Publishing Changes IWSG, Graduation Segregation, and Bans

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
My apologies to IWSG Substack bloggers.https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2026/07/iwsg.html(Posted prior to the rule rewrite.)



I wish it was easier to get representation for diverse books. 

And there's no writers guild for indie authors who are putting in the TIME but haven't hit the requirements in sales.

 https://authorsguild.org/membership/faq/
Okay, maybe there is. I just want to be able to have health insurance come January. AFFORDABLE health insurance. With affordable prescriptions. 

😔

It's exhausting fighting to live. Sorry. 

Here's a writing punctuation meme instead:

Here's why indie can be equal to Big 5:

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In June, my Facebook feed filled with posts of graduation 👨‍🎓 ceremonies. Several posts were by friends of mine who don't know each other, but had a family member (child, nephew, cousin, etc) who graduated from the same high school as I did.

The graduation robes this year were a combination of the school colors, blue and white. 

The new blue& white robes!

My senior year, back in the late '90s, there was a BIG DEAL. First, in homeroom, we were all given a survey asking if we wanted a blue or white robe for graduation. I didn't know there was a choice. White gets dirty so easily, and I'm ridiculously pale (though I had been trying to get a tan, because it was the '90s and people still did stupid crap like lay in the sun for hours with SPF 4 tanning oil on), so I picked blue.

Weeks later, I was issued a white robe. 

🤔

The boys got blue, the girls got white. Period.

Me at graduation--
in all white

One girl (who, frankly, I'm shocked isn't a major politician today) refused the segregation and graduated wearing fluorescent green. 

We were friends. Not close, but friendly enough, so I'm kind of surprised I didn't know about the protest in advance.

As I scrolled on Facebook in June 2026, I saw young people who graduated from high my high school. The robe featured both colors. No segregation. And it seems that the solution didn't harm anyone. Didn't change the celebration of commencement. 

Why the hell did it take so long to sew two different colors of fabric together? 

See what happens when logic rules instead of hate? 

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There are currently three bills in the US Congress calling for book bans. (Including medical textbooks in college libraries. Should a doctor learn anatomy?)

And three bills that counter those with the statement that literacy matters and school libraries should be funded. 

Not politically aiming for any message here. Just discussing with fellow writers that books are in danger. Classic books, non-fiction textbooks, new books, maybe your own books. If you decide you have feelings about the topic of books, and have Congressional Representatives, you may desire to research this yourself and contact them. 

I know my WIP would be banned. I'm insecure about bothering to pitch it to agents right now because all three of the proposed bans would aim at my book. It has diverse characters, and a teen girl gets pregnant by her teen boyfriend. So MY BOOK would absolutely be banned. How do I put that in a query letter? "Here's a YA that'll be nearly impossible to sell because it's guaranteed to be banned." 

I'm mentioning this not for political reasons, but as an author who is absolutely targeted by these bills. And the other WIPs? They all meet that criteria. Heck, I have a chunk of a YA story on this blog (April 2021) that would be banned. So I feel I have a duty to mention that there are 6 bills (3 for bans, 3 opposed) in the US Congress debate right now. Care or don't, that's up to you. But the bills aren't headline news, and writers ought to know, even if you don't do anything with the information. 

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