Should BIPOC Writers Say, "F*** It" and Self-Publish?

Jessica V Aragon (@JVA_writes\X) "tweeted" that she: "[...] spent the last year recording every english [sic] language fiction deal in Publisher's Marketplace [...]" 

Fig. 1 (Source: @JVA_writes\X)

And after "[...] googling over 4000 authors [...]" she was able to post the "[...] current book deal landscape [...]", which revealed that (approximately) 70% of the books deals that occurred between October 2022 and October 2023 were dealt to white authors. (See Fig. 1)

Fig. 2 (Source: @JVA_writes\X)

In addition, Aragon found that, with the exception of graphic novels and pictures books, white writers dominated every genre. For example, book deals involving the the mystery, horror, and fantasy genres were, over 80% of the time, given to white writers. (See Fig. 2)

(Note: Aragon tweeted she may have "miscategorized" some data (e.g., "PI authors should be 0.2%, not 0.02%.") but that her post is: "[...] representative of the current publishing landscape.")

Connectedly, Gabi Burton (@query_queen339\X) "tweeted" that "[...] every. single. author [...]" on Barnes and Noble's "Best YA Books of 2023" list is white.

Thus, my (rhetorical) question is: Should BIPOC writers self-publish? At a minimum, maybe BIPOC writers should self-publish (immediately) after being repeatedly rejected by traditional publishers. Otherwise, unless the status quo in the traditional publishing industry changes, manuscripts written my most writers of color may never see the light of day. 

Are Descriptions of Sceneries and Characters Necessary?

Per @AdviceToWriters, Anthony Trollope, the English novelist, implied that descriptions of scenery aren't necessary. 

Trollope related: "I doubt whether I ever read any description of scenery which gave me an idea of the place described."

And Lily Tuck, the winner of the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction, shared: "I rarely describe what my characters look like or what they wear or how they do their hair [...]"

Admittedly, I agree with Trollope and Tuck. Descriptions of scenery and characters don't enhance my reading pleasure. Although, I'll Google an unknown tree, item of clothing or piece of furniture, in the end, those descriptions don't enhance my reading. However, I do enjoy descriptions of food. Take, for example, this scene from Nabokov's Transparent Things:

The chocolate proved unpalatable. You were served a cup of hot milk. You also got, separately, a little sugar and a dainty-looking envelope of sorts. You ripped open the upper margin of the envelope. You added the beige dust it contained to the ruthlessly homogenized milk in your cup. You took a sip---and hurried to add sugar. But no sugar could improve the insipid, sad, dishonest taste. 

While I did include descriptions of sceneries and characters in my novels, was it really necessary? 

 

Do You Have To Be Shy To Be A Good Writer?

Per @AdviceToWriters, Jhumpa Lahiri opined:

Shyness often blossoms into a creative calling. Actors are often shy people [...] And writers too, because they mostly are people who, in their childhood and adolescence, have read a lot, alone and in silence. Solitude is an essential element for a writer.

And Joe Moran wrote in The Daily Beast article "Do Shy People Make the Best Writers?":

Nicholson Baker, Alan Bennett, Joan Didion, David Foster Wallace, J.K. Rowling, and Garrison Keillor are just a few of the contemporary authors who have written or spoken about being shy.

Lahiri's use of the word "often" shows that she's not implying that all shy people blossom into a creative calling. 

And if you don't believe that "[a]ctors are often shy people". Here's the title of an article Dalya Alberge wrote for The Guardian: "‘It feels like I’m choking’ – actors reveal crippling effects of stage fright" The irony! 

Coincidentally, I'm a writer, and I was an avid reader - alone and in silence during my childhood and adolescence. But does that make me a good writer? Probably not. 

The Number One (#1) Mistake of New Writers?

My view is that the number one mistake that new writers make is trying to write something out of thin air. I totally agree with Sylvia Plath who, per @AdviceToWriters, opined:

Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.

Every novel is some sort of roman à clef or is based on a previous work. For example, Lolita and Humbert appears to have been based on Sally Horner and Frank La Salle. And per Wikipedia, at a minimum, The Lord of the Rings is based on:

[...] philology, religion (particularly Catholicism), fairy tales, Norse and general Germanic mythology, and also Celtic, Slavic, Persian, Greek, and Finnish mythology. Tolkien acknowledged, and external critics have verified, the influences of George MacDonald and William Morris and the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.

Only God can create out of thin air. Consequently, humans must improvise creatively.

Is Non-Fiction Fiction's Foundation?

I don’t think I’ve ever made up anything. Everything has happened. Nothing’s made up. You don’t have to make anything up in this world.
THOMAS HARRIS#amwriting #fiction

— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) February 29, 2020

When I started writing my first novel about 20 years ago, it was a revelation to me that I couldn't write the book out of thin air, because it's impossible. I had to use my life experiences as a foundation for my creativity.

I believe that this is what Thomas Harris, the author of Hannibal and The Silence of the Lambs, related when he shared:

"I don’t think I’ve ever made up anything. Everything has happened. Nothing’s made up. You don’t have to make anything up in this world."

Do you agree with Harris and me?

And here's a link to the full Independent article.

Does Fiction Reveal Writers?

An #autobiography can distort…but #fiction never lies. It reveals the writer totally.
V.S. NAIPAUL pic.twitter.com/vWdCTxGWhO

— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) August 23, 2019

Do you agree with Naipaul? We say that "never" and "totally" are hyperbolic, but we generally agree with Naipaul. And Naipaul's quote is interesting in light of Henry Miller's and Vladimir Nabokov's oeuvres. 

THE PARIS REVIEW's Beneficial Twitter for Writers

In addition to Brian Koppelman's Vine and Jon Winokur's Twitter, writers may find The Paris Review's Twitter very beneficial. Here are some examples:

“The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that he is most alive when alone.” —Martin Amis http://t.co/tpb46HsNQk

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) September 30, 2015

“Writing at least is a silent meditation even though you’re going a hundred miles an hour.” —Jack Kerouac http://t.co/srxwiorprf

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) October 3, 2015

“Suicide is, after all, the opposite of a poem.” —Anne Sexton http://t.co/X28o4tesap

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) October 2, 2015

“Your antenna must be out all the time picking up vibrations and details.” —Jan Morris http://t.co/dkFxED0Aol

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) September 30, 2015

“So it was a very small beginning, but it caught fire.” —Chinua Achebe http://t.co/6DxSwtH040

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) September 29, 2015

@AdvicetoWriters : A Great Twitter to Follow for Writers

Work like hell! I had 122 rejection slips before I sold a story. F. SCOTT FITZGERALD #amwriting #publishing #writing pic.twitter.com/UrNac1pasT

— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) June 9, 2015

Much of social media can be a waste of time for a writer; however, if one is careful and very picky some jewels can be discovered. I would recommend that a writer follow Jon Winokur's Twitter @AdvicetoWriters . The tweets are overflowing with advice from established writers and are very inspiring and beneficial. Here are some example tweets:

Simple English is no one’s mother tongue. It has to be worked for. JACQUES BARZUN #amwriting #writing
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) January 4, 2015

The big secret is the ability to stay in the room. RON CARLSON #amwriting #writing
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) January 4, 2015

Engrave this in your brain: EVERY WRITER GETS REJECTED. You will be no different. JOHN SCALZI #amwriting #writing
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) January 3, 2015

Rule 1. Write stories that please yourself. There is no rule 2. http://t.co/ML00fnqe6V #amwriting #writing pic.twitter.com/b3vVRHZKqx
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) January 3, 2015

Just as appetite comes by eating so work brings inspiration. IGOR STRAVINSKY #amwriting #writing pic.twitter.com/lQtcqtQnCD
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) December 31, 2014