Friday, March 7, 2014

Banned words, titles, art and content

If you're looking for today's new hot and sexy book excerpt... you'll find that just below this notice.

Sadly, the much talked about topic of censorship in the erotica market is NOT going away. In addition to banned titles, artwork and content deemed offensive by larger retailers, one ebook retailer is now scanning books for certain words, and pulling books from their website without regard to the context in which these words are used. This is a troubling new evil in the ebook retail market, especially since it seemed targeted specifically at erotica, while allowing the same content and words in other literary genres. Like so many of these measures now used in the review of books, little is known about the specific criteria use to ban an erotica title.

I could rant on this for days. But today, I'm simply calling attention to the problem once again, because it's one that is not going away. Readers need to be aware that the content and story lines they love is still available, though it may NOT be from the larger ebook retailers you are accustomed to buying from.

I encourage readers of non-consensual erotica to buy directly from small publishers and retailers who do not censor words, titles, art and content in erotic books, as so many of the larger retail sites now do. If this is the erotica you enjoy, support the authors and publishers.  

PLUS: You're likely to find on these sites, many books that are now banned on the bigger sites. This is censorship by corporate decree. It is frustrating and infuriating but it's an evil that's unlikely to change in the near future. 

 

2 comments:

  1. I see the censors at the Mighty Zon tagged you. They got me too and I've had to change covers and blurbs before. What I have learned is that anything in title or blurb that smacks (sorry) of non-consent gets flagged. Others are inappropriate age, bestiality, necro, incest, scat. There may be a few others. Nudity on the cover may get you flagged. So far BDSM themes in general pass, but I've had to point out to them on several occasions that they let 50 Shades slide so don't be flagging mine.

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  2. Thank you. I appreciate your comments and your support. For months my PF staff has been working around the Zon's banned "this and that" nonsense. What prompted this particular post was the big "G", who are now scanning the actual text of books for keywords, all unknown to us, which is a slippery slope, especially since they are likely not be checking context. I feel like my hands are being tied as a writer, that the English dictionary is being revised by corporate mandate, and I can no longer use this beautiful language we've been blessed with, without first consulting the censorship gods. Better stop now, and go do some Zen meditation before my blood pressure soars.

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