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discomfort with this whole thing, and the fact that discriminating on basis of sexual orientation is never okay, I have withdrawn my story from the collection.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.

yorick28

March 28 2011, 19:13:47 UTC 6 years ago

New comment

I've been sitting here for several minutes trying to come up with an incredibly insightful and eloquent comment that will fully convey my thoughts and feelings about this post and your decision to withdraw your story.

However, the only thing I've come up with is: you rock. So I guess that'll just have to do.

seanan_mcguire

March 28 2011, 19:22:00 UTC 6 years ago

I appreciate it. :)

firebirdgrrl

March 28 2011, 19:13:54 UTC 6 years ago

I am so damn sad that this had to happen, but I'm crying reading what you wrote.

I don't know you irl, but believe me when I say how proud I am of you and how much this touches me.

March 28 2011, 19:22:31 UTC 6 years ago

I do believe you. I am incapable of not believing the Ghoulia icon.

But more seriously...thank you.

blythe025

March 28 2011, 19:13:58 UTC 6 years ago

It sounds very much like the right decision to make.

It's so disappointing to hear about these kinds of things, but they need to be made known and need to be not approved of in any way. Discrimination by exclusion is awful. Make me want to go write more lgbtq stories.

March 28 2011, 19:22:37 UTC 6 years ago

Agreed.

Deleted comment

March 28 2011, 19:22:45 UTC 6 years ago

Very welcome.

March 28 2011, 19:23:12 UTC 6 years ago

You are very welcome. And the fact that you knew and didn't try to change her makes me want to give you cookies.

sheistheweather

6 years ago

griffen

firynze

March 28 2011, 19:16:53 UTC 6 years ago

When I saw your post last week, I'd just heard the news about Verday, and I was sort of wondering what was going on. I figured you knew about it, though, and you were SO excited.

I'm sorry that you're pulling out of the anthology when you were so looking forward to being in it, and especially to publishing YA, but...thank you for doing so. On behalf of the whole world, gay and straight and ally and somewhere-in-between-all-this, thank you.

March 28 2011, 19:23:54 UTC 6 years ago

At the time, we were at the "editor has said it was her fault, and the publisher is blameless" stage, and I didn't want to either hurt the other authors or get a reputation for diva behavior.

The more than came out, the more that ceased to be an option.

stevemb

pyre006

March 28 2011, 19:17:12 UTC 6 years ago

"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)."

Hear, hear! I absolutely agree and I am so sorry that the publishers have decided to behave this way. I do hope that your story will find a new and better home.

March 28 2011, 19:24:01 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you.

beable

March 28 2011, 19:18:36 UTC 6 years ago

I'm sorry that you won't be publishing your first YA story right away, but I agree that you made the right decision.

It's just too bad the editor pulled this crap in the first place.

I absolutely hate the stupid message she continues to perpetuate in her comment to Jessica's post about expecting the book would be light on "alternative sexuality" because it was going to be light on sex.

I mean, it's actually kinda unfair to hets: The implication is obviously that when two men or two women kiss the entire earth moves from the sheer steaminess of them even contemplating pressing lip to lip (never mind what happens with tongue) as everyone witnessing their lips touch simultaneously climaxes. Repeatedly. Also: traffic stops, birds collide, civilizations crumble, and history is changed forever.

Whereas presumably when a man and woman kiss, geologic stability is maintained, and even the people involved in the kiss don't notice that a kiss just happened.

March 28 2011, 19:24:35 UTC 6 years ago

"Preserve the tectonic plates: only date the opposite gender."

argonel

fairestcat

alicetheowl

March 28 2011, 19:20:51 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh. As if by eliminating their existence in fiction makes gay people go away. I've known better for so long that encountering this kind of thing is like a slap in the face. It's so easy for me to believe everyone lives in the same liberal mindset as I do, where people are people and you shouldn't shoehorn them into something they're not. Those are just the people I bother getting to know.

I'm glad you have the fortitude to stand up for what's right, and pull a story that would benefit a bigoted, closed-minded person. I'm very disappointed in humanity that you had to.

March 28 2011, 19:24:53 UTC 6 years ago

stakebait

March 28 2011, 19:21:03 UTC 6 years ago

*hugs you*

March 28 2011, 19:25:02 UTC 6 years ago

*hugs*
*hates mankind*

marissa_doyle

March 28 2011, 19:30:31 UTC 6 years ago

This may be getting repetitive...but I salute you. The world needs more integrity--thank you for adding some. Hugs.

March 28 2011, 19:44:08 UTC 6 years ago

Hugs are never repetitive. True fact.

arianhwyvar

March 28 2011, 19:31:43 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you for doing this. It's a healing sort of feeling to have the opposite experience from the sad, wretched 'oh damn this author whose book I really liked is a bigot.' I greatly appreciate both your awesomeness and the loss and risk you are taking by doing this.

March 28 2011, 19:45:29 UTC 6 years ago

I try not to be a bigot. Occasionally an idiot, but not a bigot.

Thank you.

peachtess

March 28 2011, 19:35:44 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you. I owe you cookies or something of a sugary nature next con you attend that I can make.

March 28 2011, 19:45:37 UTC 6 years ago

YAY COOKIES.

markbernstein

March 28 2011, 19:36:56 UTC 6 years ago

My hope is that this will become a learning experience. May the publisher and editor both realize just how wrong this was, and why, and come forward with the deep and sincere apologies the authors and readers are due. May all those reading about this mess gain a greater understanding of how big an issue it is, and how easy and dangerous it is to spread and reinforce prejudice.

I don't particularly want Trisha Telep to lose her career. I don't want Constable & Robinson or Running Press to go out of business. I just want them to learn.

* proud hug *

March 28 2011, 19:45:59 UTC 6 years ago

Exactly. Mess up once, learning experience. Mess up twice, maybe then we talk bigger consequences.

ravenclawed

March 28 2011, 19:37:09 UTC 6 years ago

I'm glad you're taking a stand.

Have you considered editing your own anthology? DAW would be nuts not to publish it.

March 28 2011, 19:46:22 UTC 6 years ago

I have. And then I've looked at my schedule and started to giggle insanely.

arielstarshadow

phoenixrave

windbourne

March 28 2011, 19:37:21 UTC 6 years ago

I started being sadhappy. Sad that the situation occurred at all, and happy that you made the choice to stand up for your beliefs and friends and principles.

...Having now read the related posts and the comment by the editor, I am sadhappyMADsad. Thank you for your choices, difficult as they may be.

March 28 2011, 19:46:34 UTC 6 years ago

You are very welcome.

March 28 2011, 19:46:41 UTC 6 years ago

You're welcome.

March 28 2011, 19:46:53 UTC 6 years ago

Exactly. And it's not overstepping at all.

archanglrobriel

March 28 2011, 19:39:35 UTC 6 years ago

Had I not already gone out this weekend and bought every book of yours I could get my hot little hands on, I would now. Thank you for this, as a former gay YA reader who spent most of my time scanning the stacks for some sign in any book or short story that I wasn't totally alone in the Universe. Inclusion matters and you're standing up and making sure the editors and publishers of this anthology know that. I applaud you thoroughly. ;)

March 28 2011, 19:47:03 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you. :)

acelightning

janetmiles

March 28 2011, 19:39:55 UTC 6 years ago

Well said. Well done. I respect the hell out of you for making this choice (not that I didn't respect you already, you understand). You rock like an entire geology department.

May I post about this and link back? (I know you've said yes to a couple of other folks, but I figure it's still polite to ask.)

March 28 2011, 19:47:11 UTC 6 years ago

Yes, of course.

March 28 2011, 19:58:33 UTC 6 years ago

Awww. :)

Thanks.

tikiera

March 28 2011, 19:51:40 UTC 6 years ago

I have removed this anthology from my list of upcoming books to buy, and marked down the publishers as one to avoid.

Thank you for letting us know _why_.

March 28 2011, 19:58:40 UTC 6 years ago

notalwaysweak

March 28 2011, 19:53:38 UTC 6 years ago

I want to be all eloquent and stuff but basically it boils down to FUCK YEAH, SEAKING. I'm deadset proud of you for this; it's another item on the list of things that make you awesome.

Speaking of awesome things, here's a photo of Late Eclipses in the bookstore -- the one that sold out the first order and had to re-order. (Linked 'cause it's big.) They have tentacles in the window, too, which I wish I'd also thought to take a photo of for you.