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Gonna be real here: I struggle to listen to most publishing advice because it is so often aimed at a cishet, white, Western, middle to upper middle class audience and assumes a level of access to various resources that I A) don’t have or B) will never have
“Just write good books” advice isn’t applicable. Authors of color could write the perfect book, but if our main character(s) isn’t white, if our story isn’t Western enough, appealing to a primarily white industry in a way they find relatable is going to be a nightmare
Painting publishing as a meritocracy doesn’t do anyone any favors, least of all authors of color. And I discount any and all advice that doesn’t take into consideration the specific experience of trying to enter this industry as an author of color
“Just write a good book”-style advice leaves me—and others, I imagine—feeling incredibly gaslit and alone, even though authors of color speak up about this often. Somehow I still come away feeling like, perhaps, I haven’t worked hard enough, when that’s far from the case
I’m an indie author who hasn’t entered the traditional publishing sphere personally + things are *already* messy. Just because you don’t see POC in the industry complain publicly every day, it doesn’t mean things are remotely ok
