Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) A love of reading and a strong lesbian awareness are what helped two publishers embark on the long and difficult journey from readers to lesbian literature publishers, they said Wednesday on the sidelines of the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE).
The two publishers -- the head of Must Muster Publisher, known as "Hsiao-yu, " and Chang Mo-lan, head of Northern Light Publishing Co. -- said there will be no regrets, since it's a self-imposed task they have volunteered to shoulder. Both companies specialize in lesbian literature.
As a lesbian and an avid reader, Hsiao-yu's life path was changed six years ago in a matter of minutes.
"I saw a book titled 'Why homosexuality is a sin' in a bookstore and was shocked. Voices of the homosexuals should be heard, I said to myself at the time," she said.
"If a bookstore is a garden, I would like to see a garden with flowers of all colors," Hsiao-yu said, indicating that lesbian literature should be respected and understood.
With a dream, a mere 700,000NT in capital and two staff members to assist her, Hsiao-yu established Must Muster Publisher in 2000, the first publisher in Taiwan specializing only in lesbian literature. Six years later, the company has published around 50 titles and brought together a network of over 50 lesbian writers.
Chang Mo-lan, a writer for Must Muster, then established her own publishing company in 2004, Northern Light, which has published more than 10 titles.
"It's not an easy road for me. I am prepared to be sued at any time since most of our publications are R-rated and have to be sealed, a demand I refuse to accept and practice. And once in a while I get phone calls from people telling me I am endangering society, but I try to hold my ground," said Hsiao-yu, who used to work part-time as a kindergarten teacher to make ends meet.
Working full-time for her company, Chang Mo-lan feels fortunate that her publications are sold in chain bookstores like Eslite and Kingstone with the help of an agency.
"But I have to stop writing and focus on things like administration and marketing instead," she lamented.
One thing is certain: Hsiao-yu and Chang will continue to be friendly competitors. They promote each other through their advertisement, an uncommon practice in the publishing business.
"We work together to cultivate this tiny market and make it grow, not compete with each other," Chang said.
"My biggest wish is that someday I can close down my company, knowing that every major publisher will be publishing lesbian literature," Hsiao-yu said.