Comments on: Gay literature: separate genre or marketing niche?

By: Kay Green

Kay Green — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:27:16 +0000

Hi,
I have a point to add to this debate. ‘Pigeon-holing’ books isn’t something that starts after they’re written. I recently attended a lecture by a literary agent who has spent most of her working life as an editor for a major publishing house and her advice to wannabe authors was this: Go into a big high street book store. Look at the category titles above the shelves. If your work doesn’t fit clearly into one of them, re-write until it does. When it lands on an editor’s desk, one of their first questions will be, ‘which shelf does it go on in the shop’?

I was left sitting there scratching my head wondering how they expect authors to do such a thing and yet produce ‘original’ ‘innovative’ and ‘authentic’ work - all adjectives editors often use to describe what they’re looking for!

By: Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:32:49 +0000

Hi Harold. Just keep checing back on http://www.thecraftywriter.com for more articles. Or why not subscribe to my feed and you’ll be automatically notified anytime I publish new content. Thanks for stopping by.

By: Harold "Smokey" Beucus

Harold "Smokey" Beucus — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:50:18 +0000

This is wonderful. Please send ALL the articles or information you have.

Also please add to your mailing list.

Thank you.

Harold “Smokey” Beucus
101 PIne Ridge Drive
Bastrop, Texas 78602

By: Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:54:01 +0000

Hi Derek, no disrespect taken. When I started this discussion, I was hoping people would raise issues themselves - my reference to my play, in response to Rosalie’s comments, was to provoke others to say, one way or another what may or may not constitute gay literature. I never for a moment believed that my play was an example of this. The gay couple in my play (one a nice guy, one a bastard) are used as plot devices. I wanted characters that, in 1957 London, would provoke the prejudice of the police - in order for a murder to not be investigated properly (crucial to the plot). It does not seek to explore in depth issues pertinent to the gay community.

I actually do believe there is a legitimate literary category called ‘Gay Literature’ but, like you, it needs to be something defined from within not without. I object to the commercial categorisation of literature (or art for the matter) into convenient marketing niches, that force writers and artist to produce something to an externally defined spec. Like Andy, I believe this should be resisted as much as possible. I suppose, in your definition, this would fall under the realms of exploitative colonisation.

However, if a gay writer chooses to explore gay issues (however loosely they may be defined) and to declare that their intention is to write gay literature, it is not for we commentators to say they are wrong and there is no such thing. That said, I fear that categorisations such as these may become modes of exclusion, rather than inclusion. What then are the boundaries of gay literature? Who can and can’t write it? Are there certain themes that every ‘gay’ book must address? Does this mean that gay people cannot write anything else? Does this mean that straight people cannot write about gay people without being accused of being ‘colonisers’? These are serious concerns. A similar debate, as I’ve said, may be explored relating to other categories, including ‘black’ and ‘Christian’.

As a white person who grew up in South Africa, this issue of what constitutes ‘African’ literature, is highly pertinent. Can only black people write it? Can only black people read it? What if the black or white author of ‘African’ literature doesn’t intend it to be so narrowly defined? Will the publishing houses allow it to be marketed to a broader readership?

I’m currently editing a book set in South Africa. I’m encouraging the writer to consider a wider readership than just South Africans. She’s now busy grappling with the idea of whether or not her book is ‘South African’ or ‘international’ and what changes, if any, are necessary to break through what, in my opinion, will be a restrictive marketing category. Does she want to address a broader readership or not? That is her decision.

By: Derek A Collins

Derek A Collins — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:01:04 +0000

I think I’d want to stick with my Gayatri Spivak idea. With all due respecept to you, Fiona, your writing a play about a gay couple would not make your play gay lit, because, with the best will in the world, your play will be about ‘them’ and will not be about lgbt people finding their own voice. Because of this colonialist dimension I believe it will be a long time before be can do away with genres of gay lot.

Understand, Fiona, I’m not accusing you personally of prejudice, or of being insensitive to queers, simply that as a straight person (a straight writer if you like) you will always be one of the colonisers, and not the colonised.

By: Andrew Philip

Andrew Philip — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:24:22 +0000

Ultimately, don’t we — writers and readers — diminish ourselves and our reading experiences if we make no attempt to resist such pigeonholing? Maybe it’s easier to achieve breadth in poetry, which is already a niche market in itself. That is, as long as you stay within the sub-niche labels such as “mainstream”, “performance” or “experimental”.

By: Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:58:29 +0000

I agree Jay, it’s a commercial imperative, whether we like it or not. And many readers like to know what they’re getting into before they get into it. Labels like ‘gay’, ‘Christian’ etc help that, particularly when there are sensitivities about being gay or having a Christian faith or whatever. Perhaps we shouldn’t pander to it, but it’s a fact that we need to deal with.

By: Jay Mandal

Jay Mandal — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:30:04 +0000

Although I write books and stories peopled with gay characters, I don’t consider myself an expert on gay literature, whatever that may be. If we wrote only about what we are/do, this would be very limiting. Most writers I’m sure would prefer to be judged on their literary merit.

Only a handful of bestsellers make it to the shelves of high street shops. The others books, perhaps equally well-written, rely on online sales. Online stores have huge quantities of books, and it’s necessary to group them so that readers can find what they’re looking for.

By: Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:20:03 +0000

Is this an example of White Lit? http://www.observer.com/2008/stuff-white-people-book-sold-random-house-least-350-000

By: Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:28:04 +0000

I went to Tesco yesterday in a hurry. I wanted peanut butter, red onion and cheese pasta salad and quiche (or as they say in South Africa, a quickie!) I left without them because Tesco has a nasty tendency of moving them around. Just when I think the salad fridge is near the fruit ‘n veg they go and recategorise it as ‘ready meal’. It’s the same with books. Whether or not we agree that there should be separate categories for gay lit or whatever, they exist, because retailers believe that’s how people shop. The problem for writers is whether or not we want our books to be limited to a particular readership. By having a category called ‘gay lit’ or ‘black lit’ or whatever, we run the risk of not being able to have gay, black or whatever characters in a book with universal themes. And does sticking a book on a ‘gay lit’ shelf (whether virtual or literal) actually increase our sales or simply limit our potential readership? Also, on Rosalie’s comments about whether there are particular themes that set gay literature apart from other lit, or whether it’s simply that they have gay characters. I wrote a radio play with the break-up of a gay couple as its inciting incident. Does this mean my play falls within ‘gay lit’ or does it need other qualities to receive that label? Perhaps readers or writers of so-called gay lit can comment on this. Jay? Derek?