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Monday, May 14, 2012
Invisible No More
They're simply not reading.
I hate to think it's that simple, but. . .
well, you decide. . . prove me wrong.
311,000,000 people in the USA.
Some say 10% are gay.
A recent conservative guestimate says
it may be as low as 3.5%.
Doubtful, but let's go with the conservative.
3.5% is 11,000,000 gay people in the USA.
(world percentage would be 230,000,000)
I've read that a book must sell 10,000 copies to be considered worth-while/minimally successful.
If even 1% of the 11 million gay people in the USA bought a book with a gay hero/protagonist in it... that book would sell 110,000 copies! And that's just ONE PERCENT of the gay population of the USA.
Now imagine if even 10 in 100 gay people bought a book!
1 million books would be sold.
Just 10% of us could push our books to success.
I suck at math.
So my math could be off here and there.
But not dramatically.
Not enough to convince me gay people are supporting each other.
Another Theory
Maybe there are plenty of gay readers out there.
Maybe they're all reading
books with straight characters.
When I research and see the majority of
gay titles being romance and erotica and self-help it's discouraging. There's nothing wrong with those books, it's just that we are MORE than that. Publishers see the romance/erotica selling, and
think that's all we read! If that's all we're reading, how sad. (disclaimer: there are plenty of murder
mysteries, self-help, coming-out books and lots of gay vampires, but it's not the majority, and hardly compares to the diversity of mainstream literature. And no, I haven't forgotten about Tales of the City.)
Kids are the big losers here
Gay kids grow up invisible....
They rarely ever see themselves in mainstream books or movies or songs (pronoun trouble). And even in books where a gay character is featured, they are pushed to secondary status/importance. Rarely the main character.
Easily fixed
What if we all just bought a book with a gay character in it once in a while? I can afford to drop $10 to $25 on a book in support of equality, in an effort to make our numbers heard. For me, this isn't political. I remember being one of those invisible kids who never saw themselves or anyone like me in books or movies. We all know what that feels like. We can easily change that.
There was a recent controversy in the publishing industry addressing whether or not agents or editors try to censor gay authors. I couldn't see anything proven conclusively, but I do know this: If I'm an agent, and I'm trying to make a living, and I've got publishers shying away from publishing gay characters, what would you expect me to do?
Conclusion:
Our dollars are the answer. Find books other than erotica, romance and self-help, and start evening the score. Gay people are simply not supporting literacy and our invisible little brothers and sisters, or the numbers would track differently.
That book you just bought makes a difference.
Heck, buy a spare copy for the local library!
I intend to do my part and buy some books with gays as MAIN CHARACTERS, even if I don't read them.
I intend to do my part and buy some books with gays as MAIN CHARACTERS, even if I don't read them.
I hope someday my community will wake up, and realize they have the power to support each other, and make these kids feel normal/less alone.
Gay or straight, how easy it would be to buy a book, and make a difference.
~Shephard
UPDATE:
I read WITCH EYES by Scott Tracey (cover below) and absolutely LOVED IT! Beautifully written, evocative, fun, a bit of a whodunit, with rich characters that you care about. In addition to a bit of a mystery, it's also a very sweet romance whose protagonist has a purity of heart and intention that gave this story a true compass. It's not your typical Harry Potter or Twilight story, thankfully. I found it original and so encouraging! PLEASE BUY IT !
posted by Shephard @ 