Reasons for withdrawal: why I have pulled out of WICKED PRETTY THINGS.: seanan

Reasons for withdrawal: why I have pulled out of WICKED PRETTY THINGS.

Just last week, I announced that I would have a story in the YA anthology Wicked Pretty Things. I was extremely excited; this was going to be my first young adult publication, and I really, really want to start publishing some of my YA (werewolves and movie stars and sociological experiments, oh my). It seemed like a great opportunity.

Then I heard that one of the authors, Jessica Verday, had pulled out of the anthology. Which seemed a little odd, given how late we were in the process.

And then I found out her reason. To quote her blog post on the subject (originally posted at http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/):

"I've received a lot of questions and comments about why I'm no longer a part of the Wicked Pretty Things anthology (US: Running Press, UK: Constable & Robinson) and I've debated the best way to explain why I pulled out of this anthology. The simple reason? I was told that the story I'd wrote, which features Wesley (a boy) and Cameron (a boy), who were both in love with each other, would have to be published as a male/female story because a male/male story would not be acceptable to the publishers."

...uh, what? That's not okay. I mean, really, that's not okay. I began, in my slow, overly careful way, to get angry. Then I saw a statement from the editor, saying that the decision had been entirely hers, and had been in no way a reflection of the publisher's views. I sat back. I thought very, very hard. And I decided that, barring any additional developments, I would stay in the anthology, rather than hurting the other authors involved with the project by pulling out.

Naturally, there were additional developments. In light of the ongoing situation, my own discomfort with this whole thing, and the fact that discriminating on basis of sexual orientation is never okay, I have withdrawn my story from the collection.

And here's the thing. There is absolutely no reason to censor a story that was written to the guidelines (which dictated how much profanity, sexuality, etc. was acceptable, as good guidelines should). If Jessica had written hard-core erotica, then rejecting it would have made perfect sense. Not that kind of book. But she didn't. She wrote a romance, just like the rest of us, only her romance didn't include any girls. And she didn't get a rejection; she got her story accepted, just like the rest of us. Only while we got the usual editorial comments, she got "One of your characters needs to be turned into something he's not." And that's not okay.

Books do not determine a person's sexual orientation. I was not somehow destined to be straight, and led astray by Annie On My Mind and the Valdemar books. I was born with universal wiring. I have had boyfriends and I have had girlfriends and I have had both at the same time, and none of that—NONE OF THAT—is because I read a book where a girl was in love with a girl and I decided that being bisexual would be a fun way to kill a weekend.

But those books did tell me I didn't have to hate myself, and they did tell me that there was nothing wrong with me, and they did make it easier on everyone involved, because here was something I could hand to Mom and go "See? It's not just me, and it's not the end of the world, and it's not the only thing that defines me." Supposedly, ten percent of people are gay or bi with a tropism toward their own gender. It stands to reason that there should be positive non-hetero relationships in at least ten percent of YA literature. And they're not there. And things like this are why.

I am not withdrawing from this book because I'm not straight. I am withdrawing because of my little sister and her wife, and because of my girlfriend, and because of my best friend, and because of all the other people who deserve better than bullying through exclusion. Thanks to Jessica for bringing this to our attention, and thank you to everyone who has been supportive of my decision to withdraw.

I am sorry this had to be done. I am not sorry that I did it.

lyon_martin

March 28 2011, 18:08:55 UTC 6 years ago

New comment

Good for you!

I'd like to make this know to the kid lit community, with your permission.

seanan_mcguire

March 28 2011, 18:19:57 UTC 6 years ago

Of course.

6 years ago

Deleted comment

March 28 2011, 18:20:03 UTC 6 years ago

Very welcome.

mskauri

March 28 2011, 18:12:54 UTC 6 years ago

I am very PROUD of you for taking that stand--sad for the result (no YA work out in the world this time) but glad you are sticking to your principles! Someone should tell the publisher/editor that editing means that--NOT censorship!

March 28 2011, 18:20:37 UTC 6 years ago

I know. It's crazy that anyone would think this was okay. Again, erotica would have been bad, but a YA romance? I don't think it's anyone's business what the plumbing is.

kengr

March 28 2011, 18:20:47 UTC 6 years ago

You are very welcome.

ceilidh_ann

March 28 2011, 18:13:50 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you for this. You have my respect and support on all this. I hope we can read your story somewhere else one day (an anthology with the other writers who pulled out, perhaps?)

maya_a

March 28 2011, 18:15:26 UTC 6 years ago

What she said.
Thank you.

archangelbeth

johnnie_cakes

March 28 2011, 18:14:27 UTC 6 years ago

What a fantastic and moving post. Thanks for sharing this with us.

March 28 2011, 18:22:08 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you for reading.

myuki_chan

March 28 2011, 18:16:12 UTC 6 years ago

I'm glad you did this. I heard several other authors had pulled out too and that Melissa Marr had requested her name not be used in the blurb referencing the similarity to her work.

March 28 2011, 18:22:42 UTC 6 years ago

Yeah. I'm so glad this is a clear and visible statement of what is and is not okay, being made to the publisher in a way that would be hard to miss.

martianmooncrab

March 28 2011, 18:16:19 UTC 6 years ago

as if the only acceptable form of a YA romance is only girl/boy...

I know its hard for an author to pass an opportunity to have a story out there, and I will look forwards to when the story does come out, and I will support it.

Now I have to rethink purchasing any work or works done by Telep. I dont like when people change to the rules as it were.

March 28 2011, 18:23:05 UTC 6 years ago

I know I'm going to rethink doing any work with this publisher. It makes me sad.

sarahtales

March 28 2011, 18:17:06 UTC 6 years ago

This is an awesome post, and I applaud both you and Jessica.

And, I would be very excited to read YA by you, so I have my fingers crossed that I soon will. ;)

March 28 2011, 18:23:56 UTC 6 years ago

I hope so, too. :)

shoebrera

March 28 2011, 18:18:21 UTC 6 years ago

I applaud you for making this difficult decision.

Being soooo hetero it isn't funny, I once asked someone near and dear to me why he was bi. He shrugged and said, "Skin's skin. It's the person."
I thought about that. He was absolutely right, no doubt about it. And thus began my lessons.

When my son grew up and made an alternative choice, I understood. If not for good people helping me learn lessons beforehand, I've no clue how I would've reacted. But I'd had those wonderful people. And so I asked him to be happy. Period.

March 28 2011, 18:24:22 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you for asking him to be happy. If more parents did that, we would be such a saner species.

silvertwi

aaronpolson

March 28 2011, 18:18:38 UTC 6 years ago

You just gained a fan for life. And yes, I know that's not the reason to make a decision like this, either.

March 28 2011, 18:25:00 UTC 6 years ago

No, it's not, and I figure I may lose a few for being all "um, hi, not straight, not even monogamous, and this ain't cool." But it still helps. :)

palmer_kun

Restoring my faith...

inluvwithbookz

March 28 2011, 18:19:14 UTC 6 years ago

I cannot tell you how much I respect your decision, and your taking this stand on this issue, along with author Verday. I am so sorry that you will not be published, however, your actions leave me in awe of you, and a fan without ever having read your work. Please know, that I will support your work, and promote it to the best of my ability - and I pray/hope that you find publication with another publisher who does not tyrannize the authors, and dictate how their characters ought to be!

~Hira~

Re: Restoring my faith...

March 28 2011, 18:26:41 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you. :) As for the story in question, it's going to find a home, I promise.

apocalypticbob

March 28 2011, 18:19:50 UTC 6 years ago

As I have told every other author that has made the same decision (because I have a surprising number of them on my flist... I am blessed) I respect and support this decision entirely and will be voting with my dollars by not choosing to purchase this anthology, when I certainly would have before.

March 28 2011, 18:26:47 UTC 6 years ago

Good.

beccastareyes

March 28 2011, 18:19:55 UTC 6 years ago

Seeing authors like you and the others who have left band together and say 'No, this is NOT okay' gives me hope that things will change for GLBT folks, like me.

March 28 2011, 18:26:55 UTC 6 years ago

It would be nice.

Pamela Van Hylckama Vlieg

March 28 2011, 18:20:09 UTC 6 years ago

March 28 2011, 18:27:02 UTC 6 years ago

<3!

marziek

March 28 2011, 18:21:38 UTC 6 years ago

This straight mother of three applauds you and wishes that people would stop their ignorance about the entire topic of sexual orientation. I never have and never will believe that this is anying other than natural variation. It is a prejudice no different from saying that there is something wrong with the color of someone's skin color or eye color in my mind, when you say there is something wrong with who they are attracted to as far as gender is concerned.

Thanks for taking a stand on wanting all adolescents to have stories that may mirror their emotions in a healthy way.

I wondered when I saw your comment on Twitter and I am glad that you and she were brave enough to speak out about the reason.

March 28 2011, 18:27:53 UTC 6 years ago

I'm pretty sure most gay and bi teens wouldn't choose it, if they really did have a choice in the matter. I wouldn't have. It made my life harder, but it's part of who I am.

I hope that those stories keep getting out there.

phoenixrave

kippurbird

March 28 2011, 18:21:47 UTC 6 years ago

This was the good and right thing to do.

I have to say one of my worries with my stories is a tendency - I don't even think that's the right word there - for writing M/M and W/W relationships along with W/M sort of stuffs. I like writing it. I don't want to change it. But I worry that it hurts my chances in getting published. I like to think that it's me being paranoid, but seeing stuff like this just doesn't help matters.

March 28 2011, 18:28:59 UTC 6 years ago

I think that, right now, being realistic, it may hurt your chances for a first publication. But look at Tanya Huff. She publishes M/M, M/F, and F/F with abandon. Keep writing, keep working, and if those stories aren't your first sales, they'll still happen.

vixyish

March 28 2011, 18:22:18 UTC 6 years ago

I applaud you, dearest one.

You inspire me.

March 28 2011, 18:31:15 UTC 6 years ago

I love you so very much.

loki_dip

March 28 2011, 18:24:05 UTC 6 years ago

:( Some people are ridiculous. I like girls, very occasionally I like boys, as with everyone else? None of this was decided by a book, no matter how good some books are. (Actually, sometimes I've developed crushes on book characters but still not a gender thing! It's a 'you get to see inside the character's head' thing.)

Go you though, making a stand.

On another note: I was looking for the first Toby Daye book in London. Found the last three but not the first one. But since you can find them in tiny bookshops in Buckingham (aka. middle of nowhere) it's a good sign right? They're fairly abundant in England. :)

March 28 2011, 18:31:45 UTC 6 years ago

That's a brilliantly good sign! Do you still need the first one?

pola_bear

hms42

March 28 2011, 18:24:12 UTC 6 years ago

Good move. It definately was the right thing to do. I have to agree. It not editing that is occuring, but forcing of their views (and censorship too) onto others.

March 28 2011, 18:32:15 UTC 6 years ago

Agreed.

March 28 2011, 18:32:24 UTC 6 years ago

Thanks.

oneminutemonkey

March 28 2011, 18:26:19 UTC 6 years ago

I knew, as soon as I heard what was happening and saw that you were one of the authors included, that you wouldn't stand for this sort of thing.

I'm just as dismayed as anyone that this debacle took/is taking place. It makes me want to help try to change things for the better.