Selling out rant

There's this movement called #WeNeedDiverseBooks that I noticed this year.

And I thought it was a "No, duh" kinda thing.

But someone said something that made me realize it's not that simple.

Most people don't buy/read books if the cover model isn't white. I mean, there's some that might read it if it's women's fiction but for the most part, they segregate books. Like in romance, there's a distinct line.

Someone said you'd make more money if you lightened the pigment. Instead of dark chocolate, make it a light mocha. It's sad, but true. And it bothers the shit out of me.

I don't want to change my characters to white. I don't want to do that just to make money. It sucks that there's truth to that. If I change it to white, it's more welcoming to the general population. What the heck is it about pigment that freaks people out? It's all a fantasy, you know. The differences you think are there. They're not real. You and I have more in common than you think.

I've decided that I won't do that. I'm going to keep my interracial, mixed characters. Fuck it. Just fuck it. I've never been one to follow the crowd. I'll cut off my nose in spite of myself (is that how the saying goes? God, American idioms never make sense to me).

Yes, I am probably going to lose money. But I don't even have the money now, so why weep over something that hasn't happened?

I guess what I'm getting to is...I'm not going to compromise. Nope. Imma keep it real. Imma stay true to who I am.