Why it’s harder for neurodivergent people to break into publishing

[thomdunn]

Originally published at: Why it's harder for neurodivergent people to break into publishing | Boing Boing

…

[Scurra]

And another part of the process is that you can no longer be “just” the writer. You have to be a “marketer” as well. You have to be able to do interviews, readings, appearances etc (quite apart from the initial ‘sales pitch’.) That’s not necessarily an automatic skill set either, but it’s especially difficult for folk who are already finding ‘normal’ assumptions tricky to navigate.

[GospelX]

I’ve just started querying agents for a children’s book I wrote. Even for the neurotypical, the process is a hassle. I can’t imagine the difficulties it no doubt presents to others. Aside from the fact that there are several poorly designed (and not always updated) databases to navigate to find agents, the query process itself presents additional stress by there being no uniform method. Some want to be emailed directly, others through a shared email (be sure to put specific markers in your subject line), some others have a form on their site, and finally others use a query management system. Oh, the query management system sounds neat and unifying, but even then the requirements are different. A synopsis here, 10 pages of the manuscript there, and over here they want your query letter that contains a paragraph about the author while also providing a required box to write about yourself.

All of the websites suggest that you query a minimum of 100 agents. That’s that dedication you need “if you really want it.” I mean, I do, but it’s a suggestion that’s a lot easier for me to follow than some other people.

[XantheStone]

Can the aspergers tags be removed? The term is problematic.

[Mindysan33]

Given what Asperger did… yeah. What do you feel is a good alternative?

[XantheStone]

What was aspergers is now included under the autism umbrella. There is no need to separate it them and, in deed, can get ablest if you do as autistic people have problems with functioning labels and aspergers was thought of mild autism.