Unexpected personal reaction

[AnyOldPrion]

Not sure whether anyone else has experienced something similar to this, but here goes.

I’m a published author, not remotely famous, and I don’t have an agent. I am currently looking for one. I am openly gender critical on Twitter and had wondered whether it would affect my chances. I was aware it was possible, but a GC agent told me on Twitter that it was quite likely agents wouldn’t check Twitter anyway.

Today I’ve had my first rejection and alongside the agent’s name was «she/her».

And I found myself thinking for the first time that if someone put their pronouns in their signature, I would struggle if they actually did want to see more of my work. My day job is in an industry where I’ve never ever seen anyone use pronouns in their signature and it felt utterly bizarre (and very negative) to me. I’m surprised at the strength of my reaction, though I didn’t submit to another agent who was open enough to have their pronouns on the website.

I guess, for the past few years, I’ve had the self-confidence to know when I’m interviewing for jobs that it’s a two way process and I’m assessing whether I want to work there as much as they’re assessing whether they want me. I guess it extends further than I thought. I’d already concluded that if shutting up about women’s rights was necessary to get a contract, that I wouldn’t be willing to do so.

I do wonder whether this is wholly the wrong time to be attempting to break into an industry that is so deeply embroiled in this debate, and where feelings are running so high.

Deeply frustrated.

I know what you mean. I strayed back onto LinkedIn recently after a few months hiatus and was shocked to see people who have added pronouns to their bios. In some cases I just felt really disappointed in them as in "I don't believe that you believe this, do you". Most of them were employed by big corporates so I suspect they have been SW'd!

There are GC authors who have agents who are GC, or not bothered. If you find out via Twitter who they are and who their agents are, then you could apply to them, where suitable.

Book publishing is full of trans ideology, but there are also many GC people, a lot of them biding their time or flying under the radar. My GC tendencies seem to be quietly tolerated thus far. A lot of “allies” are just following fashion or covering their backs. So I do think you should try, as I do think the tide will turn and people shouldn’t have to self-censor out of publication IYSWIM.

On Twitter these days I can tell 90% of the time if someone is a pronouns type just by looking at their photo :o

I’d apply that to myself too, I’m sure it’s obvious.

The publishing industry is rife with TRA ideology. Because it's full of posh white people whom the ideology will never affect.

I think it's also because there is a culture of "being nice" in the book industry, especially children's books, and an image of lovely bookish people who all get along and are all sweet and inclusive and cuddly. Of course it's bollocks as like many creative industries it's also full of jealousy, backbiting and cliques, but a lot of people adhere to the pretence. Being a trans ally is an obvious way to signal it.

Some of the stuff I've read makes the publishing world look like one of the scariest fields to work in imaginable.

Especially the horrors of "young adult" fiction.

Yes, Radio 4's The Purity Spiral has some good examples, and the nasty attacks spearheaded by a particular group of British YA and children's writers have featured on these pages a few times. If they're active on social media they're well aware of how trans/queer/alphabet/flag stuff is catnip to teenagers in Tumblr fantasy fandoms so they go courting that.

@QueenPeary

There are GC authors who have agents who are GC, or not bothered. If you find out via Twitter who they are and who their agents are, then you could apply to them, where suitable.

Book publishing is full of trans ideology, but there are also many GC people, a lot of them biding their time or flying under the radar. My GC tendencies seem to be quietly tolerated thus far. A lot of “allies” are just following fashion or covering their backs. So I do think you should try, as I do think the tide will turn and people shouldn’t have to self-censor out of publication IYSWIM.

That’s really useful to know thanks. Oddly enough, the agent in question was working somewhere that might be expected to be GC, but the photo did give me pause. I know a few GC authors on Twitter but those I know best are children’s authors, retired or removing themselves from publishing.

I've wondered before whether it wouldn't save a lot of hassle to very clearly state I am an adult human female somewhere on my CV, to save wasting time pursuing any kind of working relationship with anyone who would be a bad match - I'd find it v hard to work with someone who was deeply into identity politics.

But I just have a strong aversion to declaring political things like that. Maybe easier, as pps have said, to try and work out who might be best avoided. Pronouns, in this instance are actually useful as a marker of whom to bodyswerve.

I work at a university, so pronouns are everywhere as you can probably imagine. I have refused to do it and have publicly challenged the trend. I have found it effective to challenge the 'allyship' element of it, by asking people why they don't want to signal their good intentions towards other marginalised people ie those with disabilities, minority religious faiths, etc. They can't answer and hopefully it makes them think.

OP, I’m really sorry but you absolutely have to separate your GC social media from your author brand if you want a mainstream publishing contract. The industry is too far down the rabbithole.

Either a pen name for the work, or a pseudonymous Twitter account without a photo and with your tracks heavily covered.

I work in this area and cannot recommend highly enough that you spare yourself the misery of repeated rejections/blacklisting and just scrub your author profile to make innocuous. Sorry to be the bearer of such shitty info.

@LazyViper

OP, I’m really sorry but you absolutely have to separate your GC social media from your author brand if you want a mainstream publishing contract. The industry is too far down the rabbithole.

Either a pen name for the work, or a pseudonymous Twitter account without a photo and with your tracks heavily covered.

I work in this area and cannot recommend highly enough that you spare yourself the misery of repeated rejections/blacklisting and just scrub your author profile to make innocuous. Sorry to be the bearer of such shitty info.

I’d rather not be published than be told what I can and cannot say.

Deeply frustrated and saddened by the bigotry in an industry that should be open minded.

I was aware it was possible, but a GC agent told me on Twitter that it was quite likely agents wouldn’t check Twitter anyway.

I'm not in publishing but follow a few writers on social media - tbh I'm extremely surprised someone in the industry said this! Twitter is the be-all-and-end-all for some...

@CardinalLolzy

I was aware it was possible, but a GC agent told me on Twitter that it was quite likely agents wouldn’t check Twitter anyway.

I'm not in publishing but follow a few writers on social media - tbh I'm extremely surprised someone in the industry said this! Twitter is the be-all-and-end-all for some...

It surprised me too. I suspect the reality is that for some agents, social media will be important, for others not.

Maybe this is a bit Pollyanna ish of me but I sort of feel that it's a bit wrong to write someone off (in either direction - publisher to author or author to publisher) because they give their pronouns - just as it would be to write someone off because they have GC views.

It would be different if they'd posted something offensive of course (on either side of the argument), or if you were wanting to publish something specific about gender ideology.

I guess I feel like it would be better if both sides could be tolerant of the other's views and that we should lead by example.

I may be being too idealistic tho :)

I’d rather not be published than be told what I can and cannot say.

Same. Blacklist me. Increasingly I believe that will soon become a positive list rather than a negative. I predict a rash of very sharp reverse ferrets on this issue in the near future.

There are GC writers, publishers and agents. It's not possible to cancel us all.

@DisappearingGirl

Maybe this is a bit Pollyanna ish of me but I sort of feel that it's a bit wrong to write someone off (in either direction - publisher to author or author to publisher) because they give their pronouns - just as it would be to write someone off because they have GC views.

It would be different if they'd posted something offensive of course (on either side of the argument), or if you were wanting to publish something specific about gender ideology.

I guess I feel like it would be better if both sides could be tolerant of the other's views and that we should lead by example.

I may be being too idealistic tho :)

Depends what you mean by writing someone off.

If someone wanted to read more of my work and had pronouns in their signature, I would probably at that point declare my leanings and take it from there, because with an agent, it’s essential you can work together. I wouldn’t inevitably reject them out of hand.

But I would be much more wary and I don’t think I could continue and pretend it was nothing because it is potentially such a huge divisive issue.

I hope you’re right Arabella Scott. It’s hard to be certain, but sometimes I think the blind support for transactivism is starting to wobble somewhat. Industries that are still holding out might take longer to shift, but there’s definitely an element to this which is a trend, and like all trends, it will pass.

As some in this industry I (respectfully) disagree with LazyViper - it’s important that we don’t encourage the blacklisting and monoculture by hiding our views, or we’re all heading to Animal Farm. I have retreated from engaging in the debate by loudly arguing with tras on Twitter, and I don’t get involved in any attacks whatsoever, but I don’t hide my views, it’s easy to tell from my likes and follows that I’m GC, and I have been blocked by some.

I do agree with disappearingGirl that pronoun-displayers shouldn’t be written off. I did say I can spot them but that doesn’t mean I shun them. I follow many of them because I know and like them, admire their work, work with them or just because they help me stay up-to-date with the progress of the whole genderist situation.

I was much more of a handmaiden when I was younger, and I think it’s very hard for any woman to fully disentangle from gender expectations to be nice, inclusive, pander to men etc, especially when you’re young and especially in publishing which has a hugely sexist structure in the main with a lots of young women on lower pay and a lot of older men in charge. I’m sure many of the publishers and authors I know mean well and genuinely think they are just being supportive and nice. Others have been involved in bullying and cancelling behaviour but I think they too are capable of understanding more about gender, feminism and patriarchy as they get older, as has happened to me - and it’s not inconceivable that I can learn from them. If we don’t stay in contact and interaction, it’s harder for all of us to move on from this - and I’m confident we will.

I want to be findable by anyone in my industry who is looking for others with my views, so they can begin to “come out” if they want to or just have someone to ask about it.

And I do accept I may lose my livelihood but I’ve made my peace with that. It’s reassuring that it hasn’t happened so far but I’ll move industries if that’s what I have to do.

Also there are actually several high-profile openly GC writers, and considering the atmosphere they are very brave to be so. It’s important to me that I follow them and show them support in that way, and not go down the route of making sure I’m not seen to go near them.

I agree with arabella too, it’s a long road but this will turn around. I am happy that I’m not someone who will have to look back in embarrassment on publicly nailing my colours to a sexist, regressive, dangerous ideology for the sake of my career.

I struggle with the pronoun people and I wouldn't want one as my agent. I wish it weren't so, but that's how I feel. [shrug]

Fortunately, there are GC agents and writers still out there - and I like to think those without their pronouns are with us too.

I think the fact that you are GC could be seen by some agents and publishers as a good thing. Genuinely. Please keep going - TRA's dominate the industry right now, but things will turn and behind the scenes, things are moving.

I think the fact that you are GC could be seen by some agents and publishers as a good thing. Genuinely. Please keep going

I have also considered this. Those who are covertly GC must be aware that to express those views at all takes courage.

And I will definitely keep going. I’ve been rejected before. I hate it, but it’s better than throwing in the towel when I’ve barely begun looking.

That's a very mature, measured and sensible approach, QueenPeary.

Definitely makes sense to maintain a sense of perspective and try to look for common ground. Always worth remembering that very few people are extreme on the subject. Louder voices can tend to make things seem more combative than they actually are or need to be. I'm sure plenty of bepronouned people mean well and are sensible enough to discuss things like adults.