From Market Writer What was Hidden Has Come Into The Light
Social stigmas and perceptions associated with the LGBT community have long prevented the LGBT literature from being talked about in the open. Whenever intellectual discussions revolving prize-winning or noteworthy literary works of the century are held on TV or during social get-togethers, the notable works of LGBT literature hardly get any mention, let alone praise and admiration. However, this has now changed as what was hidden has now come into the light, quite a bright and dazzling light to be more precise. Projects such as ‘LGBT Books to Prisoners’, sending free LGBT literature to LGBT inmates in US prisons, and ‘The Stonewall Book Award’, rewarding writers and illustrators doing amazing work in LGBT literature, are now being talked about extensively. Journalists and literary bloggers too are compiling lists of the most enriching LGBT literary works, thus making LGBT literature a part of everyday conversations and people’s bookshelves. The History of LGBT Literature LGBT literature is not a new phenomenon. Members of the LGBT community often turn to literary works discussing and portraying attraction and love between same-gender individuals in order to find validation and peace, which they are often denied in the outside world. Greeks are known to be the first ones to have contributed to LGBT literature through popular and notable works such as Plato’s ‘Symposium’and Aeschylus’ ‘The Myrmidons’. Ancient Greek mythology often portrays deep affection and attraction between few of the Greek Gods and talks of divine miracles that transformed genders. Petronius’ ‘Satyricon’, a 1st century AD Latin fictional work, depicting the adventures of two gay lovers, is one of the earliest works in LGBT Literature. Earlier authors of 18th and 19th centuries would often use coded messages to depict same-gender love and their sympathy towards LGBT community as writing about homosexuality was largely illegal in many powerful nations such as UK and United States. However, 20th century saw a rise in more explicit depiction of gay lives in LGBT literature. What is Changing Perception? With increasing acceptance of homosexuality and transgender communities among societies, LGBT literature is finding itself being discussed more positively and openly. Over the last few years, several changes have taken place which have compelled people to change their perceptions towards LGBT’s- same sex marriages have been legalized in a few nations, gay pride parades are held more frequently, several international celebrities have confessed about their homosexuality and non-profit groups for LGBT members are working actively to help gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people get equal rights as their heterosexual counterparts. All these changes have opened readers’ minds to LGBT literature in order to explore the world of LGBT. What is the Future for LGBT Literature? With exclusive literary awards being set up to recognize admirable LGBT works and critics discussing LGBT works in their blogs and columns openly, LGBT literature has a brighter future ahead of it. More and more readers, not only those who belong to LGBT but others as well, are expected to make LGBT literature a part of their reading lists. In many ways, LGBT Literature is expected to fuel further acceptance and understanding of LGBT community and its amalgamation into regular society.
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from Market Writer “How to get my book published?” is the question on every aspiring author’s mind and lips. After spending days, months or even years penning down that great story, an author hopes that publishers will be more than happy to take up the manuscript and turn it into a bestseller but sadly, that is hardly the reality. In the real world, one may face few or countless rejections before finally striking a fair deal. Getting a bookpublished takes time, effort, persistence, smartness and patience in equal amounts.
Here are 3 tips which will help you getting your book published faster: Write What You May Be Interested To Read A publisher’s main motive is to make money out of books and the only way to ensure this is to publish books that will interest readers and fly off the book shelves in right numbers. Hence, for you to grab a publisher’s attention, it is absolutely necessary that the content you are offering is interesting, unique and capable of indulging a reader’s mind or imagination. Firstly, it is most important that you write from your heart and not out of other’s books. Forgery is unacceptable. Anauthor becomes successful only if he/she offers something to the readers that they have never read before. Hence, it is extremely essential that your work is fresh and has a unique identity. Secondly, when writing a book, you need to think from a reader’s perspective as well. Always write something that you will yourself be interested in reading. Welcome Feedback Keep your work open to scrutiny and criticism. Accepting criticism in a positive manner will help you better your work after every rejection and will increase the chances of acceptance with the next publisher you will approach. Be receptive to constructive feedback and use it to make your work more admirable and interesting. Harness the Power of Social Media Social media is more powerful that you possibly know. A publisher is more likely to publish your book if you have thousands of followers on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Having popular social media accounts indicates that people enjoy what you write and that your work grabs people’s attention desirably. All you need to do is set up your social media accounts and share snippets of your works with the world. You can also share short stories or articles. Actively respond to readers’ comments and initiate discussions. You can also follow other authors to know what they are doing better than you. More the number of followers on your social media accounts, better the chances of you getting published! from Market Writer If you are a writer, or an aspiring writer looking to get published, a query letter is something you should really take note of. Writing a great query letter can help get your foot in the door with some major publishers and on your way to having people view your book.
The main goal of a query letter is to the make a particular agent or publisher care enough about your protagonist and your plot that they want to read more. You are giving them just the right amount of information, without giving it all away, so they show interest in your book and want to work with you more on it. If you are a writer that writes fiction or narrative fiction, a good query letter is something you will definitely need to get an agent interested, and hopefully signing you to a book deal. A pitch, which is essentially what a query letter is, is all you have and what stands between your book hitting store shelves and it just sitting on your desktop. Although query letters are mainly for works of fiction, there are plenty of concepts in a query letter that a writer of any subject can learn from. There are agents and publishers all over the world but it is important to note that they are all not looking for the same thing. One agent may be looking for a specific type of novel and another agent something completely different. It is important to do your research and know what the agent is looking for so you do not come off as generic and as someone who does not do their research. Agents in the very first line will look for someone who took the time to find out what the agent is looking for and what makes them relevant to be signed. They may be looking for a particular writer that is talking about a certain location, plot, idea, or type of book. All of these go together to help you create the perfect letter that tells the story of, well, your story. Your query needs to talk about what you have done, what you have accomplished, but most importantly what your book is about. They need to know why your character is important, what they are fighting why, why they are fighting for it, and what their end goal is. All of this should grip the agent and once they are hooked, you are on your way to being published in no time! From Market Writer Do you often go through lists of bestselling books and make your buying picks out of them? If yes, then it’s high time you break away from this habit and try something new for a change. There are plenty of books by new authors that come out every day. Not only do these books make for fascinating reads but also contain fresh and unique content that will amaze you and satisfy your book-loving soul thoroughly.
It’s Time to Explore Something New While reading bestselling books may be a safe option, it does not carry with itself the same level of excitement that comes with picking up a book from an author you have never heard of before. After reading tons of reviews of bestselling books, there is little left for you to discover. Exploring new books will give you a chance to discover something new on every page! Also, wouldn’t it be fun if your review of a book by a new author turned it into a bestseller? Reading books that are not part of classic bestselling lists will give you an opportunity to acquaint your friends, family and peers with new and exciting books. Widen Your Perspective Everyone has a different taste in books. While some like romantic dramas, others may prefer spy tales or thrillers. Hence, decide what genre indulges your mind the most and try out new books from that genre. This will help you experience variety from that genre and widen your perspective. You will surely have much more to say next time you will meet your book club mates! Be Surprised! The beauty of reading books by Indie authors lies entirely in the element of surprise. Every time you are reading a book by a bestselling author, you already know what to expect as you are familiar with that author’s style of writing and storytelling. However, reading books by Indie authors whom you have never read before gives you a chance to feel surprised now and then and enjoy the sweet feelings of amazement and wonder. This not only enriches your mind and soul but also makes your book reading experience worthwhile and enjoyable. After all, what is the fun in reading a book if your heart already knows what might happen in the end? None, right? So why not give a chance to an Indie author today and let yourself be swept by a wave of surprise! After all, surprise is the spice of life. |
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