Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss: Publishing Industry Edition
the joy of writing books in a system that tells you not to
“We don’t need another enemies-to-lovers romance.”
“Self-publishing doesn’t count as real publishing”
“Can’t AI just write that for you now?”
I’ve heard it all, and I’m still here, dramatically typing my feelings into a Word Doc while chugging Pepsi Max and yelling into the void. Because if there's one thing writers have, it's range. And delusion.
And the stubborn refusal to listen when someone tells us ‘no one wants that.’
But let’s get into it.
“We Don’t Need Another [Insert Trope]”
Ah, the eternal trope-shaming. The industry lie that says unless your book reinvents the literary wheel, it has no value.
But here's the thing, you know who *does* want another enemies-to-lovers romance? Me. You. The 47 people who upvoted that trope in the Substack Chat this week.
We don’t read books because they’re “new”, we do it because they’re comfort food, emotional chaos, and slow-burn anticipation all wrapped up in one. You’re telling me we don’t need more fake dating plots? More one-bed scenarios? More villains who have a soft only for Her?!
I respectfully disagree. Tropes are the building blocks of storytelling; the beauty isn’t in reinventing it, it’s in how you twist it, you dig into it, how you make your characters suffer *within* it.
So yes, we do need another enemies-to-lovers romance.
We need all the enemies.
And aaaallllll the lovers.
(and preferably some knife-to-throat banter while we’re at it 👀)
“But AI Can Write Books Now?”
AI is a better writer than me, hands down. there, I said what most authors won’t dare.
It’s faster, more precise, knows where to put the Oxford comma. It won’t write three metaphors in a row about a character’s “ice-colored eyes” and their “throng of emotions.”
But here’s what AI doesn’t have:
an unhinged compulsion to write 8 books at once because the stories won’t leave you alone
You know what makes writing human?
The fact that we write it even when no one’s reading. Even when the plot makes no sense and your MMC refuses to behave. Even when a reviewer says it was horrible and not worth it and your soul evaporates. true story ↴
That’s the point. That’s the power. Writing even when it’s bad, then writing better, because you’re a living something.
Saying AI can replace authors is like saying Microsoft Paint will replace street art.
It’s not just incorrect, it’s EMBARRASSING.
📢 PSA: We Have a Real One Among Us
This emotionally fraught newsletter is now blessed with its first-ever paid subscriber!!
Sophie, you absolute queen, a legend, true patron saint of indie storytelling.
I hope this post made you laugh, rage, and maybe feel a little less alone in the madness. Thank you for believing in my chaos. We are now spiritually bonded ♡ no take-backsies
“Self-Published Books Aren’t Real Books”
the only people still saying this are people who haven’t read a book since 2014 and think Wattpad is a form of witchcraft.
Self-publishing is real publishing. You know how I know?
Because it’s harder. Because you do everything (editing, marketing, design, sales) on your own, while still waking up at 2 a.m. thinking, “Is this line trash or genius?”
I once cried for three hours trying to make a Kindle ad for Bondi Street Blues. If that isn’t real, what is??
The idea that a story’s worth is validated by a holy entity stamping it with approval is outdated at best and elitist at worst. Fanfic has emotionally ruined me more times than I can count. Indie dark romance authors are building empires off their living room floors (Penelope Douglas has entered the chat). And my book? It’s real because I bled into it (metaphorically ...probably)
So don’t come for indie authors unless you want to get curb-stomped by a thousand TikTok girlies with annotated copies and a ring light*
*allegedly
｡𖦹°‧ Final Thoughts ⋆˚꩜｡
Publishing is a mess. Writing is weird. Readers are feral (I say that with the utmost affection and respect). But stories? stories are sacred.
So yes, I’m going to keep writing the tropes “nobody wants.” I’m gonna self-publish my fanfiction-adjacent books with my whole chest. And I’m going to type louder than any robot ever could.
See you in the inbox next week.
With love (and wayyyy too many open drafts)
𓂃🖊 Rachel