Although this only happened today, I’m sure some of you have already heard about it elsewhere.

To put it simply, SF has tightened its review standards for gender-transformation works. The requirements for recommendations and visibility have also been raised.

From what I discussed with my editor, gender-bender novels can still be written on SF, but the threshold for signing a contract will be higher. And—there will never be access to the Wind Vane recommendation, the one that determines survival. As for other recommendations, they will depend entirely on how well the book performs.

To be honest, other recommendations are fine, but losing Wind Vane is devastating. Many times, when a book’s subscriptions are low, once it gets Wind Vane, the numbers shoot up and reach their peak. In short, Wind Vane is the one recommendation we absolutely can’t lose. Without it, it’s hard to imagine a gender-bender novel doing well at all.

And if the results are poor, that means no recommendations at all. In that case, being signed or unsigned makes almost no difference.

Honestly, when I first received this news, I was completely stunned. I thought about how I scrapped my previous 100k-word draft because I wasn’t satisfied, then worked so hard to rewrite tens of thousands of words. I was planning to release the book in mid-June… and now this happens…

And it’s not just SF. Other platforms may also tighten restrictions on gender-transformation novels. It’s just that since I’m an SF author, the impact hits me especially hard.

Right now, I feel completely lost. I don’t know where gender-bender fiction will go from here. I’m torn—should I continue writing gender transformation, or follow the editor’s advice and write a male-protagonist story?

The reason I’ve persisted with gender-bender stories is simply because I love them. That’s why I kept writing this niche genre.

But now gender-transformation isn’t just niche anymore—it’s being actively suppressed everywhere. I don’t know if I can hold on.

Many readers may not know this, but I’m currently a full-time author. My livelihood depends entirely on royalties. If I continue writing gender-bender novels on SF without Wind Vane and with little chance of other recommendations, then the results will definitely be poor.

And without good results, there’s no royalty income. Without that, I can’t settle down and keep writing.

Right now, it feels like there is no place left in the world for gender-bender stories…

I’m really struggling—should I continue writing gender-transformation, or switch to a male-lead story? If I do switch, I probably won’t publish on SF anymore. I’d move to that other website we all know.

I know I still have many shortcomings, but… I have no choice. I’m being forced into this corner.

That’s basically all I wanted to say… I honestly don’t know whether I will keep writing. I need some time to seriously think about what to do next. I’ll post another notice when I’ve decided.

Rabbit
June 7th, 2021 — 19:34:53