How to overcome publishing obstacles in 2021

January 5, 2021November 18, 2021Leave a comment

We are back with our co-op approach. At least as much as we all can be in this still very unsettled world right now. I’m sure one of the biggest things this time of year is setting your goals for the coming months. It’s the same with us! There’s so much to think about, and we gotta factor in there will be wins and loses when it comes to publishing obstacles.

Overcome publishing challenges with more than platitudes.

Along with goals we still gotta prepare for the curve balls that come our way. You gotta always plan for the best and the worst and all that’s in between. Our goals at AoC? We want to keep growing and pushing forward with the co-op approach to publishing. We want our authors to have the help and control they desire over their work. Even if you aren’t published with us we want to be able to offer help where we can to improve self publishing goals. There’s a lot of fine details to comb through but it’s something we all are passionate about.

Obstacles? Sadly… Yes. For all us. I’m sure you can guess it. Covid-19. All that comes with it. Some of us are essential workers and still working 40hrs, others are struggling with adjusting to a different life outside of work. The balance can feel uneven. Right now, finding a balance to continue growth under these conditions during such a difficult time is our main hurdle. We can get through it though. We won’t give up. If you are ready for a co-op approach tackling your publishing obstacles to submit to us. We’re ready for you.

This also brings us to GreatAce.Club. The original goal was to be a zero dollar online subscription that featured new authors and delivered you a free ebook from them every month. Sadly the obstacle here is we don’t feel that isn’t sustainable for these authors anymore. And while no one raised any objections, its our goal at Art Over Chaos to put authors first in a way most publishing does not. So this year, Great Ace Club will embraces it’s deep original roots and focus on its book club nature. We’ve lined up a dedicated book blogger to choose a new line-up and steer the discussion questions in a way we’ve never have before. This will give you another way to be a part of our growing community as an author or a reader. So be sure to sign up for that newsletter by clicking here!

The erasure of “Tumblr Aces”

July 10, 2020November 18, 2021Leave a comment

Having a blog with a ‘potty mouth word’ in it causes some problems. So them so I’m just rewriting my thoughts of the vilification and erasure of tumblr aces here. This post is a reference to another that said tumblr doesn’t have a “celebrity class” yet it reach on culture is equal to that.

Words like “aspec” and “allosexual” were born or popularized on tumblr from disabled activists speaking up. The phrase “A is for Asexual, Aromantic and Agender” were not common until “a bunch of tumblr aces” told GLAAD that one of their campaigns would harm our communities. GLAAD agreed.

Big 5 ace books used to be from a very allo pov. Written about how aces were weird to be with. But tumblr bloggers keep collecting our history. And books over the next years turned into ace written stories. Even two of these new novels mentioned what it felt like to first see themselves via a tumblr post. There’s been a literal explosion of asexuals canonically in fiction around this time as well.

What caused the erasure of Tumblr Aces?

After the community stopped out from AVEN’s forums to more shared spaces we gained a visibility that was consolidated before. Tumblr allowed aces to be in spaces shared by everyone, instead of their own niche spaces online.

“Mirco-labels” are a common tumblr thing. Because they were labeled as such as a push back against those communities were gathered socially and publicly on tumblr. The queer theory written about them furthered that lexicon both on and off tumblr.

What community popularized allosexual? Tumblr aces. I was actively there for, and debated on which label should be use and why and what all the nuance of that specific choice and others should mean.

What community re-popularized the split attraction model and saved the gay history behind it? Tumblr aces. It allowed for an more open and sure complex discussion on how we are the same and how we are different but how we are still one with not only ourselves but the wider queer community.

“Ace-spec” and “A-spec” were also coined by fyeah mods because it was a reaction making sure the whole of the community feels seen.

The aphobic push back spread just as far as people using the term.

“Inclusionist” started to be used specifically to allow aces and any one else others targeted by Trans Exclusionary Radical Fems. In 2018 if someone said “They are an exclusionist” probably mean they are an acephobic. In 2020, they may use it more widely, but its use is still heavily a-spec leaning. It was indeed the opposite of the E from TERF. Because it phrasing was popularized by trans aces.

Making fun and shunning tumblr has always been about attacking the ones most vulnerable in a fight about respectability politics. “Those non-binary colored hair queers with micro-labels.”

So my question about even the phrasing of “tumblr aces” or “tumblr queers” as an insult is this: Do we want to be a community that fights oppression wherever we see it. Or do we want to remake Mean Girls one tweet or post about superiority over those who debate and advocate? What happens when people on tumblr even start saying “Oh those parts of ace tumblr” vaguely without context what is actually being discussed?

There’s no citizenship under a platform. The fact that tumblr is supposedly full of “cringe kweers” is and always was ableism mixing with racism and transphobia to create new brand acephobia that eats at ace history and those who laid the bedwork of everything that is commonly found across all ace spaces.

Tumblr’s power, and fyeah’s contributions, and the contributions of all “tumblr aces” is the same that was AVEN’s before they came so allo facing. It’s decentralized, allows for anonymity to safely join, no one’s opinion was inherently worth more simply because they aren’t public facing or a “celebrity”.

Mission Statement Change

February 1, 2020November 18, 2021Leave a comment

Some big changes are going to how we run as a blog.

I’ve been thinking about publishing as an end destination. But in my experience, it’s the journey that frustrates authors. Makes conditions in which they end up quitting the thing they love. And I’ve been looking to change that. Create a paradigm shift.

Working as a team is my go-to. That’s probably no surprise if you look at my novels, or at the Fuck Yeah Asexual blog, or Creative Aces Publishing. But the tricky thing with partnerships is people aren’t always as committed as you. Often times it’s not even through their fault. We are all complicated people trying to make good for ourselves within systems that are broken.

But I’m still here. And I’ve been looking for an answer for at least a year now. I’d get an idea, and think, this is the one. But then it wasn’t quite right. So I’d start another thing. And the problem with these ideas is that my passion keeps getting fragmented. New trees planted, but the forest becomes lost.

Today, I aim to fix that. Over the next month you’ll see a rebranding of Creative Aces Publishing and what it’s mission statement is. In part, because I realized I don’t want a company, I want commune. An author collective where we help each other create books. Aces, disabled people, any voice that is being ignored under capitalism.

Instead of exclusively taking a book from query to release. I want to help authors however they need. To gain the ability to take on projects I’m passionate about even if they don’t publish with us. There’s a lot to publishing, and I want to be there for as many or as few steps as the author needs. Still at no cost to them.

The inspiration for this publishing shakeup can be traced back to a quote painted on a wall in my old art class. “Art is the triumph over chaos.” Those words have been with me since high school. Each time I narrowed my focus I got further and further away from that quote. At the risk of sounding cheesy, in 2020, I have a new clarity that the answer I’ve been looking for has been with me the whole time.

That is why I’m consolidating all projects dealing with books under the Art Over Chaos banner. The divides between personal author blogging, the Fyeah book features, and the publishing itself will dissolve so more art can be created and celebrated.

What it means for this blog: Instead of simply a personal author blog with some crossposts about books, it’s going to become a hub for publishing, authors, and book blogging. Only the following months the theme will change and it will offer so much more than before. Thank you for coming with me on this journey, and I hope we can work on something together soon!

Creative Aces Publishing Is Live!

February 11, 2019November 18, 2021Leave a comment

Publishing news isn’t rare, but making an announcement yourself is, and I’m so thrilled to say I have some news today!

Creative Aces Publishing was a brainchild I first had in 2015, and thanks to other aces over the years we published two community projects: What You See, an art book featuring two dozen aces, and Unburied Fables, an LGBTQ charity anthology benefiting The Trevor Project.

If you heard of us before, here’s how we’ve changed since then. Unlike other indie publishers, we seek to build from a community standpoint. Not only saying we put authors first, but also paying them a highly competitive rate unheard of for a group so small. Offering upwards of 50% royalty, and sometimes even an author advance.

As a full-service publisher, authors can also expect a professional looking cover design, comprehensive editing, a personalized marketing plan, training and support as an author from signing and beyond at no cost.

All made possible by a slow and steady mentality that makes sure you don’t get lost in a sea of other authors. Because of this, we aren’t currently open for submissions, but already have signed authors and will be making more announcements soon.

If you have any questions please contact us at info@creativeacespublishing.com.

Here’s what this means for anyone who knows me personally, I’ve been dealt a hand of cards that allows me to take the project to a level I always wanted and make it a full-fledged publisher.

I’ve been working for various publishers since 2015, and love helping authors. But I also see areas where many barely even get a chance because of factors around their disability or identity. As the company’s co-founder and creative director, I can’t fix the industry as a whole, but I can set a standard I believe in. One who’s core goal takes pride in creating art and supporting those artists.