The trailblazing author has launched a new queer publishing house with his husband, and they want to hear from you
WORDS BY ROXY BOURDILLON, IMAGES BY THE AUTHORS LOUNGE
Author Matt Cain and his husband, businessman Harry Glasstone, are on a mission to queer the publishing industry. Frustrated by Matt’s experiences as a gay writer navigating a heteronormative literary landscape, the couple are taking matters into their own hands. Their bold, new publishing house, Pansy, is all about “queer books by queer authors for all readers”. I sat down with Matt to find out more.
Why did you and Harry decide to launch your own queer publishing house?
I’ve had a long journey in publishing. But when it comes to commercial fiction – romcoms, thrillers, crime – there is still this belief that queer books are for niche audiences. My books were successful, some very successful, but it was a massive slog because some of them had zero marketing budgets. I’d just had enough.
Why is now the right time to launch Pansy?
I got the MBE for Services For LGBTQ+ Culture, which was amazing. I thought, I’ve got a platform, people will listen. The other thing that happened was the Heated Rivalry books were a mega hit. I’ve had books rejected because they had a gay sex scene. I was told, “You will put straight women off”. Clearly, that belief is being blown out of the water.
Tell me about your new novel, and Pansy’s first book, The Castle Of Stories.
It’s about Adam and Theo, a gay couple in their 40s. Theo has just come out. He’s divorced from a woman and has three children. Adam inherits, out of the blue, a rundown farmhouse and castle in rural Italy, from a great uncle he didn’t know existed. They go for the summer to renovate this property. Adam starts going through his great uncle’s belongings. He finds old letters and photographs, which open up a past life of queerness.
What inspired this novel?
I met my man at the age of 44. People talk about a second chance romance – this was about my eighth chance romance! After a few months, he casually mentioned that he owned a farmhouse and castle with an olive grove and vineyard in Tuscany. He’d inherited the property from a distant relative, who ran away to shelter from a world he’d found hostile because of his own queerness. I thought, “Oh my God, what a great starting point for a novel.”
The property in Tuscany sounds incredible.
The castle’s a ruin. The house is a semi-ruin. But it’s a gorgeous, happy place. I often think, people have been living behind these stone walls for a thousand years. There have always been queer people. Anne Lister is amazing, but she was a wealthy, landowning woman. There would also have been, in Halifax, mill workers, laundresses, who were lesbians. In order to survive, they had to destroy all evidence. Working class queers have always been here. It’s important to tell their stories. In the absence of evidence, fiction can fill in the gaps.
I’m addicted to your Substack, The Outsider Diaries, where you share the unvarnished truth about your experiences as an author.
When I started writing The Castle of Stories, I was at a crossroads in my career. I kept a diary every day for three years. Now I’m sharing my diaries on Substack, so that any creatives, anybody fighting for their dream, feels supported and that they’re not alone.
Pansy has just announced an open call for author submissions. What are you hoping to receive?
We’re sick to death of hearing that queer books are for niche audiences, so we’re looking for books that can prove that isn’t the case. We do not want to tone down the queer experience, but they do have to have an ability to connect with the mainstream audience. That may just mean that they’re a love story, because everybody loves. We’re only looking for fiction at first, aimed at adults.
Last question – what advice do you have for budding writers?
I teach creative writing and I always start by saying: it’s a crowded market, everybody wants to write a book, what can you write about that nobody else can write about better? Play to your strengths and go for it. And Pansy wants to hear from you.
The Castle Of Stories is out now. Find out more about Pansy at pansybooks.co.uk and read The Outsider Diaries, at mattcainwriter.substack.com.
Love media made by and for LGBTQIA+ women and gender diverse people? Then you’ll love DIVA. We’ve been spotlighting the community for over 30 years. Here’s how you can get behind queer media and keep us going for another generation: linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine
Did you know that DIVA has now become a charity? Our magazine is published by the DIVA Charitable Trust. You can find out more about the organisation and how you can offer your support here: divacharitabletrust.com
