The first Alert Me for 2013 is a bit of an eclectic mix. In this edition we’ve got censorship, parody erotic musicals, and a 17th Century sex manual …

 

Amazon in the Book Banning Business
Source: Selena Kitt, The Self Publishing Revolution

Over the past month or so, a number of authors and readers I’m in contact with via various online book community groups have noticed that Amazon has begun to censor erotica texts. Yes, increasingly, the online retail giant is deciding which saucy books we can and can’t read.

Whilst Amazon’s Direct Publishing service is booming (everyone wants to be the new E.L. James) a growing number of erotica authors are finding that their books are being removed from the sale for violating ‘content guidelines’.

‘Well,’ I hear you say. ‘Stick to the guidelines and there won’t be a problem.’

If only it were that simple. Per the Amazon website:

 

Pornography

We don’t accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.

 

Offensive Content

What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect.

 

Wow. That’s really clear. You know how to define ‘pornography’ do you, Amazon? Know it when you see it, yes? And as far as ‘offensive content’ goes, I’m 100% certain our ‘expectations’ aren’t always going to match.

The above article by erotica author Selena Kitt gives an excellent overview of exactly what’s been going on, as does this thread, posted a day or so ago by author P.J. Fox whose work has just been ‘banned’. The latter has been trying to work out exactly why they’ve been kicked off the sales list so they can address the issue, only Amazon won’t specify what the problem is. Helpful.

It will be interesting to see how many erotica authors vote with their feet as a result of all this censorship hoo-ha. I’ve seen a fair few who have already stated their intent to move their titles over to Smashwords, which is generally seen to be far more author-friendly and has content guidelines that actually look like they were written by a lawyer.

Note to self: review more books published exclusively on Smashwords.

 

‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Musical Heading to Off-Broadway
Source: Time

I soooo want to go and see this, primarily because I think the song titles are to die for. I’m not normally a fan of musicals (The Rocky Horror Picture Show being the notable exception) but who could pass up a production that features numbers such as ‘They Get Nasty, ‘I Don’t Make Love, I “F#*!”’ and ‘There’s a Hole Inside of Me’.

Please tell me there’s going to be an album?

 

Aristotle sex manual banned for 200 years to be auctioned
Source: The Telegraph

If you adore antique books (as I do) you may be interested in the forthcoming auction of this rare sex manual, which was first published in the 1600s.

Apparently banned until 1961 in Great Britain (sources differ on that point), it’s believed that the Compleat Master-Piece (incorrectly attributed to Aristotle) was used to provide guidance to ‘amateur midwives’ and ‘young married couples’.

Per the lot information on the Lyon & Turnbull website:

 

‘The work was certainly considered highly taboo and distasteful and any printers avoided including their names in the imprint, possibly for fear of prosecution.’

 

It’s hardly risqué by today’s standards but from a historical perspective this text sounds absolutely fascinating – not least because of the quirky illustrations and dire warnings about the consequences of ‘sin’.

 

Related posts: