State of the Genre

[erastes]

I love - SIMPLY love - the way that gay historical fiction is growing and growing. I'm beta-reading three unpublished novels for authors right now and couldn't be happier. The fact that finally, people are writing it--choosing different eras to write about - and not making it all about sex is just wonderful. The range of the talent is incredible too, and every one of the styles is so different, as it should be.

What does gall me a little--and it's stupid to feel like this--is that even now, after all the graft I do to promote the genre wherever and whenever I can, I'm still not the first (or last!) person that people inform when they've got a new book out. I don't want free copies - I'm quite capable of paying for a book myself, even being unemployed, and god knows--it's not like there are 20 new gay historicals released every week but it still stings when the first place I notice that there's a new title out is on another review site, or I find it while browsing on a website. Yes yes, shutting up whining. wah wah wah. Ignore me.

Does anyone know what "panton est placitum" means? This site here (of great re-enactment photos) mentions it on their pricing page, and I'm stumped.

Comments

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I don't write straight-up historical. That's part of the problem.

My lesbians fight zombies in a steampunk Oklahoma.
My Victorians all go steampunk (wooden steampowered space-ships to Jupiter...and it's still a stagecoach romance)
My western ended up very het.
My roaring 20s adventurers tangle with mummies, vengeful ex-fiances and ancient Egyptian gods.
I tried to get the history and politics right for the Robin Hood story, and there are no paranormal elements. But...it's Robin Hood.

I am working on another pirate piece (more smut than plot most likely, historical wallpaper) and a 1930s depression piece (prison escape, again more wallpaper). The Golden Age of Hollywood one (Casting Couch Blues) is more bisexual and requires more research. That's not counting the non-erotic horror, or the non-historicals.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well there are bigger markets for all the genres you mention. Gay historical fiction is just about the tiniest sub genre there is.

[kittymay.livejournal.com]

Erm, I just looked. Panton means 'everything'. I don't know about this particular use of 'est'...it could be a misspelling (et) and mean 'and' or 'despite'. Placitum could mean many things, an agreement, or a judgement (with my limited knowledge). As a whole, who knows?

[queeredfiction.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it simply is intented to mean...negotiable?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think so, but it's silly - publishers aren't supposed to know, unless it's a trade term i've never heard of.

[maya231.livejournal.com]

Here's an online Latin to English translator http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=Latin&to=English

Is there any lesbian historical fiction out there or is it all about the gay men? :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

There's quite a lot lesbian historical. I would really love to extend Speak Its Name into a site that covers ALL GLBT historicals but it's hard enough to manage by myself with just m/m. Sarah Waters' books of course, Radclyffe, just to name two - I could find you some others, but if you look in the gay romance sections on amazon, you are bound to find some!

[baritonejeff.livejournal.com]

In this instance, I believe it might mean "everything is in agreement" or "everything is right"?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I suppose roughly it means "just ask me". I still think it's daft.

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

>panton est placitum

Something about latex panties?

[suryaofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know what "panton est placitum" means?

Sorry, I don't speak Pretentious.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Placitum means "consensual agreement", est is the verb (is), but for what I know (I studied latin in high school) I don't remember "panton" as a word I knew.

Elisa

[emlynley.livejournal.com]

not much help here but when i googled it, i just found that phrase in someone's sig on a gamers' board.

it could just be made up, i suppose, or some inside joke for a bunch of geeks.

[marquesate.livejournal.com]

It's actually crap Latin. "Panton" means "everything" and as Elisa pointed out, "placitum" means agreement. And to be even more precise, panton's etymology isn't even latin: ancient Greek word “panton” (meaning "of all things”) is the genitive plural of the adjective “pas” meaning “all” / “whole”/ “every”.

So, it would mean something like "everything is negotiable/everything is an agreement". I would say that this is a very poorly chosen phrase because it is obviously not in general use. Then again that doesn't surprise me, because I knew Dick from Mayhem Photography well, years ago (I still own some great shots he took of us - for free. Long, yet straightforwrad story ...) therefore: bless.

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

Well, it must rot you to be trying to run a site that specialises in reviewing gay historicals, and so you have got your name out there, and then people don't bother telling you when they've got a book out.

That would piss me off. And for the record, you can and will get copies of anything gay and historical I publish. Pro bono. ^__^

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I know it's not getting a kazbillion unique visitors a day, but generally it gets around 300 - which isn't bad, when you add it up over the month, so you'd THINK that anyone with a new historical would put it on their list to at LEAST let me know that the book is out. *sigh*

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

Some people are clueless when it comes to promotion - I used to do promotion when I was a book editor (It was a small company, so I did everything that needed doing) and it pays to take advantage of sites such as yours.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

OH GOD YOU MADE ME CRY. YOU BASTARD YOU MADE ME CRY.

"It has to be explained," Stanley said. He leaned his hot cheek against the window glass, eyes vacant. "Otherwise I'll never get where I'm going."

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! *hides head* Poor Stanley is so fucked up. :)

[zamaxfield.livejournal.com]

Well, if I were to ever pull up my big girl panties and write something historical you would certainly be the first person I would tell. It's funny I didn't think to mention that short story but you found it anyway, bless you. I LOVE gay historicals. I'm so delighted that the genre is getting bigger, and I look forward to each new one I get to read.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I don't often whine, but it just made me see red yesterday. I found the latest from J P Bowie which is Victorian and I found it from another review site. It just baffles me.

I think I'll have to start a monthly "books out this month" post - and perhaps if I let all the publishers I know about it, that might help. The main reason I was whining was that I worry that I might miss a new historical and that's scary!

[antychan.livejournal.com]

"panton est placitum"

Well, "placitum" is a form of "placere", which means "something pleases" or "to be to someone's liking" so I'd translate this as, "everything pleases".

after all the graft I do to promote the genre wherever and whenever I can, I'm still not the first (or last!) person that people inform when they've got a new book out

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I know nothing about the genre only that it has you in it. XD

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well you need to pop over to Speak Its Name, hun! I started with just making a list of gay historicals and it sort of snowballed from there. I try and list every single gay historical published (still worry that I miss some, hence the moaning) and also do as many reviews as I can, time constraints allowing!

www.speakitsname.wordpress.com/the_list

[antychan.livejournal.com]

Okay, will check it out.

and also do as many reviews as I can, time constraints allowing!

LOL, I know about that - I have like sixty slashy movies on my To Review list. XD