Shon Faye publishing book on trans rights

[PrincessPlummy]

'So my first book is being published by Penguin Press. It’s a political discussion (‘polemic’ sounds too angry) how British trans people are discriminated against in every aspect of life. Sick of the media conversation so starting my own. Stay tuned!'

twitter.com/shonfaye/status/1105430715859116033

[WeepingWillowWeepingWino]

I find it deeply irritating that this has been acquired by Allen Lane, of all the Penguin imprints. Allen Lane don't publish crap. It will add real legitimacy to trans ideology.

Publishing is full of white liberal lefty middle class I'm-so-open-minded-my-brains-have-fallen-out types. Mainly women and gay men. And I can imagine the younger crowd just out of uni will be even worse.

[Lamaha]

I find it deeply irritating that this has been acquired by Allen Lane, of all the Penguin imprints. Allen Lane don't publish crap. It will add real legitimacy to trans ideology.

Exactly. And in a four-way auction (several publishers bidding) the advance would not have been paltry at all, probably six figures.

[BettyDuMonde]

Presumably they have an efficient legal team to fact check the claims Faye makes?

Because there might not be a whole lot left to publish...

[WeepingWillowWeepingWino]

they may not even realise they need to give it a legal read...

[Datun]

Yeah, I'm not convinced. The zeitgeist has just passed.

Sports, Sharron Davies, Penny mordaunt, Maria Miller, the NHS review, the Tavistock scandals, Miranda Yardley's case being thrown out.

Wheels are coming off. But you may not know that, if you don't temperature check on the hour, every hour, like mumsnetters do.

[WeepingWillowWeepingWino]

That's a good point - if it was acquired yesterday then, even if it's been written, it'll be at least a year till publication. I actually wonder if it will get published at all.

[AbsintheFriends]

Publishing is full of white liberal lefty middle class I'm-so-open-minded-my-brains-have-fallen-out types

Exactly this ^^ But the real world, especially beyond London, is a different matter. I have a feeling that sales will be reported as 'disappointing' and the chances of it coming anywhere near earning out its inflated advance are small to never-going-to-happen. The target market for this book are the kind of people who crowdfund for a sandwich. They might read it, but only if they can find a free download.

[Lamaha]

That's a good point - if it was acquired yesterday then, even if it's been written, it'll be at least a year till publication. I actually wonder if it will get published at all.

It's very possible that agent and publisher were not aware of how much the tide has turned in the last few months. If it gathers even more momentum (the tide) they could very well decide not to publish after all.

Exactly this ^^ But the real world, especially beyond London, is a different matter. I have a feeling that sales will be reported as 'disappointing' and the chances of it coming anywhere near earning out its inflated advance are small to never-going-to-happen. The target market for this book are the kind of people who crowdfund for a sandwich. They might read it, but only if they can find a free download.
Well put.
By the time it comes out, too, hundreds of thousands more women (and men) will have peak transed. It's been sold within a self-congratulatory echo-chamber. Nobody will be listening by then.

[AyeRobot]

Hehehe. Keep going Shon and invest that advance wisely because you'll struggle for work afterwards. You'll get massive publicity on the back of this, but it won't be good.

And write it quick because we're almost at jumped the shark time.

[BettyDuMonde]

I wonder if this bidding war will result in a rush to sign other trans authors or if other publishers will go with a ‘wait and see’ approach?

Could be a very expensive mistake for the industry - I’m sure Paris, Juno and Owl will all want to outdo Shon’s deal...

[TowelNumber42]

I do hope John Crace does a digested read of it in the Guardian

[Katvonfelttipeyebrows]

Offfffff that letter to Miranda.

👀

The level of hate towards MY is horrible to witness. I don't understand why the woke don't see this?

Miranda I'd buy you a pint any day of the week.

[mirandayardley]

I would like to add that Shon wrote that letter to me after I’d tweeted at Shon some disapproving tweets because Shon had been saying awful things about feminist writers and commentators, mainly about their appearance, because when you have no argument only personal attacks will do.

[Mamaryllis]

Ok try again as apparently using language that the writer now calling themself Shon Faye used about themself gets you deleted.
Shon was far more interesting when they wrote this:
www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/dec/06/my-life-in-makeup

[Mamaryllis]

Just seen slug posted it earlier. How times change. Grauniad too.

[WeepingWillowWeepingWino]

I've just read Shon's letter to Miranda. How can one be simultaneously monstrous and insignificant? It's a conundrum, that's for sure.

Well, I'm sure some lucky copy editor will earn lots of money turning Shon's shite into some kind of readable prose.

[altforvarmt]

It would appear that it's taken some considerable time to turn it into some kind of readable prose. It's due to be released in September.

mobile.twitter.com/shonfaye/status/1362356599109660674

[aliasundercover]

As soon as I can download it from a dodgy Russian book sharing site I will read it. I’m looking forward to it.

[PandorasMailbox]

Might be handy if there's another loo roll shortage.

[RoyalCorgi]

Coincidentally, Helen Joyce's book 'Trans: when ideology meets reality' is also coming out in September. I look forward to seeing them reviewed together.

[AbsintheFriends]

I see this and just think, great - bring it on.

I hope ol' 'Enjoy Ur Erasure' Faye gets loads of media slots to promote this 'Argument for Justice', so the population at large can learn exactly how we must all do better and educate ourselves in the ways in which we must alter our language and thoughts to accommodate massively marginalised and oppressed privately-educated white XY people like Shon.

[HermitsLife]

But much of this acceptance has hinged on a narrow and restrictive conception of gay identity, dominated by the voices of middle class, white and politically conservative gay men

At this point my irony meter broke, Iconoclastic indeed.

If its half as good as the letter to Miranda I'm sure it will be a fascinating read.