So, as many of you know, I finished my detective novel and was shopping it around to agents and publishers. Not that I'm not proud of my other series that I self-publish (Arcanist's Lament and Invoking the Fallout, available everywhere), but this book (and series, hopefully) is more adult in tone and I feel that having a publisher would really help me get it out there so more people could have access to it and read it. I had sent out 40 submissions, and already gotten 7 rejections (2 of them were within 5 minutes of my sending it out). While I know this is part of the game, it still can get you down.
Now, I had noticed that a lot of the agents (in their profiles on their publishing websites) mentioned how they were avidly looking for fresh stories with a LGBTQ voice, spin or characters. And it just so happened that one of the main characters in my book (partner to the narrator) is gay. Before we go any further, you should know (if you don't write) that you can't "force" a character to be a certain way. Just like real people, characters are who they are (and if that sounds crazy, then that just means you aren't a writer). So, I didn't set out to have a gay character because it's "cool" or "hip" or "inclusive"; I have a gay character because that's what his sexuality is. It's not the most interesting thing about him (he's married, and by the end of the book he and his husband adopt a little girl), but it is a part of who he is.
So, when I would send out a synopsis it would mention those things, but when it was just the pitch (if that's all that certain agent wanted), it didn't. Not because I'm ashamed that one of my characters is gay, but because it wasn't a "gay novel". I didn't want to pitch it as something it wasn't just to get picked up. However, after talking it over with a few friends, I made one small change to my pitch paragraph. Instead of it saying, "...with the help of his mundane partner..." now it says, "...with the help of his mundane gay partner..." which may not seem like a big deal. But, the ten I sent out on Friday with that change didn't get rejected (yet). At first, a part of me was worried that by emphasizing that I was being exploitative. But, my friends assured me that they know that I'm not that way, and if that's what it takes for an agent to actually give my manuscript a try, then it's worth it. So, fingers crossed everyone (if you can), here's to hoping it works! Have a great week everyone!!