There has been pushback against Ellen Oh and L. Random House Children’s Books, her publisher, told the New York Times: “We respect Amélie’s decision, and look forward to continuing our publishing relationship with her.”

While some on social media praised her decision to cancel publication, others urged her to reconsider bowing to “bullying” from a “mob”. As a foreigner in Trump’s America, I’ve been called names and faced unpleasant remarks – and as a non-citizen, I’ve felt like I have no voice – which is why I’ve channeled my anger, my frustration, and my need for action into the most powerful weapon I have: my words,” she wrote last year. “I write fantasy, but my story draws inspiration from themes I see in the real world today. The Guardian: Young adult author cancels own novel after race controversy It was Twitter that launched her career, and Twitter that brought her down. It’s an adventure “pitched as Anastasia meets Six of Crows,” referencing the popular film and fantasy novel. Zhao’s debut, Blood Heir, was due to be published this June. Last January it was announced that Zhao, who was born in Paris, raised in Beijing, and currently works in finance in Manhattan, had sold a debut three-book trilogy to Delacorte Press, a Penguin Random House imprint, in “a major deal.” In publishing-speak this means her advance was at least $500,000, an outcome most first-time authors writing in any genre could only dream of. TabletMag has details here: How a Twitter Mob Derailed an Immigrant Female Author’s Budding Career They don’t need “gatekeepers.” That’s middle grade, chapter books, picture books, easy readers, board books - these readers need “gatekeepers.” My teens are capable of forming their own opinions on racism, both in books and in real life. Could the reaction simply have been jealousy disguised as concern for the young ones that read YA? Because honestly, this is YA! Readers are … young adults - teens or actual adults. No doubt feathers were ruffled for those who have been toiling in YA for years with much smaller financial rewards. In other words, with no previous books published, Amélie scored what might have been the biggest or one of the biggest YA deals that year. Chasing her dreams, she wrote while a professional in finance, and won from a YA Pitch on Twitter, a 3 book deal from Delacourt worth in the neighborhood of $500k+. As the daughter of a Chinese immigrant, I feel compelled to write in support of Amélie Wen Zhao.

Blood heir by amélie wen zhao