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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Those rejection letters are so coded that they feel like they were written by spies! Like a rejection letter can feel like espionage. That said, I don't think traditional publishing is going anywhere, especially when it comes to fiction. Even the most dedicated Substacker also wants to publish books. There's a visceral reaction to seeing your book in a store window that doesn't happen anywhere else.

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Edward Burke's avatar

You've hit on a massive problem here. Wokeism is everywhere now, especially within the publishing industry. Agents are virtue signaling left and right, going out of their way to entertain the latest version of identity politics. Most are pasty, white females under the age of 40 who carry massive amounts of white guilt around. Yep, I went there. You need only visit half a dozen literary agent websites to see that they are all the same in terms of what they are "seeking." They all want "underrepresented voices, trans, LGTBQ plus blah, and 'neuro-diverse' characters" whatever that means. Look, I'm a total gay lefty and even I laugh out loud at some of their wants. Their bios are unoriginal and pedestrian - while they demand voices that are new and exciting. So yes, there's a problem. Especially in YA. And you dare to show up with a straight, white guy protagonist? Ha. Have you lost your fucking mind, Michael? (I'd love to read it by the way. Send me the MS?) Stick with it and rewrite only where it makes sense. Your time will come :)

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