile now. I wonder if maybe the agents are trying to give a sense of their taste, rather than request that specific thing? Because the latter is...weird. And telling authors of these stories to "read that one Big Hit" is indeed very insulting.

@briar.writes Год назад

I love the discussion points in this video, there is so much that can be brought into this topic! The tokenism I've seen in trad pub is a reason I have leaned towards self-publishing whenever I eventually finish a project. While I don't mind disclosing my identity as asexual/aromantic and the fact that my characters often reflect that part of me, I don't want to be the token ace book or be marketed as ace to sell my book. It feels gross. I do love the idea to put the onus on the agent/editor/publisher to ask about the authors identity rather than self-disclosing. That could also be a good way to bring up this discourse within the trad pub spaces if authors have the space to do so. (and red flag people who you may not want representing you in the trad pub spaces)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much!! I agree - gross is the vibe I get, too!

@lauraelaineallen21 26 дней назад

I worry about this too. I am a gray ace, but I love writing romantic subplots: gay and straight. I have a few characters that I would label as demi-sexual or gray aces, but they are no where near the majority of my main characters. I'm just not interested in writing nothing but ace characters. Also, I'm a white American from Mississippi; I write fantasy, and I do like to take elements of inspiration from other cultures around the world. Southern Gothic is great, but it's not what I am interested in writing. I like writing fantasy because it allows me to explore other world and cultures, like I cannot in real life. But I worry that if anything in my book is identifiably inspired by a non-European or White American source, someone will say I am appropriating. Like I heard people getting mad at T J Klune for taking some inspiration from the history of Indigenous kids being taken away from their families and being forced into boarding schools, because he's not indigenous and so he "had no right to tell that story." The book I'm querying now takes inspiration from how various minorities have been treated throughout history, and I'm terrified someone is going to say, "Yeah, but you are white. You can't write that. You didn't experience it." I have ADHD, I have dyslexia. I probably have pretty severe anxiety, but am too anxious to get to the doctors to get diagnosed. All of these technically count as disabilities, but I would feel really REALLY really nervous about trying to market myself as an ownvoices author. This is stupid, but even though I live with these things, I would be nervous to diagnose my own characters. I'm SURE some of them exhibit symptoms of ADHD, because we always take inspiration from our own lives, but I have never sat down and written a character to represent what it feels like to me. I don't want to. I don't want to write nothing but characters exactly like myself. But I also don't want someone to interpret me as trying to steal someone else's spot on the shelf.

@rouxellereads Год назад

Such an interesting conversation. I’m one of those people that doesn’t read books where the author doesn’t match the the identity with the main character. However, I really only stick with this in terms or race/ethnicity. I get that writing other characters promotes empathy but yeah, with the whole American Dirt Fiasco, I don’t want to go into a book that’s supposed to be representation but ends up being offensive to me. Not saying that internalized bias is not a thing but I find that when I stick to authors that share the race/ethnicity as the character , I’m not thinking about will this book have problematic representation that will offend me. And I will say I’ve heard reasons for why people write outside of their race (they empathized, their future kids, etc) and I don’t hate the reasonings, but I still personally won’t pick it up. There are so many authors with that same racial identity I could pick up instead. I will say that I don’t apply this rule to other identities partly because I don’t identify with them and I don’t think I can speak over others with the shared identity. But I also feel like I’m more lenient because I can’t see those identities (most of the time). It does feel icky to out authors just so it can be said to be own voices, though. For those identities I can’t see, I really do pay attention to what other reviewers are saying about the book. All great points! Great video!

@AMMA83 Год назад

I agree completely, most of us especially those over 25 have spent their whole childhood and much of their adult life consuming white representations of black characters to the detriment of black writers whose voices were drowned and publishers were reluctant to take them on. White writers have had enough time to write black stories, and those images and representations are often the ones accepted by mainstream society and often when a black writer comes along they are faced with the additional challenge of unpicking some of those harmful depictions. Additionally, white writers are given extra kudos by their peers and the industry for doing so when they do and as #publishingpaidme showed, they are also given higher advances so it's likely that a white writer with a black protag and a black writer with a black (or any other race) protag will likely have been paid more to write what is likely to be an inauthentic representation. In an ideal world, with no or minimal biases and systemic racism, everybody could quite fairly write what they want but that isn't the world we live in.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

That's totally understandable! And as you said, we have SO many choices when it comes to books.

@beaa.7296 Год назад

interesting perspective. I've also read a book that was by a person from a marginalised community which was offensive against their own community. I'm from a different community but I began to feel uncomfortable reading that book, since every person from that community was described in derogatory ways by the teenage protagonist. I read goodreads comments were people from the same community featured in the book felt misrepresented and were offended. Ive also read books by people outside the community they write of, but they are very familiar with that community so they write the most beautiful, appreciative, sincere and nuanced books on that culture.

@jimmymulherin4505 6 месяцев назад

For the most part, "exclusion" was largely just "free market forces."

@disneymagicfanatic Год назад

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic! It was very insightful! :) I am neurodivergent, and while I like to write stories about my own personal experiences (such as being bullied as a kid, facing harmful stigmas, finding socializing difficult, etc.), I am sometimes afraid to talk about those specifics with people that I work with because it might limit my opportunities in the future. For instance, if I write about my own experience with chronic depression and self-harm in a book, will people treat me differently (even if I went through years of therapy so that self-harm wouldn't be a problem anymore)? Even if acceptance and empathy has improved recently, I know that there is STILL a massive stigma and a lack of empathy out there for people who have struggled with self-harm (at least in the corporate world). I wrote several essays on this topic in college, and most of the academic studies seemed to agree that stigmas and stereotypes (like those that surround self-harm) cause a lot of problems for the neurodivergent community...and yet they are still being perpetuated. I have to live with the possibility that those stereotypes will limit what I can write about because of how people view those topics. That brings me a lot of sorrow. What I write about may be cathartic at first, but in the current climate, it could cause more trauma for me later on down the line and might not be worth it. What If I'm ready to move on from my personal trauma and want to write something positive and happy? What if I want to write about the freedom and joy that I finally found? Will people let me? Or will I be stuck writing about my bleak trauma forever? Will the unfortunate stigmas associated with my experience weigh me down and prevent future opportunities? Will people be uncomfortable working with me? Will I always carry around that label? Will I only be able to write those kinds of stories for the rest of my life? Will I be able to sell something like fantasy or science fiction in the future, or will publishers only hire me because of my experience with trauma? Will I get pigeonholed into writing stories based on what I choose to disclose about myself? I know that’s a lot of questions, but these are real concerns I have. My creativity is important to me, and I don't want to limit my options in the future. It’s so hard to navigate sometimes! Thank you for highlighting this issue and having a conversation about it. You covered many of my above questions in a single video! I feel seen and heard! :) 🙏

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thank you so much for sharing this! Those questions you asked highlight exactly why the industry needs to have this conversation. There are so many reasons people decide to write fiction, and in the end, it should just come down to whether or not the story is good. And with mental health, ND, etc, you're right about the stigmas - and editors/agents need to take that into consideration.

@storydtechtiverobertjones464 Год назад

Great video…smart video! Knowing people who are in marketing, it’s a one size fits all box. And creators-or writers in this case-are forced into molds that pigeon hole them constantly. Does it surprise me that they’re doing the same thing with race, identity, and even health and disability issues? Unfortunately, it does not. Writers are not rubber stamped on an assembly line and neither are good stories. This kind of thinking only limits what’s published, who gets published, and tightens the noose even more on what writers are allowed to publish. And when sales drop who gets blamed but the writers, or a specific genre? A little common sense would probably work wonders here. My fear is that the industry won’t step back and look at these things objectively until they get hit with a situation that costs them a significant amount of money, then they’ll just decide such stories are a risk, or not marketable any longer as a “genre.” Industry professionals need to widen their gaze. Because whether they realize it not, they’re being conditioned to fit a pigeonhole themselves. And we know what eventually happens when the cooperate broom starts sweeping…the pigeons who aren’t innovative inside the coop get swept out first!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much, Robert! Ha, common sense in traditional publishing?? What madness! ;) I agree though, I don't know that this is going to be addressed at the level it needs to be until a lawsuit is involved. And then, like you said, they'll just decide these stories/authors aren't worth the trouble.

@victoriatalkswriting8352 Год назад

At 17:11, I've been thinking about this a lot. I've debated a lot about being a sensitivity reader for books with autistic characters but there's so much that I just wouldn't be qualified to advice people on. I've never had an IEP (at least until my current college accommodations), I don't have complex communication needs, I don't have major food aversions etc. I could research all those things sure, but I'm not sure how that would make me more qualified than a non-autistic person who did that same research. So, to accept those kinds of projects feels like it would be enabling authors to not research. I feel like unless the book had a character that was super close to my experience the most I could do is give a finally pass to say whether or not the character is believably autistic and not a stereotype. I've read a few books where the characters autistic traits seem to disappear and then reappear depending on when it's convenient for the plot (yikes!) so I would be able to correct that. When it comes to stereotypes, the portrayal of autism we tend to see (a straight white guy who's a jerk and good at math) isn't necessarily wrong, it's just overdone. I feel like sensitivity reading would actually be more helpful in the planning/plotting stage, to offer writers some resources to guide their own research and make sure their whole concept isn't inherently problematic.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Oh, that's a great point about having those readers give input in the planning stages. Interesting.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

I second that about the planning stage instead of doing it way later. And I hear you about not always feeling like we are the right person for the task. The way in which we could help is to guide the writer towards a more reliable sensitivity reader for their specific character. If I ever know of a blind sensitivity reader who became blind later in life (I’m blind since birth it’s a totally different psychological portrayal) then I can lead writers to that person in case the character is not blind since birth. Inthe meantime, it’s just me, and what I try to do is read a lot of non-fiction by blind writers, find other resources, so my advice is well-informed, and I share those resources with the author. They make their edits accordingly. You’re doing great. The thing here is to be honest from the start, what we can and cannot help with. Thank you for sharing this.

@victoriatalkswriting8352 Год назад

@@DalCecilRuno That makes a lot of sense, I'm in no way prepared to be a sensitivity reader yet but it's something I think I could be good at in the future. It's always nice to learn from others.

@thenovicewriter3196 Год назад

This situation is intricate and demands nuanced consideration, yet many people on both sides are attempting to tackle it with a blunt "hammer to the head" approach, which is why progress remains elusive. Allowing the industry to persist unchanged is not a viable option, but constraining authors to solely writing characters and stories that align with their own identities is equally problematic.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Yup, exactly!

@arzabael Год назад

Bisexual characters don’t work because people need a side to take on every single little tiny subject in the entire world in every way possible, and no one is hated more than someone who likes both sides.

@MT-lk7qt Год назад

As a bisexual, this is the truest thing I've ever read

@h.a.s.7336 Год назад

Re: the "we already have an Asian character book on our list"... Digging deeper into this issue, I wonder if it has to do more with "how" the Asian experience is covered/explored. Understandably, many books today concentrate on racism or the negative sides, and if there is a book on the list that dwells on this, it may be better to find an Asian experience that explores something else. There are many stories to explore! Honestly, I wish we could get back to stories based on specific cultural traditions or events, not skin color or hyper-generalizations. They reveal differences, but also show how we are all united by the universal human experience.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I wish more editors would speak about what was behind those decisions (I doubt they ever will). How similar WERE the books? If they shared other similarities, hey, it happens. But if the only similarity was the race of the MC, it's just not a great reason for rejection.

@h.a.s.7336 Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor yes, completely agree! thanks for your response...

@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 Год назад

Needed this today.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thank you for watching and contributing! :)

@reginaduke7451 Год назад

Hurray! Must watch! then I'll comment.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

Oooooh yes, the “I’m looking for Disabled books” as part of the wishlist was very “this agent is not safe. Don’t query.” Also, yes to the waiting for the right minority month to query, and most agents don’t even know July is Disability Pride Month, and October is Blind Awareness Month. They don’t even know so I never had a “right time” to query anyway. It feels awful, yes, but disabled communities don’t even get a time frame to query, and yes, it’s all US-centric. My story is not even set in the US or deals with current issues in the States so, I was never what agents were looking for. Just here confirming that it all felt very much like yet another virtue signaling or good PR move. I could tell most of them don’t actually give a crap, and I understand, they’re getting ridiculous low wages. They’ll keep doing the bare minimum. I understand, they are people too.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Ugh...I'm sad to hear you validate all of that! It just sucks, and again, I really wonder how many agents would change their profiles if they knew their approach was actively driving away marginalized writers from querying.

@PenumbraMineMMWard Год назад

I can agree with most of this, especially the quotes from River Song... And the Author who chose not to be pigeon-holed. Yes, been there, and also was asked to change a long term gay couple that were based on two friends I lost during the early years of the HIV pandemic. I refused. My worry is this form of gatekeeping is akin to erasure. It is a slippery slope. Some of authors are telling the stories of friends and loved ones who might be from a different marginalized group. Authors writing characters from groups they are not, but with parallel experiences, do show sensitivity and do their due diligence, but for Editors and Agents demanding a writer be exactly what they write, is ridiculous to me. It means extreme limitations on spreading the stories of all marginalized groups. It erases the stories of the deceased minorities and lost communities as told by others. It erases the stories of those who do not have the talent or desire to write their own story themselves. It erases the stories of those who want to tell a story but do not have the financial means to pay someone else to ghostwrite it. By Agents, Editors, and Publishers supporting the No Marginalized Characters Except Own Voices, then the only logical extension is to say authors can no longer write autobiographies of another once the person is dead, no one should write historical fiction or nonfiction beyond their lifetime because they didn't live then, and every piece of fantasy, paranormal, or sci-fi should be rejected out of hand and unpublished, because the authors are falsely representing cultures and species that they are not. The last seems fanciful, but there is precedence for culture, art, and even fiction erasure. We are a species that has erased the cultures, history, and mythology of many groups of peoples, often through the most barbarous means possible. Margaret Atwood isn't wrong when she says she doesn't have to make up any horrors for how people treat others.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Absolutely!!! The point about historical, fantasy, sci-fi...it does sound silly but you're right. Once we start drawing these lines, where do we stop?

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

I never clicked so fast.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

😂

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

I might leave multiple comments. Sorry! 💙 About American Dirt. Even a Latine reader who is NOT a Latine migrant in the US will have some blind spots. I speak for myself, because I live in actual Latin America. My persoective in everything is quite different from an “insert-nationality-American” who lives in the US. Just a note of how specific these minority perspectives can get, and we all should be aware of this.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Never apologize for pleasing the algorithm! LOL -- And yes, that's such a great point about American Dirt and the US-centeredness of everything.

@grimreads Год назад

Re: Concerning the email and the author's problem: Have her wife as a co-author and her problem is solved

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Her wife may not want to write, though! It's a lot of work to write (or co-write) a book.

@grimreads Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I know, but it is becoming such a clownshow it may be worth gaming the system. Plus as long as her wife has read and deemed it as "authentic" there is no need for re-writes

@writenowdream3882 Год назад

If an agent represented a work by someone not from a minority group that outraged that marginalized group, they could face some unforeseen consequences. Social media mobs harass people and some people have even been dox'd online. Their family and friends might be put at risk too. So unfortunately, I can't blame any agent for wanting to be extra careful about what they represent, even if they love a manuscript.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I totally and completely get the fear. And I don't blame agents (and authors) for wanting to be careful. The fault obviously lies with the mobs here, and I do think agents can still take care with how they handle it - but yeah, it can get scary out there.

@jadey2568 Год назад

In the UK publishing is an incredibly elitist industry which then has a self perpetuating cycle.. Those at the top are from a specific socioeconomic class and nepotism is rife. Only richer people can take unpaid internships which is why publishing and the arts sector is severely lacking in true diversity.

@carriebartkowiak Год назад

Imagine cancelling Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek pilot because Lt. Uhura was female, Black, and a space traveler; the opposite of Gene himself. Uhura changed lives, gave millions of both Black and female people hope, and changed not just the television industry, but how Blacks as a whole were viewed across the country. Nichelle Nichols considered quitting after the first season to try her luck on Broadway and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself told her "No. You *can't*," that her character was TOO important to Blacks and the civil rights movement. Likewise, imagine tossing Len Wein's *Storm* character in the slush pile because Len wasn't Black, female, or mutant. Generations of little girls--and especially little Black girls--have leaned on Storm's stories in the Marvel Comic books to get them through hard times. Storm paved the way for representation in comics and on the movie screen. Point being, it should never matter who the story is coming from. It should only matter that the story is good, the characters are written well, and the readers are happy. Determining if a character is written well and is true to their stated labels should not involve ANY details about the author's private life, at all. River Song's (♥the nickname!) comment on ND authors' worries about bias & exclusion is spot-on. The ADA states not only that no one has to disclose these details, but that employers aren't even permitted to *ask* for them! Yet TradPubs do this right up front. Maybe it's time to expand the ADA to also cover whatever categories publishers fall into? (They're not employers; perhaps "contractors"?) Or if it already does, even in the smallest way (there just has to be something in there already about contractors), maybe it's time to take them to court and make them stop this madness?

@5050clown Год назад

it absolutely should matter where the story comes from. Uhura was played by a black actress - did her performance or gene roddenberry’s writing bring blackness to the screen? With Storm, same questions. Representation is far more often just tokenization, and sure, within the context of those creations it made a difference and it mattered where the characters came from. In both cases, straight white men had to use their power to babystep cultural change through tokenization. Editors are doing this at scale - instead of *getting out of the way* of people who have skin in the game and deserve to wield some cultural cache.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Agreed! And yeah, as far as I know, none of those laws apply to authors or freelancers in general. But new court cases and laws happen all the time...

@thenovicewriter3196 Год назад

@@5050clownBoth "blackness" isn't just skin color. The actress filled a role that provided a positive and significant representation of a Black woman on American television, which wouldn't have been possible without the creation of that said role by the writer.

@carriebartkowiak Год назад

@@5050clown You just reduced Uhura and Storm to "tokenizaton". That really tells me all I need to know about your depth of knowledge on them, and likewise your ability to discuss them in relation to the topic at hand. 'Nuff said. Take your paladin's hammer elsewhere; in this sub-thread, you're not just completely missing the target, you're not even on the correct battlefield.

@5050clown Год назад

@@carriebartkowiak i brought up tokenization as that is the result of white do-gooder-ism, especially in the time period of those shows. roddenberry had power over the character as written. i don’t believe, in both examples, the origin of the character (coming from white men) matters nearly as much as the portrayals by black women, who have a stake in that work - far more than any white person attempting to shift cultural values but not having the capacity to do more than tokenize.

@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 Год назад

On the inclusivity segment, I'm particularly disturbed by agents who take an aggressive stand like "I want a novel that criticizes organized religion - especially Catholicism" Yes there's at least one agent that said that straight up. Is it virtue signalling or something more sinister?

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Yeah, that one comment really got my attention. That's dangerous territory that agent is treading in...

@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Just reached that part of the video. Thank you for featuring my comment ❤

@hotplotsandsynonyms Год назад

I'm curious what people think about the common MSWL line I see that says something like "Would love [genreA], [genreB], and [genreC], especially if from BIPOC or disabled authors." That seems like maybe the right way to include marginalized authors in a genre list, but as a cis, straight, white woman, I certainly don't know. :)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I would definitely love to hear what others think about that too! I understand it's well-meaning, and it's certainly better than lumping people into a list of genres.

@arzabael Год назад

As a white male I don’t think it’s wrong to tell me that I am allowed to write about a black female but it just can’t be an issue story. Everyones so afraid to develop actual details on the rules or the lines we can draw in the middle, but I think the rule of stay away from issue stories if it’s not your issue is solid. Like I can write about a trans dude and his friends but I probably shouldn’t write about what it was like leading up to telling my family.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

That's generally how I feel. In my multi-POV books, it's a diverse cast because it would be weird if if it was homogenous (lol). But when I write a book from one POV, centering one experience, I'm less likely to step "out of my lane" - not out of fear of backlash, but just because I want my books to be good and resonate with readers and I don't think I could write those experiences authentically.

@bookbelle5475 Год назад

23:03 For me, tlmy feelings on including like wanting BIPOC authors kinda depends on the agent. What I mean by that is if I see for example a Black agent saying theyre interested in stories by and about Black people that feels more genuine, like thag that person wants more Black stories told? It feels less othering vause its more of a focus on our Black stories versus a white agent wanting your (a Black authors) Blaxk story that is trendy. I don't know if this makes sense, just initial thoughts

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

It does make sense. The Black agent is likely coming from the same place as a reader - they just see the lack and want the authenticity. Coming from a white agent, it could be the same, or it could be virtue signaling or just trying to ride a trend.

@marcellacassab4331 Год назад

I completely agree with you on this. You put it better than I ever could. These practices are deeply troubling and at this rate I'm pretty much banking on my WIP having to be self published. It stars a Black protagonist and I am not Black. I've shared this concept and character with many Black people over the years and the overwhelming majority loved it and said they hope it'll come to fruition one day. Including a sensitivity reader/cultural consultant. I've wrestled for many years whether I should continue with it as is. The thought of white-washing my protagonist and her family is sickening, but so is the thought of sidelining her in favor for a White character. Her friend is White and I plan to have some books from her POV too, but my Black character has also been the protagonist for so long, it just doesn't feel right to demote her from her own story. It should be noted this is in the speculative fiction realm, the characters in question are living dolls. This is NOT a story about some real world event or issues, it's about the real world as seen through the eyes of living dolls from diverse communities. Even the White doll is from a different community from me. Making this story a reality has been my dream for what feels like my whole life, and it deeply sucks to realize it's virtually un-publishable now. Not because the concept isn't interesting or the characters unlikable, but simply because it came from the 'wrong' type of persons imagination.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thanks so much, Marcella - and I'm really sorry to hear about your struggle with this. I do hope you continue working on it - sounds like a fascinating premise! - and I also hope things start to change for the better by the time you're ready to put your book out there.

@5050clown Год назад

as a non-black person do you think you can write blackness? If yes, how? If no, can your character really be capital B black?

@thenovicewriter3196 Год назад

@@5050clownBIPOC individuals are not aliens; we are human beings. Non-BIPOC individuals can indeed understand and portray BIPOC experiences if they make an effort to learn, approach their writing with compassion and sensitivity. The question "can you write blackness" is ignorant. It's crucial to understand that "blackness" is not a monolithic experience. There is no one way to write it. Assuming that all black people have had the same exact experience is ignorant and fails to acknowledge the rich diversity within the black community. Comments suggesting that someone can "write blackness" in a general sense make me cringe because they perpetuate stereotypes and hinder the possibility of genuine unity. It feels as if there is an intentional effort to create division rather than foster understanding. Instead, we should strive to appreciate the unique perspectives and experiences within communities, including those of black individuals, and work towards building bridges of empathy and unity.

@0Raiin0 Год назад

@@thenovicewriter3196 Right on! Michelle was spot on when she brought up the story of a young black staff member being asked to edit a book about "black experience" that wasn't even remotely her own just because she's black. Gatekeepers telling others what to write/not write are overlooking how dehumanizing their efforts are. This, probably white, editor grabbed the first black person he saw and wanted her to magically relate to a completely different black experience to her own. That isn't progress. That's toxic.

@marcellacassab4331 Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thank you. Me too. 🙂

@Teckno72 Год назад

I, a gay writer, wrote in my last novel about a straight protagonist. I queried a lot. No one wanted it. Was it just crap or something else?

@Teckno72 Год назад

I’m GWM 51 years writing a SWF teenager. I will be querying back to people who are gay and to see gay content for the book I’m writing.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

59:54 asexuals writing romantic plots because it’s a requirement. YES! Well, I don’t have that skill so, another reason why I went indie. 😂 to that person who commented, you’re not alone, buddy!

@user-cu1ss2ew3w Год назад

Yeah, I worry. I'm a white-ish strait woman. My story is about a homophob man and his relationship with a gay man. Will my idendity effect my chances for publication? 😱

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I honestly cannot predict anything! My best advice is just to write the absolute best story you can, and get lots of feedback!

@debbier6500 7 месяцев назад

It's a violation of federal law to use an individual's sexual orientation or other personal characteristics in business decisions. It's the author's job to write and get it RIGHT. People who publish have the job of taking the product to the market place. It not their job to qualify and quantify author's personal characteristics.

@DalCecilRuno Год назад

As a sensitivity reader, I have been specific about what I can and can’t help with. I could help with a couple of things outside my experience, sure, but it won’t be as reliable as the work of a sensitivity reader who knows the perspective first hand. I still believe people can, and should try writing outside their perspectives. The trick is to find resources so our efforts of walking in someone else’s shoes are well-informed efforts. It’s not as simplistic or black and white as some people portray it. I’m sarcastic, blunt, and cynic, sure, but I won’t deny the capabilities of writers when it comes to walking in someone’s shoes. No one is perfect, and the condescending keyboard warriors discouraging writers as if and their activist brand were the ultimate sensible lens on Earth is yet another virtue signaling move, just from the other side of the fence. If this hurts any activist, well, oops. Michelle is correct about the way we try to present our side of a discussion. Thank you for saying it.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

While I was editing this video, I was counting how many times I was sarcastic or condescending 😅

@victoriatalkswriting8352 Год назад

1:08:47 I'm pretty sure I know which book this comment is referring to and I think it just illustrates a point about language and discourse. I think a lot of autistic adults online criticize "autism moms" for asking questions just because they use the incorrect words even though they have good intentions and are just trying to get their kid help and support. I think people tend to assume all autism moms are like the author of this book because they are the more visible ones. But if you're only mad about a book because it has an autistic character but "was written by an autism mom for neurotypicals" or has a Black character but "was written for white people" etc. you aren't actually having an conversation about it's content or why it's actually harmful. If you can't actually name reasons for why it's an inaccurate or harmful you're probably just being a bully. You are attacking someone's identity instead of explaining the mistakes they made in their work. In some cases (maybe even most) the content probably isn't even something that's universally considered a mistake but just an interesting thing to discuss.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

I genuinely don't know which book specifically the commenter was referring to, so I can't speak to that. But I do understand what you're saying. I will say I've read a few books about disabled characters written by non-disabled people that left a bad taste in my mouth - but I'm sure there are others doing their best, and with the best of intentions.

@AMMA83 Год назад

Michelle, I really enjoy your videos and this is a very thought provoking one but I must say I disagree with the idea that it's not problematic for white writers to write black MCs. Endless writers have been given the opportunity to write black characters over the years, often at the exclusion of black writers. They are not hard done by. And many of those representations have been harmful and inauthentic at best. This is now a time to step aside and help amplify the black writers. I can't speak for other identities, but as far as black characters are concerned we need the vast majority of them to be written by black writers. And whether it's the fault of the publishers or not there ARE a limited amount of spots for black characters, and due to historical and deeply ingrained current bias white editors have tended to favour the white writers and also promote them more for writing stories with POC characters and you do not see the reverse happening for black/POC authors who write white characters. Whether it's an issue book or not black people deserve authentic representation in the main characters. You gave an example of a young girl writing a saviour type story, but her 'heart was in the right place' - that may be the case but but IMPACT matters not only intention. Perhaps you could have encouraged her to imagine she was the white adopted sibling of the black kid and how she would react and write it from that POV which could also encourage her to reflect on her own biases and stereotypes. As a POC child, I learnt from a young age many white kids had it deeply embedded in their young minds that foreign/non-white people needed the charity of fine white people and this inevitably leads to a superiority mentality. These attitudes, which btw are rooted in white supremacy, are very harmful to POC children. Also a black British person and a Black American do have different experiences, that I agree - but they are both still black and to a certain degree that is a shared experience. There's a reason why many black americans and black british do such a good job in writing african inspired fantasy. It is NOT the same as a white American writing it at all. I say this as a black person who has lived in west africa, america and Britain - we do definitely have a distinct shared experience, hence BLM etc is global especially in the diaspora where we all face similar experiences living in predominantly white populated countries.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Thank you for this thoughtful comment! I absolutely see where you're coming from. In regards to the girl in my workshop, we did have those discussions and I agree that's a really important thing to unpack with writers of all ages. When it comes to who can/should write certain perspectives - I think there's a difference between writing a novel filled with diverse characters (some of which may have POVs), and writing a novel centering one single character and their marginalized experience. And while I know what I, personally, will and will not do when it comes to my own novels, I'm just deeply uncomfortable with telling other writers what they can and cannot write. I can't find the line - there's always a valid "but what if?" and that often leads to marginalized authors questioning themselves, doubting their stories, and worst of all, giving up. I think everyone should consider all of this - everything you said - and make the decision that feels right to them.

@coneil72 Год назад

American Dirt was read - and blurbed - by various POCs, including Latino writers, before it was published. This does not contraindicate your argument that more diverse publishers is a better solution to the lack of diversity in books than policing own voices (an argument I agree with). But it's an important nuance.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад

Absolutely - to be completely honest, I followed the AD controversy on a surface level at best, and I didn't want to do a deep dive tangent in an already too long video! But I do remember that it had blurbs from Latino writers, and I also remember THEM getting backlash for supporting it, which...is a whole other can of worms!

@chupacabra77 Год назад

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor This begs another point, re:sensitivty readers and their usefulness. No group is a monolith. No one person can ever speak on behalf of an entire population, and yet sensitivity readersare expected to do just that.

@coneil72 Год назад

@@chupacabra77 Yes - which is why sensitivity readers should always be anonymous. At the end of the day, the author is responsible for what they write.

@JayceFisher 11 месяцев назад

Don't write to target such a sensitive market. It is what it is. There is another market - one who'd like to read something that does not reek of conformity. Stay true - or Pander.

@StevenSheltonAuthor 10 месяцев назад

As Jewish, gay, neurodivergent, disabled man (yes, i have all those), I love this video. I literally had a cishet woman running an expensive query-prep program tell me a year ago that I couldn't use #ownvoices in my query letters because the industry doesn't recognize it anymore. Literally, at the same time, agents and editors were posting on Twitter that they were looking for #ownvoices authors. The audacity of a cishet woman to tell a LGBTQIA+ author they couldn't use #ownvoices in their query letter. When I called her on it, she doubled down by telling me what was and was not acceptable by a marginalized author to use to promote their #ownvoices writing. In the end, the kicked me from the group. While I understand why some don't want to use the #ownvoices label, it's arrogant and wrong for a cishet nondiverse woman to tell someone they can't.