What if Editors Don't Want <*Your Kind of Book*> Anymore?

Hey friends,

My brilliant and wonderful friend and fellow agent Jim McCarthy, of Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret, was quoted in a recent article in The Hill about the chilling effect Trump's anti-LGBTQ policies have had on the children's publishing industry. He said, “I did have an editor pass on a project and specifically say that in the face of so many book bans and so much concern about decreasing school library sales of queer content that they were passing on a because they didn’t believe there would be enough of a market for them to have access.” Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I hate this so much. Not Jim, of course, but the stuff Jim is talking about. I haven't had this same experience myself, wherein an editor has specifically told me they couldn't buy a book of mine because they thought book bans would lead to lower sales. I haven't, though, had that many kids book to send out lately. I believe it, though. Libraries are a HUGE part the sales of any children's book–picture book, middle grade, or YA–and I am not surprised at all that skittish or directly embattled librarians are being forced to avoid books that might rile up overzealous and bigoted groups like Moms for Liberty. Every sale counts, and this can add up. It's sucks. It's horrible. And every one of us, agents, editors, authors, AND librarians, hate it hate it hate it.

Of course, this spiraled out of control online and the message metastasized into all editors in publishing have been ordered to stop buying books by queer and marginalized authors, which is not true at all. Honestly, Publishers, the captial-P people who are in charge of imprints at publishing houses, don't walk around saying No one buy anymore X kinds of books! especially when it comes to the identity of the author and/or the characters. Editors might hear from their bosses, in response to a specific book, we've noticed sales of Chuthulu romances slipping that last six months. Maybe this isn't the right project to go after. But rarely, if ever, is an edict handed down that says No More X Books.

I am not naïve enough to think that bias doesn't creep into acquisitions meetings or editor's acceptances or rejections. We're all human. That isn't an excuse. But I will say publishing leans liberal and the editors I wouldn't trust with my most vulnerable clients are few and far between. Still, I get it. Everything sucks right now. It is not surprising to hear that editors don't want queer books anymore. It's just not true. Whether they can buy them or not because of the direct actions of Trump and his supporters looking to ban books by marginalized communities–that's what we have to keep an eye on, and do all we can to combat it. If you want to DO something about it, talk to your local librarians and school boards. Get involved. Join anti-book ban organizations. Buy books when you can. Check them out of the library, too. Keep writing.

Until this all goes away. I am also not so naïve to think that one day all of this will blow over and it'll be 2010 again forever and ever. Things aren't going to go back to "normal." But, I do think we who support marginalized communities will regain our ground against those who don't. Moms for Liberty et al will get voted out of school boards and take their stranglehold off of library budgets. YA librarians will one day not be afraid to put out Pride displays for fear of being called a "groomer." That I firmly believe. It won't be perfect everywhere, but I do think one day it's going to be better.

And publishing professionals are in it for the long game. Y'all, we're thinking about, hunting for, dreaming about books that will come out in 2030. 2030!!! A real date that will happen one day, after it happens. Which means we need you to keep writing your books so we have something to sell them and so readers have something to read. If you think four years is a LONG time to wait for a book to come out, well, I hate to be the one to tell you that nothing is fast in publishing, lol. Agents and editors are right this moment looking for books that will fill the 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031 lists, and beyond. Publishing is a long game. Stick in it with us. The kids need the books.

I intended to write more here about the less critical version of what if editors don't want <your kind of book> anymore as in romantasy isn't selling or everyone says historical romance is dead etc etc etc, which is a different and thankfully less fraught thing (but that has more or less the same answer: keep writing, it's a long game). But this is enough for today and now I'm all riled up. I know that Thursdays (natch, it's Friday) are usually our Q&A day and usually for subscribers only. But sometimes, there are more important things to talk about.

Stay strong. Keep writing. Abolish ICE.

XOXOXOXOX,

Kate