#41 Literary Pride: Why Queer Voices Need Their Own Space in Publishing
Can indie publishing houses do more for accurate representation than mainstream publishers?
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In November 2022, Grace Banu, a trans and Dalit activist, founded Queer Publishing House to provide transgender writers with the opportunity to publish their work with the respect and recognition they rightfully deserve—a fundamental privilege that had been out of reach for her. Two months later in January 2023, they presented 50 books by LGBTQIA+ writers at the 46th edition of the Chennai Book Fair and sold over 7000 copies.
Clearly, there is a demand for books voicing queer experiences and struggles, however, these voices are hardly ever seen represented by mainstream publishers and are usually brought to the fore by indie publishers, like QueerInk or Queer Chennai Chronicles.
One reason for this could be that publishing houses with more focused mandates are better at representing marginalised voices, without having to worry about making it relatable to a larger audience.
Many indie publishers have their own mandate to better represent marginalised voices, like Adivaani, a platform for indigenous people to tell their own stories. According to trans poet Negha, mainstream publishers tend to make edits to queer voices or not respond to them at all. She says, “I had written poems, I did not know which platform would publish them. The publishing houses are not welcoming. Even if they want to publish, they want to do it their way, make changes that we don’t want, and we are not treated as writers.”
Another reason mainstream publishers cannot provide a platform to marginalised voices can also be due to their internal lack of diversity. Representation needs to extend to executives and editors, not just the authors they acquire. This consequently could change their approach and they'd be more willing to take on such works, not just for token purposes, but in recognition of the important role diverse voices play.
Banu stated in an interview that, "Publishers are often unaware of trans and queer issues. Sometimes, when we approach publishers, they want us to tell stories that evoke sympathy, because that sells more."
During The Bound Publishing Course 2023, a group of participants came up with a queer media house focused on developing content across formats to amplify queer stories. This shows that newcomers entering the industry also feel this gap in representation and are aiming to rectify it.
Whether this gap will be filled by queer professionals telling their own stories, or by cis-het individuals appropriating queer culture for profits is yet to be seen. However, what is clear is that queer voices are no longer solely dependent on traditional media to tell their stories; they are now surrounded by many niche platforms to accurately represent them.
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