GLBT Themes?

If there isn't a market out there for gay people, in which they aren't portrayed as glaring stereotypes or only in porn, that market needs to be created. So go for it (:

There's not much of a market for this in main stream paperback areas, but it's pretty big online as down loadable books.

Check out:http://www.loose-id.com/

They're one of the biggest, but there are plenty others is you know where to look. :)

The way I look at it is write what you like and worry about finding someplace to sponsor it later. If you like it, it is (almost) guaranteed that others do as well and thus a market for what you like to write

2008: Visions of Snow (52,000 words)
2009: A mesh of Steampunk and Sci-Fi; it should be great fun :)

There's a market, but it's definitely a niche. Gay bookstores are filled with non-porn novels with gay main characters. Some of them good, others *really* bad. Quite a few mainstream bookstores stock them as well, either in a GLBT section or in with whatever genre they fit into. It just takes a bit of skill to find them.

I guess GLBT themes are more common in TV/Film because then there tends to be more focus on the characters. I've read a few good books with this kind of a theme, but most of them are centered around the romance, not some other plot. Sounds like a good idea, though. Will be nice to see!

Atroposian wrote:

I am writing a story where the protagonist is a gay male, though this is not glaringly obvious or in anyone's face. One of the issues in the novel, though, is a growing love interest with another male character. Is there a market for this out there? I haven't seen or read many serious "gay fiction" (non-erotica) outside of... Well the erotica section of the bookstore.
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I am with you here, but not sure how to answer this question. On one hand, I hope to create a market for it, if there isn't already, but on the other, I wish a market wasn't necessary. I look at my novel as more of a story of two people falling in love. Their gender -- and their... shall we say species (as one is a vampire)... is incidental.

GBLT lit is a small market but it's growing and becoming increasingly mainstream. I collect "serious" GBLT novels and I have at the moment...let's see...178 books with major gay characters. I've been collecting these for a while now and I've noticed it's easier and easier to find. A few years ago I had to scour obscure online bookstores to order them. Now I can waltz into big chain bookstores and find them.

Yay for NaNoWriMo novels with gay characters! My main character is a hermaphrodite, and the other major character is gay. Glad to see there are others out there!

Just as a bit of a warning: people get VERY heated about the word "hermaphrodite". Most prefer "intersex" as it's more accurate and less dated. Hermaphrodite used to refer to a very specific type of intersex condition, now doctors generally refer to the actual disorder of the gonads (streak gonads, usually) rather than placing an identifier on the person.

There are also a TON of intersex conditions so be sure you know which one you want your character to have. It's not as simple as having both parts, no parts, or some combination of parts.

ETA: Wow. I must've needed a bit of sleep when I typed this. Cancel out "streak gonads" and replace it with "ovotestes". Two *very* different things there.

I think that there is a market for non-pornographic lgbt novels out there. Not a huge one as other people have said, but there is definetely a market out there. You can find glbt books in Barnes and Nobles and Borders, which is not something that could be said ten years ago...also, if your goal is to hit the widest audience, don't restrict to sending your novel just to gay publishing companies, send it to mainstream ones as well...if they like the story, they'll take it unless they have a policy against taking books with lgbt themes...there are some publishers who do have the restriction, so just do a little research before you send your book out there.

Also, I do have to agree with the person who said that hermaphrodite is a touchy word to use to describe someone. I do have to say though, that there are instances when that would be an appropriate way to describe someone, such as if the book is historical fiction and you want to use authentic language for the time period, or if the person using the word is not using it in a positive way. Also, there is a large movement of reclaiming words that are thought upon negatively, like for example, I know a lot of people who identify as queer.

I'm not writing a romance, but I doubt I could ever put together a purely heterosexual cast of characters. It just wouldn't feel right.

As far as a "market" - I second what an earlier poster said. If there isn't one, the only answer is to create one. Look at TV. There are a lot more gay supporting characters than there used to be - people are getting used to the notion.

"When the hero develops this sort of arrogance, it always ends dreadfully. Look at Icarus. Fellow with the wings, have you read that one?"
"I think so."
"That is precisely where we find ourselves now."

I've only picked up one GLBT novel, and that was Boy Meets Boy, and it's full of stereotypes. As a member of the GLBT community, I encourage you to create a market for GLBT fiction that isn't full of stereotypes. Good luck!

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" ~Adam Savage from Mythbusters

2007: The Guardian Angel
2008: Sacrifice (won)

Check out the work of Sarah Waters, specifically "Tipping the Velvet", if you're looking for female characters. Hers are exceptionally well developed. If you don't have time before Nano starts, rent the DVD. So totally worth it!

AIM: beachc0mber84

I'd say there is, though it may not be as huge. I probably own about 5 or 6 books (Not counting 5 others I own because there part of a series) that have a main character that's Gay. Mind you, except for 2 of them (Rainbow Boys and Boy Meets Boy) there all Fantasy Books.

I can actually name a bunch of Fantasy books like that. Tho' maybe they wouldn't count?

Try Richard Morgan's fantasy The Steel Remains (see http://www.richardkmorgan.com/), apparently the first in a trilogy, and from an author who writes pretty graphic sex and violence. His previous books are sci-fi and everyone is straight (I think), so I would say that yes there is a market. No change in appeal for me as a straight sci-fi fantasy fan, I would like to think that extrapolates!

Just curious, has anybody ever heard of Christopher Rice and his novels? Or maybe Jamie Oneill? I actually never heard of them until a couple of months back, right now I want to know if anybody else has read these books.

Just curious, has anybody ever heard of Christopher Rice and his novels? Or maybe Jamie Oneill? I actually never heard of them until a couple of months back, right now I want to know if anybody else has read these books.

Just curious, has anybody ever heard of Christopher Rice and his novels? Or maybe Jamie Oneill? I actually never heard of them until a couple of months back, right now I want to know if anybody else has read these books.

I've read Christopher Rice's stuff. A bit too depressing for my tastes now, but I loved his work when I was in my dark and twisty phase. One thing that's a bit odd is that he can seem faintly homophobic if you don't already know his orientation. In the books of his I read every gay character was screwed up in some fundamental way that was somehow portrayed as worse than their (also very screwed up) straight peers. It was...interesting. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I always find LGBT themes working their way into my writing. It's a constant for me. And yes, there is definitely a market for "gay fiction!" Me!

I actually see quite a lot more in the way of LGBT themes in the books I read these days, although I do read almost exclusively fantasy. I thought the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling was a fantastic example, as well as the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey. Both have prominent gay, lesbian, and bisexual main characters who aren't too stereotypical or pornographic.

I suppose it depends on what you consider "serious" fiction, though. As a fantasy writer, I absolutely think of my genre as serious, but I know there are many who don't. Still...it's there if you look hard enough.

Yes.

:D

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There is definitely a market!

Besides the erotica and young adult, there is also a lot of more mature LGBT fiction. Some authors; Jeanette Winterson (won Whitbread Prize for Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, one of my favourite novels), Alan Hollinghurst (won Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty), Sarah Waters and several more. When it comes to classics, there's Oscar Wilde, E.M Forster (he wrote one BEAUTIFUL gay romance), James Baldwin and etc. You can find lots of more authors if you search :)

I want to incorporate LGTB in my book :( I was first planning on writing about sexuality itself but I couldn't develop the plot (might work on it another year). Unfortunately, the plot I have decided on now is more heterosexual in context. I may make one of them bi though. Hmmmm....

2009: Lilies For A Ghost (tentative title)

I really wish there were MORE books with these sort of themes. My NaNo last year (unfinished and dying) was about a lesbian, and quite a few other struggles she ran into. It wasn't really a happy book.

I hope you do well! I love when people tip their hat to the GLBT people :)

NaNo 2008 - The Hope That Follows (Epic Fail)
NaNo 2009 - The Escape Artist (50,060/50,000) [Not Finished]

My main character is gay and my other main character identifies as straight. I'm thinking of making one of my female characters bi. Sexuality isn't the main theme of the book, but it comes up from time to time.

Go for it because I think it needs to be seen in mainstream fiction and not squirreled away in specialty sections like being gay isn't just part of life and humanity. It's not a character's sexual preference that makes them unique or worth reading about, it's the characters themselves and how you present them to your readers. I wish you nothing but the utmost success with your story! <3

Rachael______________________________________________________

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Rachael____________________________________________
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E.M. Forster was so great. Beyond the fact that Maurice is brilliantly written, it was also groundbreaking and well ahead of its time. A gay romance novel was virtually unheard of in 1913, let alone one where the characters went on to live happily ever after.

In my nano, I'm having a bi female protagonist and another minor character who's a gay male. If you look at Amazon, there are quite a few GLBT mysteries, romances, comedies, etc. They exist, you just probably don't notice them by the cover.

The two erm...secondary main characters in my novel are arguably lesbian(the main character with 1st person POV is a dragon), but are barred by their respective social status, and by the morality of the society from becoming officially a couple. The idea is that the higher ranked and bolder of the two girls will go on a quest (with of course all her questing buddies) to find a magical artifact reputed to change your gender in order to sidestep that problem. I sort of wanted to combine the ideas of GBLT with trans-gender. I don't know what will happen yet, but it is a happy fantasy story, so probobly the two will end up together in some form, and the Princess (or Prince as she may become) will inherit the kingdom.

I had wondered if maybe it was a little too out there, and people would find it weird, so I'm glad to see I'm definitely not the only one writing about these themes!

I'm also working on a story with LGBT themes. Glad to see others are. Mine is going out ideally as a ghost, a ghost whisperer and an every day woman. So, hopefully nobody'll get too tangled. See you on the other side.

Every 10,000 a new story will be begun.

Current list:

A Loving Spirit - Finished.
Why Wait? - Not Started.
Stupid Cupid - Not Started.
Strictly Come Out - Started.
Looking through your eyes - Not Started.

I'm writing about not knowing when people are hitting on you/into you... this includes some same-sex examples and real-life funnies from my lifetime. :]

...:::FallenAngel54:::...

I'm glad to see so many people writing queer lit. My 2007 NaNo had a gay main character, and this year's novel has both a gay MC and a transgendered "secondary" MC.

There are some "lit fic" GLBT novels out there. Of course there's Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. There's also David Leavitt, a very literary author whose novels are published by major publishers. Peter Cameron is another such author. Toni Morrison's latest novel, A Mercy, has a gay couple. Unfortunately lesbian characters seem harder to find in non-genre writing.

2007: Dark Side of the Rainbow: 50,009
2008: All Who Wander: 51,000(ish)
2009: Static: ???

My two MCs are women and in love. The idea popped into my head that way, so I'm running with it. The novel isn't about sexuality, and I'm writing fantasy, so I dodged a lot of social issues for the chars by deciding my fantasy world's culture was accepting of this.