in isolation and re-evaluating our lives, people have really connected with the story of discovering who you want to be, and the necessary risks to take them.
The title and concept of the book is so stunningly audacious. What made you call it that, and did you worry about the risk of giving away the ending as the title? For me the story has always been about the journey and not the destination. The title is clearly catchy, which is great for marketing, but you would be surprised how many people don’t believe the title is telling the truth!
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer and how did you go about it? What do you consider your biggest breaks to be?
I’ve been writing since I was 11 years old and it was in my late teen years that I was positive I wanted to pursue it as a career. I didn’t go to college or anything, I literally just wrote all the time and got beter and beter. I think my biggest break would be that I was publishing my stories about queer Puerto Ricans at a time when literary commu- nities were advocating for more diverse stories. Otherwise it probably would’ve goten buried.
It’s kind of overwhelming to someone like me, in my late forties, who never had books like this about gay or queer characters. For straight people in the industry can you describe what it’s like not being able to see”people like you” in books and what it would have meant to you to have done? I literally found myself writing straight narrators when pursuing publication. I didn’t know we were allowed to publish stories with queer narrators because I wasn’t coming across them. None of those stories were main- stream when I was growing up, and my career would be a lot less revolutionary if I had just added more straight stories to shelves already overflowing with them. That’s not my truth and not a story I’m bursting to tell. I wish that freedom and joy for every marginalised writer, if they want it.
What’s your writing day like? I read that you wrote the first draft of More Happy Than Not in two and a half months. How? I wasn’t working when I wrote that first draſt of More Happy Than Not, but I was when writing They Both Die at the End and it took about the same amount of time. Love of story pushes me through, and if I’m obsessed with the story, I will find the time. But I don’t draſt books in two months any more. I’m unfortu- nately too much of a perfectionist, so I can be prety slow, but I pick up a lot of speed as the deadline hits.
I didn’t know we were allowed to publish stories with queer narrators... None of those stories were mainstream when I was growing up
One of your other huge hits is Infinity Son, which you’ve described as “X-Men but queer”.
TheBookseller.com
Silvera’s top three
PICTURED: ADAM SILVERA WITH FELLOW AUTHOR BECKY ALBERTALLI; THE PAIR’S WHAT IF IT’S US IS BEING ADAPTED FOR THE BIG SCREEN
Why do you think fantasy, superheroes and science-fiction is so hugely popular with LGBT audiences? There’s oſten similarities about dual identities
between superheroes and queer people; that can be comforting, even if you’re still closeted. There’s a lot of power there.
What do you think the most important thing in life is?
Being good and trustworthy and protective of yourself while mindful of how your actions can affect, and even damage, other people.
What’s it like being in the privileged position of writing books that young LGBT people can relate to? Is that a weight of responsibility, or not something you dwell on?
The responsibilit is something I dwell on, but if I let it be the driving force I wouldn’t get anything done. I just have to hope that if you come into one of my stories, you leave with something that changes you—no mater how small or big that thing may be.
If you could, what piece of advice would you give yourself when you were starting out? Writing is hard, so make sure you keep writing stories that you want to read.
What are you working on at the moment? Doing revisions on Here’s to Us, which is the sequel to What if it’s Us, co-writen by Becky Albertalli. It is released in December of this year!
This interview appeared in last week’s LGBTQ+ Publishing special. It is being reprinted in this week’s edition of The Bookseller after an incorrect photograph was used in the piece. We apologise for this error.
What If It’s Us Co-authored with Becky Albertalli S&S Children’s, £7.99, 9780007489442 Arthur is only in New York for the summer; Ben is still carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But then the boys have a chance meeting.. 15,170 units sold
They Both Die at the End S&S Children’s, pb, 9781471166204 On 5th September, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they’re going to die today. 56,184 copies sold
History is All You Left Me S&S Children’s, £7.99, 9781471146183 Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident and, reeling from grief and worsen- ing OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help.. 14,538 units sold
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30.04.21 ISSN 0006-7539 24 At the he tf ubllishing si c 185 At the earthea tar of ub tthe h art ofp blipubl shing tofpubliiishin artof publishing sinng n e 185nc 1858. hiiinh ngsin e18ce 858 hing sin e 1858 1858. 858 £5.95
Tipping point
Is the trade at a watershed moment
for LGBTQ+ representation?
The Office An exclusive
survey reveals how book trade staff view a
return to offices
Brighton rock
Tanya Byrne on the city that was her ‘port in a storm’ and her new novel, Afterlove, leads an LGBTQ+ Publishing special PP32–33
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