The winner of the prestigious Booker Prize this year is Douglas Stuart, a New York resident who originally comes from Scotland. His debut novel, Shuggie Bain, is a heartbreaking story of a mother of three sons who, after her abusive husband finally leaves her, struggles with an alcohol addiction.
Many have made comparisons to Stuart’s own early life, where he was brought up in Glasgow. His own mother was an alcoholic who died when Stuart was in his teens.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Stuart said he’d written the book for himself and had never expected anyone to ever read it. It took him ten years to publish his novel, telling himself that he wasn’t a writer, that people with his background didn’t become published authors. For many of those years, his husband was the only person to read his manuscript.
“Growing up working class in Glasgow,” he said, “feeling excluded from literature for most of my young adult life, I internalized a lot of feelings; feelings of just not belonging.”
In short, he said, he had imposter syndrome.
Familiar story
This is common for many marginalized people. Research by Professor Katy Shaw of Northumbria University in the UK found that “growing up in families with a lack of books, or receiving a poor education, can lead to a lack of confidence or imposter syndrome.”
Prof. Shaw identified this lack of “cultural capital” as one of five barriers to marginalised people who want to get into publishing. They also lack the networks of other writers and industry professional who could give moral support and feedback on their writing. And then there are the systemic problems within the publishing sector which, the research states, lacks diversity, and even when there is some effort to expand diversity, many new writers feel it is merely tokenism, “more of a box-ticking exercise than a meaningful attempt to uncover talent.”
The research also shows that more marginalised people would read more books if they recognised the voices and characters they were reading, so there is the potential of opening up a market that the publishing industry doesn’t currently target.
I recently became involved in an organization that works hard to address these problems and increase diversity in publishing. The Arkbound Foundation has in base in Douglas Stuart’s hometown of Glasgow, and one in Bristol, England. They work directly with marginalized people and communities to give new writers an opportunity to publish their work and give readers a chance to hear those new voices.
Individuals and communities
Recent publications include Tick Tock: It’s Time to Listen, a collection of poems that depict life on the autism spectrum, and one close to my own interests, Beyond the Mind, a self-help by Jema Fowler that explores meditation and mindfulness as therapy and explains its practical uses for everyday life.
Getting this kind of recognition can be transformative for these authors, but Arkbound’s intention is also to change narratives and assumptions around some of the most important issues of the day. And the organization has already seen this through raising awareness to autism, homelessness and how local communities can help preserve nature. And Arkbound doesn’t just help individual authors but entire communities by supporting local community centers, small libraries and reading groups.
Current projects include an LGBTQ+ anthology of stories from the Scottish-based LGBTQ+ community to produce a book that provides a real and honest look at LGBTQ+ life in Scotland. This project is currently accepting submissions (but only from authors in Scotland); a creative writing mentoring program for minority/under-represented groups (including but not limited to BAME, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and low-income groups); and Arkbound will be publishing a book that brings together research from diverse voices across the world to provide a comprehensive look at the environmental crisis and the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021.
The Writer Unboxed community offers very similar support, although mostly virtual, to so many authors from an incredible mix of backgrounds from all over the world. I’m sure many of you understand and have experienced that feeling of “not belonging” that Douglas Stuart talked about, and I know the frustration many of you have too about breaking into publishing. Fortunately, organizations like Arkbound can make a significant difference, just like here on WU.
Find out more about Arkbound’s work from their website: www.arkfound.org.
What are your imposter syndrome experiences? Do you come from a marginalized community and find it difficult to break into publishing? Do you know of organisations worthy of a shout-out? Please share in comments.
About Jim Dempsey
Jim Dempsey (he/him) is a book editor who specializes in detailed analysis and editing of novel manuscripts through his company, Novel Gazing. He has worked as an editor for more than 20 years. He has a master’s degree in creative writing and is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and is a trustee of the Arkbound Foundation. Jim is fascinated by the similarities between fiction and psychotherapy, since both investigate the human condition, the things that make us uniquely human. He explores this at The Fiction Therapist website. If you have a specific concern with your novel, send an email to jim [at] thefictiontherapist.com, or visit the website to ask for a free sample edit. You can follow Jim on Instagram @the_fiction_therapist.
I think the real problem with publishing today is the lack of representation in the actual works published. It’s a given that means we need more #ownvoices authors published. But we also need more authors who are not underrepresented to create an inclusive world in their fiction. Personally, I am so tired of reading about the privileged and their petty problems that spring up when they don’t get what they feel entitled to. (I may have thrown The Dutch House across the room.) And I’m so tired of reading of a white-washed world that does not and never did exist, where the only IPOC, if any, are props.
Trad publishing has a whole lot of work to do to get their houses in order. But it’s not only on them. As writers we have power. We write the words. We can change the norm of what’s acceptable in a manuscript. That’s my creed.
I grew up middle class all the way. When I starting attending writers’ groups and classes, I ran smack into the ‘well-read’ and got totally intimidated. I was the painter-turned writer with three years of art school and parents who sacrificed to give me that much. Now I know what a privilege every minute of my education was. And I feel like an imposter all the time. It’s the Resistance telling me I have nothing to say. The world is a fishbowl now, and while it’s noisy and crazy, we are seeing the gaps and black holes and rot that have been here all along. I’m excited that diverse voices are shouting out and that their stories that are getting told. May the trickle become an avalanche. Arkbound sounds awesome.!!
As a neurodiverse author–I have dyslexia–I have told myself that people like me can’t be authors. I have read about urban authors who have easily made connections with those in the publishing industry. Making those connections wasn’t easy for me because I live on a remote island. However, I have learned to reach out–through my blog–and stand-up. Thanks to those in the black, gay, and neurodiverse communities I have learned how to own my truth. Dreams are possible if you work hard to achieve them.
A good half of the writers who taught me writing in university were dyslexic. These were nationally recognized writers (admittedly, it’s a small nation, but still) who not only taught but continued to produce acclaimed works of their own.
For myself, I’d like to see more books involving TCKs that aren’t all about the struggles and the downsides of being culturally displaced. I’ve lived through enough of the negative effects, I don’t need to wallow in a fictional edition.
Come to that, why is so much culture-clash fiction on the Mutually Assured Destruction path instead of the What A Hilarious Misunderstanding path? Is there some law of writing which says that only the negative parts of an experience truly represent it?
So many voices need to be heard. Thanks for highlighting the achievement of Douglas Stuart. I had read that he won the Booker Prize, but knew nothing about him. It’s a bright morning in literature, when all voices find there words in print.
Thanks for this post, Jim. I had read that Douglas Stuart won the Booker Prize, but it means a great deal more when we know his story. More diverse voices need to be heard, their ideas and experience should have a place in the sun.
I’m the first in my immediate family to hold a 4-year degree. I’m from a blue-collar family that once qualified for discounted school lunches.
I’m also a lesbian who came out in the early 1990s, with all the baggage that includes.
I’ve long been frustrated by the biases in publishing. We have lots of evidence that white, male writers are more likely to win awards. And many resources, grants, contests, and journals favor literary writers over those writing genre works.
In contrast, WU has been a light and touchstone. As a speculative fiction writer, I find this an amazingly welcoming place. And we have a group of regular contributors with wide experiences and perspectives.
As for other resources: the Speculative Literature Foundation offers grants for diverse writers, older writers, and working-class writers.
The Institute of American Indian Arts has low-residency MFA programs for Native writers.
The Golden Crown Literary Society has its own writing academy, where writers crafting stories focused on lesbian and bisexual characters can improve their skills.
Lambda Literary is also a place where LGBTQIA writers can hone their skills through a writers’ retreat.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of the places I’ve found, but it’s been a long day, and I’m not as sharp as I’d like.
When I was trying to get my memoir about being on welfare published, I received quite a few personalised rejections telling me how much they liked the book but that no one wanted to read about welfare mothers. I was lucky to find a small press willing to test that assumption.
This experience makes me wonder how much the exclusion of marginalised voices is based on or justified by a perception of the market, however limited or inaccurate it might be. Like Ada Austen, I’m tired of reading about the petty problems of rich people, but those books do seem to sell. The prioritisation of profit is only going to get worse with the pending merger of PRH and S&S.
All this is to say that we each have the power to make a difference. We can show that there is a market for books by marginalised people and for books from small/indie presses by buying them, promoting them, talking about them.
In addition to the terrific list of resources Ruth provided, I’d like to mention Sisters in Crime, which provides grants to emerging writers of color, library and bookstore grants with a focus on underserved communities, ia wide range of newsletter columns to support writers from marginalized communities and educate each other, and much more. (Full disclosure: I’m a past president.)