Novae Caelum

I had another comment that if the patriarchy didn’t exist, we’d be a matriarchy and better for it. But that’s swapping one imperfect system for another. Any system that puts any gender above others and excludes those outside the binary is still only good for one group. It all must be dismantled.

Today I: - Plotted out a bunch of Book 8 in my queer/enby/trans space fantasy series - Defeated foes in BG3 (after like 20 tries, god I was stuck) - Packed and shipped 10 book orders - Proofed and posted an early access ebook to Bookfunnel & Patreon - Watched 3 Andromeda episodes - Wrote this post

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

And if you haven't read any trans or nonbinary books this year, maybe pick up a few? Bump them to the top of your tbrs. Then blast them to the world to show that trans and nonbinary readers have a space in the book world, too.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

The amount of times I get "ew" on my posts is...disheartening. The amount of times I get "omg how did I not know these books existed???" is wonderful--but also shows the issue.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

Many of us trans and nonbinary folx have grown up with little or no positive self-rep in what we read, we really don't buy the excuse that you can't enjoy it if you don't identity. We read and watch movies too.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

And INDIE books too, because a lot of the most progressive and inclusive queer stories are happening in indie spaces, but queer book spaces are overwhelmingly trad.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

And yet the readers are there. They are hungry, they will come in the deluge--but so many don't know that there's even a place for them in the reader community at all, they truly don't.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

Yes, there are more trans and nonbinary books these days, but even on Booktok and Bookstagram, these books tend to be buried under the popular books--which, with very few exceptions, all feature cishet pairings.

So I'm a nonbinary trans author thinking about how Booktok has created a culture around the Booktok girlies. And how I, as a trans person with no girly in me whatsoever, twinge and feel on the outside every time I hear that. (Buckle up, long 🧵)

I'm not gonna caveat this with things about spaces for women (that's all valid, it is), but I want to look at: while the US is bent on excluding trans and nonbinary folx, how can we get more gender inclusive in our escapism spaces? That's what we all need right now.

In my books I have: F/F enemy princesses Ace enby/trans man enemies Genderfluid king - who's aro and friends with benefits with his/her ace guard Gncf royal/transfem demigirl Enby space lieutenant/disaster bi roomate - and everyone in the space navy uses their pronouns (🧵But wait, there's more!)

Poly rep, group marriages, and polycules they/them, fae/faer, e/eir Easy/accessible trans care No fear of queerness at all. NO FEAR OF QUEERNESS AT ALL. And that's just one series. (The Stars and Green Magics)

So I've spent this week in just intense emotional decision making because of the Meta censorship of my queer author business. AND I've ended up making these choices, which I think will be, in the end, very good for me and my reader community. 1) I'm going to put queer references back UP on my site

I'm going to keep my store--but it will only have print and audio. But! That's okay! I sell 60% print anyway. Why: 1) I can't in my soul take my queer ref off my site indefinitely. It causes me harm. It causes my community harm 2) KU is lucrative, and I have a long series, and I know marketing

So I've spent this week in just intense emotional decision making because of the Meta censorship of my queer author business. AND I've ended up making these choices, which I think will be, in the end, very good for me and my reader community. 1) I'm going to put queer references back UP on my site

I've had a lot of comments that I should just leave Meta and find better platforms if they're discriminating against me and my queer SFF books. Yes! I agree! But there's also this: 1) I have multi-6 figures in sales in my author business, 90% of that driven from Meta ads 2) Tiktok is the other 10% 🧵

6) Business loans! Yay! 7) I need to eat, too! You all, I was on public support the beginning of last year. I made less than $10K in my writing last year. This year? This year, I made it. I figured it out. I made it work. This train is in motion. You can't stop a train in motion easily.

I've had a lot of comments that I should just leave Meta and find better platforms if they're discriminating against me and my queer SFF books. Yes! I agree! But there's also this: 1) I have multi-6 figures in sales in my author business, 90% of that driven from Meta ads 2) Tiktok is the other 10% 🧵