I’ve spent the last few years venturing out of the queer romance community, in search of success in the broader mainstream sci fi and fantasy market.
Again and again, I’ve been rebuffed. I have had some success, and am slowly building my own sci fi communtiy, but one thing I’ve realized is what a great community we have on the queer romance side.
Yeah, sure, we have our spats and issues. Once or twice a year there’s a scandal, someone who plagiarized someone else or took advantage of others. But by and large, we’re a closely-knit community, and our readers are very engaged with our writers.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve reached out for help – for beta readers, for advice on self publishing, for help fashioning an ad on Facebook or BookBub or Twitter – and every time, folks in my community have come through for me.
It’s something I have given a fair amount of thought to, as my writing edges away from romance and into more “mainstream” diverse sci fi.
On my personal FB page, I do a daily check-in, creating a space for us to share our hopes and fears in this current political environment. From the get-go at the start of the pandemic, I have consistently gotten over a hundred responses, and many of these folks are friends of mine in the queer romance committee.
My point? We have something special here, a community the likes of which I haven’t found elsewhere in the publishing world. So no matter how far I may stray from my roots in queer romance, I will always be a part of this community.
So take the time to appreciate what we’ve got. it’s a precious thing.
Perhaps it’s due to the struggle each of you have experienced, either personally or as readers and writers, and who see a wrong in the world and try to fix it. Maybe it’s that your hearts are bigger and able to encompass more points of view. Let’s hope each of you continue to bring light to what can be a very sad and scary place.