Countries with legal same-sex marriageUS self-published books per year
More countries with marriage equality and more American self-published books per year, both climbing. Two unrelated forms of expanded access, two completely different gatekeepers stepping aside, sharing the same calendar.
Countries with legal same-sex marriage grew from about 9 in 2010 to over 35 by 2024 as legislative and judicial decisions expanded recognition. US self-published titles per year climbed from a few hundred thousand to over 2 million in the same window as Amazon KDP and falling production costs put publication within reach. Both reflect the same disintermediation pattern of the 2010s and 2020s: gatekeepers (state recognition, traditional publishers) lost their automatic stranglehold, and a wave of new entrants filled the space. Different gatekeepers, simultaneous retreat.
Two opening-up stories of the same era. The barrier to entry kept falling in unrelated places.
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