There are definitely fic writers who have made it BIG - just look at Cassandra Clare - but I think the major difference between them and, say, me, or any of the fabulous proslash writers out there (including those who have converted fic), is the authors who have received mainstream recognition don't write m/m. It's sad to say, but there's really not a place for m/m romance with major publishers yet, and certainly not m/m erotica.
Much like fanfiction, "real" authors and publishers like to dismiss it out of hand as trash, or relegate it to the same tier as Harlequin romances. Of course, anyone who has taken the time to compare those books with top-rated proslash knows there's a significant difference in quality. Perhaps one day that will change, and the Kate Sherwoods, Louise Blaydons, and Harper Foxes of the world will be on par with Danielle Steel and Jude Devereux in their success, if not the literary acclaim of Michael Cunningham. Certainly they and many more authors deserve it. But as things stand, I can count on two hands the number of mainstream, literary LGBT books out there (that I've enjoyed), and double or triple that amount in terms of genre novels/stories that match them in quality, but are completely unknown outside that niche. That so many of us feel the need to use pseudonyms is a strong indication of the level of societal acceptance, or lack thereof, of m/m romance and erotica. But the same thing can be said of sex workers and adult film actors, even those who take pride in what they do and strive to bring a level of professionalism, quality, and creativity to their work. It's difficult for a lot of people to recognize integrity or talent with sex at the forefront.
So my comment wasn't so much a dig at my writing as it was being realistic about my preferred genre. I hope one day to enjoy some success in that niche, but IMO the bar is set pretty high. If things were different, SO MANY fic writers-turned-proslash writers would be dominating the market on account of their brilliance, because as much as there is a lot of shite out there in the m/m genre, there is also a great deal of literary-caliber writing that is far more deserving of recognition and praise than goddamned Twilight. Not that I'm automatically trying to count myself amongst them, but you know what I mean (I'm trying to walk the line between confidence and modesty here).
Maybe one day in the future all that will change, and your prediction will come true. I would love to see it happen so the world knows how many fantastic writers they're missing by ignoring the m/m genre.
That was quite the rant, sorry. :) But I thank you nonetheless for your support and faith in me. <3
To be perfectly honest, I don't read much in the romance/erotica genre PERIOD - het, slash or otherwise - so I'm not very literate with the writers therein. (Doesn't mean I won't paint the pretty pictures, though! I totally champion the genre.) But there is an obvious unbalance and unfairness that can't be denied. I actually feel it in the cover industry too; romance/erotica cover artists get paid a fraction of what other genres do. It's starting to catch up a tad, but not to a career-building degree. You have to ‘make it’ on quantity, not quality, and that’s sad.
I certainly do know what you mean. Best we can do is keep slogging forward. It will only take ONE success, one JK Rowling (YA fantasy) or Stephen King (horror), to put the genre on the map. (Hell, I thought Brokeback Mountain almost did it!) And that success could be anyone. I'm firmly of the belief that it takes more than talent to hit it big; it takes that intangible, unpredictable quality of being the Right-Thing-At-The-Right-Time, and that's nothing you, as the writer, can control or predict.
I do think it'll happen, and that it'll happen any day now. The m/m genre is impossible to ignore in the industry. Problem is, there's SO much crap out there in the digital publishing arena, you really have to filter through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat. That's gotta change too, if romance/erotica is going to be given its due.
Much like fanfiction, "real" authors and publishers like to dismiss it out of hand as trash, or relegate it to the same tier as Harlequin romances. Of course, anyone who has taken the time to compare those books with top-rated proslash knows there's a significant difference in quality. Perhaps one day that will change, and the Kate Sherwoods, Louise Blaydons, and Harper Foxes of the world will be on par with Danielle Steel and Jude Devereux in their success, if not the literary acclaim of Michael Cunningham. Certainly they and many more authors deserve it. But as things stand, I can count on two hands the number of mainstream, literary LGBT books out there (that I've enjoyed), and double or triple that amount in terms of genre novels/stories that match them in quality, but are completely unknown outside that niche. That so many of us feel the need to use pseudonyms is a strong indication of the level of societal acceptance, or lack thereof, of m/m romance and erotica. But the same thing can be said of sex workers and adult film actors, even those who take pride in what they do and strive to bring a level of professionalism, quality, and creativity to their work. It's difficult for a lot of people to recognize integrity or talent with sex at the forefront.
So my comment wasn't so much a dig at my writing as it was being realistic about my preferred genre. I hope one day to enjoy some success in that niche, but IMO the bar is set pretty high. If things were different, SO MANY fic writers-turned-proslash writers would be dominating the market on account of their brilliance, because as much as there is a lot of shite out there in the m/m genre, there is also a great deal of literary-caliber writing that is far more deserving of recognition and praise than goddamned Twilight. Not that I'm automatically trying to count myself amongst them, but you know what I mean (I'm trying to walk the line between confidence and modesty here).
Maybe one day in the future all that will change, and your prediction will come true. I would love to see it happen so the world knows how many fantastic writers they're missing by ignoring the m/m genre.
That was quite the rant, sorry. :) But I thank you nonetheless for your support and faith in me. <3
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I certainly do know what you mean. Best we can do is keep slogging forward. It will only take ONE success, one JK Rowling (YA fantasy) or Stephen King (horror), to put the genre on the map. (Hell, I thought Brokeback Mountain almost did it!) And that success could be anyone. I'm firmly of the belief that it takes more than talent to hit it big; it takes that intangible, unpredictable quality of being the Right-Thing-At-The-Right-Time, and that's nothing you, as the writer, can control or predict.
I do think it'll happen, and that it'll happen any day now. The m/m genre is impossible to ignore in the industry. Problem is, there's SO much crap out there in the digital publishing arena, you really have to filter through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat. That's gotta change too, if romance/erotica is going to be given its due.
Boy, you can get me started like none other! ;)
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