There are a lot of self-published guide books this year. This is of course not new. The classic guide books by Virginia Prince, Yvonne Sinclaire and Michael Salem were in effect self-published in that the stated publisher was an organization under their own control. It is good that Amazon and Lulu enable any of us to self-publish, to not be barred by publisher gate-keepers. However with so many guidebooks how does someone starting transition decide which one to read?
A reminder of my list of guidebooks 1957-2017:
Advice Manuals I: 1957-1979
Advice Manuals II: 1980-2000
Advice Manuals III: 2001-2017
We are warned about AI generated books. Amazon does not identify them.
I found a whole bunch that appear to be AI generated. Some examples purporting to be trans biographies:
•Khadija Gonzalez. Desislava Petrova: Pushing LGBTQ Change in Bulgaria - Unauthorized. Preteen Chaos United, 2025.
•Hana Ramirez. Emily McTavish: Fighting for Trans Equality in Academia - Unauthorized. Dork Dictionaries, 2025.
•Ahmed Raj. Christine Burns: The UK's Trans Rights Pioneer. Fat Chance Fanny, 2025.
•Khadija Bello. Luca Leggieri Exposed: The Story Behind Toronto's Trans Wellness Movement. Wookers So Wonky, 2025.
•Kofi Kim. Jordan Li: From Margins to Mainstream in Trans Rights. Babycakes Pancakes, 2025.
•Kwame Rodriguez. Julien Picciotto: Toronto's Trans Organizer Defying the Odds - Unauthorized. Total Bellbottom Books, 2025.
•Ming Mustafa. Alina Kosta: The Legal Advocate for Trans People of Color - Unauthorized. Press for Play Books, 2025.
And loads, loads more. They are expensive, US$119 and up, some but not all have ‘unauthorized’ as a suffix to the title, and they often have funny-name publishers.
Transphobic books are also proliferating. I deliberately put them last. I think in most cases they are listed as a warning, so that you do not buy them by mistake. It is often said that one should read one’s enemies – a sentiment with which I agree. However there is no need to drown in transphobia. There is enough of it in the New York Times and the Daily Mail, enough to know which untruths, non-sequiturs, bad research and fanatical hatreds are repeated again and again.
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Reminder: I have been doing these year-end book lists since 2009.