Bawdy Bookworms is committed to lifting diverse voices in romance

As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says in her TED talk, there is a “danger of the single story.”

We curate our Bawdy Quickie Boxes to share the multi-layered and intersectional experiences of characters from historically marginalized communities.

These characters find joy and love. They celebrate their culture and community.

We’re excited that you’re join us to celebrate these authors and their voices.

What diversity means to us

We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.

(definition from We Need Diverse Books)

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We want to promote underrepresented/diverse authors, regardless of what they’re writing.

Fill out the #OwnVoices category in whatever way you are comfortable, including leaving it blank. We do not want to out anyone! That said, please don’t be awful and claim something as #OwnVoices if you are not from that marginalized group.

Afraid I can’t answer that question for you. We’ll be scanning the sheet for duplicates, but since the form asks for a point of contact, make sure you’re directing everyone to the right person.

Yes! Here’s how the list will work:

At the beginning of each month, we will send out the next three months worth of list. This is a rolling list, so if we receive new submissions during that time, they’ll go into the correct month.

For example:

  • September 1, we’ll send out the list with books coming out in September, October, and November.
  • October 1, we’ll send out the list with books coming out in October, November, and December.

So if you get your entry in on September 15 with an October 3 release date? You can get it into that October list to journalists and bloggers.

Discoverability! We hope this list will give all kinds of reviewers, librarians, and bloggers the opportunity to find your books. Even if reviewers don’t have enough time to read your book, they may include your work on new release lists, in related posts, and/or generally talk about it on social media.

Professional reviewers (the New York Times, Washington Post, Kirkus, etc) work on different timetables than bloggers, and they have told us that three months lead time is ideal. If you are self-published, please know that most professional outlets will not review books that only appear in Kindle Unlimited. (Independent bloggers have different policies.)