This week in #5Books publishing articles I found the most annoying article about transgender titles — an extremely frustrating POV from authors and editors about the influx of trans titles about trans characters already. I’m still annoyed about that, but it’s here because it does comes with an excellent list of trans titles recommendations for kids and YA readers.
I also found an essay about the experiences of authors of colour in publishing and it’s another source of aggravation at how many close-minded agents, editors and publishers are so limited in their thinking and their opinions of audiences who they think they know.
In much better news, I’m so excited about an award-winning and acclaimed author coming to Sydney, and laughed at a new range of books out from Penguin. Last, is news of a gorgeous and unusual love story memoir between a girl and her violin.
Liu Cixin, winner of the Hugo Award this year for best novel is going to be speaking at the University of Sydney about the future of China through science fiction.
Daniel Jose Older: Is the acclaimed author of Half-Resurrection Blues and ShadowShaper . Here is his essay about the experiences of authors of colour in publishing. What was frustrating to read was the agents that dismissed their characters because they didn’t connect with the POCs in his books. Agents are looking for the most marketable characters, who are white and yet there are audiences who growing beyond this limited thinking and want more.
Gone: a memoir of love, loss and redemption: Gone is the memoir of child prodigy Min Kym, who started playing when she was three, and joined the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at 13. Her soul mate is a 1696 Stradivarius, which was stolen from her in 2010. Mercifully, it was found in 2013, and this is the story of her dealing with the loss of something she describes as ‘all my life my Stradivarius had been waiting for me as I had been waiting for her’ — that’s love. And it can’t be any less considering her talent and her achievements with the violin. Viking is going to publish this gem in 2017.
The Ladybird Book of the hipster: That name right there is what caught my attention with this article, mostly because I continue to make fun of of hipsters, sometimes way too much. Anyway, you know these Ladybird books for kids, right? Well, this title and seven more are part of the Ladybird book series for grown-ups. Yup. They are: The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis, The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness, The Ladybird Book of Dating, The Ladybird Book of Sheds, The Ladybird Book of The Hipster, The Ladybird Book of the Hangover, How it Works: The Husband and How it Works: The Wife. Snorts. I’m so getting the hipster one!
Transgender titles for young readers: This gives me pleasure to read — it’s about the increasing number of transgender titles for young and YA readers AND it has a wonderful list of recommendations as well. What gives me pause though is that authors, editors and booksellers apparently want to see more books with trans characters where their transness isn’t a major plot point. They are just there. Because they are just here.
Did we suddenly get an influx of trans titles to the point that writing about a trans character going through transition or dealing with the emotions and decisions of being transgender should now not be a focus? This is something kids are only just being exposed to and will need to see books and characters that reflect them and their situations and already it seems authors, booksellers and editors are tired of it… whut?
That’s utterly disappointing.
UGH. What do you think of this article?
In other news, I’m hopefully going to see Liu Cixin here in Sydney, for which I am SO excited. The Ladybird books for adults are the funniest things and Gone is the most unusual love story, I think. Daniel Jose Older’s essay is essential reading to understand what authors of colour experience and it’s frustrating and ridiculous to see how we’re are missing out on unique voices out there.
What did you think of the articles this week?
