Nowhere to go...
While there have always been gatekeepers in the publishing industry, we are hearing from a number of newbie authors who feel that they will never get published via the traditional route because of “wrong think”. Here, one of our members explains the difficulties of navigating the YA Fiction world when your views don’t fit…
When I finally embarked on my journey as an author, I anticipated that my chances of being commercially published were not great. I also understood that even being picked up by a literary agent would be tremendously difficult, given the sheer volume of wannabe writers out there. Nevertheless, I decided to be optimistic: I wrote my novel, took part in two Writers and Artists courses and after a session with a famous bookseller agent, I came away feeling confident that my writing was of a good standard and that my story ideas were “commercially viable”.
That was three years ago.
After spending countless hours researching suitable agents and composing submission packages specific to each agency, I finally bit the bullet this summer and realised that self-publishing was the only way forward for me currently, given how pervasively and internationally the Young Adult market has been ideologically captured.
As concerns my personal views regarding sex-realism, there was no Damascene conversion; it was simply a case of growing up in the knowledge of there being two sexes and never being convinced by the (relatively recent) argument that the way a person “feels” might not match their sex. However since becoming a mother in 2020, I am now very passionate about safeguarding my three children about any gender-fluidity nonsense they might be exposed to when not in my care.
My novel, Interitum: A Supernatural Love Story, is a modern gothic YA paranormal romance, essentially updating the perturbed poltergeist in a haunted house trope for 21st century teenage readers. While not overtly ‘pushing’ a gender-critical message, the protagonists are also not questioning biology or social norms; instead they are too busy falling in heterosexual love with one another.
Over the course of my research into literary agencies, I slowly realised that the vast majority of those representing Young Adult novels would have no interest in my story from the offset, as their Manuscript Wish Lists / Query Tracker pages make it perfectly clear that they are only interested in stories that centre around “voices that have historically been underrepresented”, and, that if my book is about an identity that is not mine, it would not be a good fit for their agency! (Well, I would be impressed indeed if they could find an author who identifies as a ghost; although that is probably not beyond the bounds of belief in today’s world..!)
The vast majority of agents I did submit to are less explicit in this precondition on their agency websites, but upon scrutinising the Twitter bios of said agents, it became clear that they were never going to be interested in my writing.
I recently posted a thread on X/Twitter that demonstrated how the majority of YA lit agents are predominantly seeking novels about LGBTQI+ / BIPOC / *insert-supposedly- marginalised-but-actually-currently-very-hyped-up-group-here* and have no interest in publishing stories about white heterosexual protagonists written by white heterosexual authors https://x.com/le_dearden/status/1818584985864921386?s=46 .
In preparation to self-publish, I used a renowned literary consultancy company for a manuscript edit. While I was pleased with their services, I was amazed by the hoops I had to jump through to get the particularly editing service I wanted, for example specifying that I didn’t want a sensitivity reader combing through my manuscript to point out my wrong think on gender-related issues. I was also obliged to highlight any instances of violence or sexual abuse in my story, so that any editors would be suitably selected and/or trigger-warned.
I must emphasise that I cannot claim to have been actively discriminated against due to my gender critical views - only that no agent or publishing house has been interested in taking on my novels – however as previously mentioned, I am confident that my work is simply not of interest to the overwhelming majority of literary agents due to it not representing viewpoints from a minority group.
When SEEN in Publishing was first announced, I was keen to become a member as I was desperate to speak with like-minded people, and to have the ability to exchange ideas and stories without fear of cancellation. I am not interested in courting the favours of those writers/agents/publishers who do not share (or at least have an open-mind to) my beliefs. They are not who I want to work with ultimately.
To say I’m disappointed to have wasted so much of my time researching agents and curating submission packages is an understatement (add a dose of motherly guilt for not spending that time on my children instead). In any case, I’m hopeful that the market will eventually course correct this publishing trajectory, but in the meantime I’ll stick to self-publishing…
If anyone here is looking for a story for teenage girls that uses evolutionary psychology to explain teenage behaviour and relationships - rather than ideology - then can I point you towards, Interitum: A Supernatural Love Story, available on Amazon:
LE Dearden
Thank you for this. I have a similar experience. While I am content to accept that agents and publishers rejected or ignored my offering because they believed my book to be unmarketable for other reasons, I do have the slightest suspicion that it did not meet the LGBTQ+ demands. The novel is written in first person by a white, heterosexual 15 year old Scottish boy, navigating his difficulties with dysfunctional parents and struggling to get a girlfriend. His best friend is gay, not because I needed a token gay, but just because that’s what he told me himself when he leapt out of the pages.
Reader have expressed amazement that I, an elderly woman, could write so compellingly in the voice of a teen boy, but most of my working life has been with teen lads - I know their landscape.
Teens who have read my book said they enjoyed how real it was to their experiences and said they strongly identified with the characters. But very few teens will read it cos it’s self published, and doesn’t have a ‘minority’ voice.
I read around 20 YA novels, including prize winning ones, in preparation for writing this one. Almost none of them addressed the pressure everyday adolescents experience.
Anyway, my very best wishes with your novel. Mine can be found at most online outlets, but probably not in a bookshop!
‘ Adults and How to Survive Them’ Jeannie Mackenzie May 2024 https://www.waterstones.com/book/adults-and-how-to-survive-them/jeannie-mackenzie/9781738558902
As a fellow writer I have the same concerns - though given that rejection is a staple of the process, in practice it's virtually impossible to prove it's ideological . . .. but a reputable older agent has warned me informally that mainstream publishing is basically staffed and gate-kept by exactly the kind of posh young arts-grad females who are all-in for this kind of Social Justice, LGBTQIA+ activism.
I can't believe it's not having a massive impact on the quality of published output; anyone who thinks they need a Sensitivity Reader in my view for example is simply admitting they haven't done sufficient research. But authors may not have a choice.