🐾 as cute as it sounds 🐾

Me:

I won a Nebula and an Andre Norton award for this book.

Which is traditionally published.

I have also been an Actual Poor Person(tm) for most of my life - qualified for SNAP, didn't own a car until I was in my 20's, didn't own a decent car (doesn't need work every month, all the fluids stay where they're supposed to, etc) until I was in my 30's. Went into debt for college and hold a degree that has nothing to do with either writing OR my current day job.

I currently work 40 hours a week at a job wholly unrelated to writing, at which I make ~$20/hr. I live in a state where Cost of Living is 13% higher than national average. I would not consider myself actual poor now, at age 41. I'm comfortably lower-middle: I generally have a little bit of extra money at the end of the month to put in savings, I can occasionally splurge on bougie groceries, an abrupt $1000.00 emergency wouldn't make me homeless but WOULD require me to dip into savings. I have to plan for months in advance for things like hotel rooms and airline tickets.

Your assertion that 'traditional publishing only publishes affluent writers' is false.

The 'rags to ritches' thing is in fact a fake-ass premise, but it has nothing to do with publication. Getting a publication deal as a poor person is much more realistically 'rags to nicer rags, and also people read your work'

In the U.S. it's difficult to find statistics on the impact of socioeconomic status on publishing because it's not even tracked.

You aren't dead, but you're leaving our friend group.

You aren't dead but you've moved to a different state and now we text twice a year.

You aren't dead but you blocked me.

You aren't dead but we stopped talking, not on purpose but so long ago that I wouldn't even know what to say to you now.

You aren't dead but you're a stranger to me now.

You aren't dead but we lost touch and now I don't even remember your username.

You aren't dead but I ended things with you and now we never speak.

You aren't dead but I still have to grieve you. Whether I'd change it if I could or not, you're still a presence that I'm used to and now you won't be there anymore.

Terra Derma 🌍

Made in honor of Earth Day ｡◕‿◕｡

Oh, Honey… You expect them to care? You’ll be gone and they’ll still be here

So over the past 10-15 years, as I’ve been trying to branch out, grow a following and sell commissions, there’s one phrase I’ve heard more than any other.

“I’d love to support you, but I have no money.”

And you know, I get that. I understand. I don’t have any either. But here’s the secret. The most powerful and useful thing you can do to support an artist? It doesn’t cost a penny. Reblog their posts, signal boost their commissions, advertise their patreon./ If you have commissioned them, or do support their patreon? Write a review, tell your friends, share their links. Keep circulating the tapes.

Every post is an artist laying themselves bare before you. You have the power to make them into somebody. You can make them into a big name, you can help bring them an income. All you have to do is share.

Here’s a handy infographic.

If artists get only likes, they never get any exposure. They find no followers, they make no money, and feel worthless.

But with reblogs, who knows how far they could reach? New people could see their work and follow them, and maybe one person will spot that commissions post or patreon promo, and maybe offer to help support them. And it didn’t even cost those followers a penny to reblog the post.

This doesn’t work if you repost art.