"female presumed-heterosexual writing is being systematically promoted over that of gay men, both in the initial publishing stages and in shops where the books are available."
Yes and no. The people publishing m/m are not and have never been GLBT publishers and are marketing to an audience which never formed the traditional market for gay fic by gay men. In that respect, pro m/m has *widened* the market for gay men because they can and do pitch at this new female audience quite successfully. When they want to. The gay market for gay fic isn't growing, I believe, and gay publishers are going out of business, so the opportunities to write for one's own group and be published by one's own people are much less. But that's not because of m/m. Men looking elsewhere for publishers are competing with the women already with those publishers.
Some gay publishers are taking on women writers - like Lethe Press has. But seriously, if gay men have a problem with what *gay* publishers are doing? They should take the fight to them, not to women authors.
I've repeatedly said that m/m would be much improved by more gay men's voices *alongside* the women's - and there's definitely an opportunity there for gay writers, so long as they write romance. Romance publishers aren't interested in wider gay lit, but they're not interested in wider lit by women either.
"I think that might be significant in how we're reacting to having Gay Men telling us We're Doin' It Wrong, even though they might be right."
Yes, indeed. And gay men, god love them, don't understand the hostility isn't coming from homophobia or even rampant privilege a lot of the time.
no subject
Yes and no. The people publishing m/m are not and have never been GLBT publishers and are marketing to an audience which never formed the traditional market for gay fic by gay men. In that respect, pro m/m has *widened* the market for gay men because they can and do pitch at this new female audience quite successfully. When they want to.
The gay market for gay fic isn't growing, I believe, and gay publishers are going out of business, so the opportunities to write for one's own group and be published by one's own people are much less. But that's not because of m/m. Men looking elsewhere for publishers are competing with the women already with those publishers.
Some gay publishers are taking on women writers - like Lethe Press has. But seriously, if gay men have a problem with what *gay* publishers are doing? They should take the fight to them, not to women authors.
I've repeatedly said that m/m would be much improved by more gay men's voices *alongside* the women's - and there's definitely an opportunity there for gay writers, so long as they write romance. Romance publishers aren't interested in wider gay lit, but they're not interested in wider lit by women either.
"I think that might be significant in how we're reacting to having Gay Men telling us We're Doin' It Wrong, even though they might be right."
Yes, indeed. And gay men, god love them, don't understand the hostility isn't coming from homophobia or even rampant privilege a lot of the time.
"Have a cute panda icon."
Sankyuu :)