Diverse Reader: 2020

A new year and a new decade has begun. 2019 had it's ups and downs and romancelandia has had it's share of fires. The LGBTQA+ will persevere because we always do. I try to take a moment at the beginning of every new year to wash away the negativity of the year before. Start new, be true to myself, and follow that moral compass. Sure, it's not always going in the same direction as other people's but the earth is round and I feel that when we go different ways we will eventually meet back up again.

Diverse Reader had an exciting year. So many books, guest posts, tours, reviews, promotional posts, cover reveals, and giveaways. We took on a new reviewer at the beginning of 2019 (Sammy) and at the end of 2019 we bid farewell to another (Racheal) It's all about balance, right? In 2020 we are greeting another new reviewer Nikki into the fold and are excited to read her thoughts on the books that are submitted to us.

New things happening on the blog: Every three months a new form will go up for authors to sign up to do a guest post on the blog. I still have the January-March one up though January and  most of February are filled at this time. Toward the end of March a new one will go up. You can find that form here: https://forms.gle/99ThEUGGefPamg4s8

Also, I will be changing the information on the contact tab as well to make it easier for authors to submit books to the blog. There will be another form if you'd like to do something else on the blog other than a review. This should be going up next week sometime.

Information about advertising on Diverse Reader is under the advertising tab on the page. There is no availability in tier one for the year as it's been booked up. But the other tiers have some availability so if you're interested be sure to check it out.

I hope 2020 will be an wonderful year for us all. I wish everyone happiness, health, and all the books!

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A Statement From Diverse Reader In Regard To Dreamspinner Press

I want to start this out by saying I hate having to write this at all. I despise this decision had to be made and I’m heartbroken by this entire situation.  As of January 2020, Diverse Reader is dissolving our relationship with Dreamspinner Press and their other publications: Harmony Ink Press and DSP Publications. We will not be reviewing, advertising, or promoting any books by this publisher. 

Through the many years I’ve run this blog I’ve made incredible friends, read outstanding books, interviewed hundreds of authors, I could go on and on. Dreamspinner Press was a publisher that was a beacon for the LGBTQA+ community and it was an honor to review and promote for them. But, 2019 was a very hard year and I watched as they spiraled. It broke my heart to see it happen, but I held on to hope they’d find their footing and make it okay. That’s the main reason it took so long to come to this decision. I wanted to believe in them.

I spent a lot of time talking with Dreamspinner authors and artists, both who were sticking it out and those who had left. I heard everyone and as I sat and beat my brain over everything, it was coming face to face with the authors and artists out thousands upon thousands of dollars that broke me.

It’s no secret I’m very vocal about things I’m passionate about. I’ve never faltered in my beliefs, and I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see people in this community thrive. I’ve never been in competition with anyone, I want us all to win, but sadly there were no winners here.

In the end it was tearing a piece of me away with every book we promoted knowing authors weren’t getting this money instead it was feeding something that, in my opinion, had become toxic. When you see an author cry because they don’t know what they’re going to do now and then you go and promote a Dreamspinner book you feel shitty. 

I’ve spoken to my reviewers as well, other blog owners, readers, you name it. This wasn’t a decision I came to lightly. I hoped beyond hope for a Christmas miracle, but this isn’t a fictional story, this is real. If things change and Dreamspinner Press makes things right for their authors, artists, and others not getting paid, I will reassess. 

We will keep our 2019 schedule and finish promoting and reviewing books we’ve already agreed to do up until December 31, 2019. 

I am sorry for those hurting. I’m sorry for those hurt by this statement. I’m sorry I even had to write it at all because this is something that never should have come to pass. 

Be kind to each other.