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Revisiting the Censorship of Erotica
Hey, does anyone remember when Amazon started banning erotic fiction?
Or when Apple removed “certain” titles from their bestseller lists?
Or when Paypal stopped paying for “certain types” of erotica?
When Amazon began excluding books from its “all department” search?
When Smashwords started cracking down on “nipples and floppy bits and dangly parts?“
When Apple began rejecting outright those books which contained “certain content” they didn’t agree with?
When Barnes and Noble stripped bestselling erotica books (in the top 100) of their ranks by 1,000 points?
I do.
I remember, because it makes a difference to me, to my bottom line. This is my livelihood, my living. Every time one of these corporations decides to change the rules (again) without telling publishers (again) what is or isn’t acceptable in their venue, they take food off my table. It hasn’t stopped, by the way. Just because the news isn’t covering it today, doesn’t mean it’s stopped.
Your freedom to read what you like is being eroded every day. Every time Apple rejects a book or app (they just did it again and made the news last week), every time a corporation decides, “We won’t sell that here,” it narrows your choices as a reader. Yes, corporations can sell what they like, they can make the rules on their playground.
But they should then have the cojones to tell publishers and authors what is or isn’t okay with them. Instead, we have to guess, while Amazon and Apple and Barnes and Noble “reserve the right” to arbitrarily refuse one book, but not another.
I’ll give you a recent personal example. This story of mine, Girls Only: Pool Party, has a picture of two women on the front. They’re not naked (look closer) and there are no “important parts” showing. Yet Amazon stamped my book ADULT and excluded it from the All Department search.
However, this book has a very similar cover, but depicts a man and a woman, rather than two women, in the same position. I made the sensible argument that either my book should be unfiltered – or Leo should be ADULT filtered.
This was the response I received:
Regarding “Girls Only: Pool Party,” we have evaluated your title in comparison to “Leo” and stand by our decision not to remove the adult flag. Mature content handling is confidential and we retain discretion over what we perceive as “adult” titles.
Really, Amazon?
I responded, letting them know that I was sure the LGBT community would like to know that they are censoring gay and lesbian fiction but allowing heterosexual fiction to remain in the all department search. In fact, I was sure that there were many reporters and journalists who would be interested in this fact as well, especially after Apple’s publicity last week in banning an app for gay/lesbian content, and I happened to know several of them personally, because they interviewed me during the Paypal fiasco…
Amazon took the filter off my book.
But most authors don’t have the same ‘clout’ that I do, or the means to back up an “I’m going to the press with this!” statement.
There is, however, power in numbers. It’s one of the reasons I developed Excessica as a publishing co-op. There’s always more power in numbers.
So with that in mind – if you have a book that’s been filtered or banned, a book you’ve been told by some corporation that it isn’t “acceptable” to them, please POST IT HERE.
BANNED EROTICA EBOOKS is a Facebook page dedicated to intellectual freedom, for authors and readers alike. Please share it with your friends, go “like” it on Facebook. Support those vendors who refuse to ban books, and tell those corporations who are limiting your choices that you don’t appreciate it!
Just because you haven’t heard about corporate censorship lately, doesn’t mean it’s gone away. In fact, the more silent we are about it, the more they will continue to do it–and get away with it.
Don’t sit back and ignore it. It’s not going away. Do something, even if it’s just “liking” the Facebook page to send the message to corporations: “We want to the freedom to read what we like!”
Make sure they get that message – loud and clear.
Selena Kitt
Erotic Fiction You Won’t Forget
www.selenakitt.com
LATEST RELEASE: Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed Sequel: Confession
UMNB Trilogy: What Happens Next!?
READ THE LONG AWAITED SEQUEL TO UNDER MR. NOLAN’S BED
THE TRILOGY
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COMING SOON in APRIL 2013:
GRACE (Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed)
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Readers are Writer’s Gold
Every time I get a “fan” letter saying, “You probably won’t answer this, you probably have people reading your mail for you…” etc, my mind boggles.
I read all my “fan” mail (even the ones on actual paper!) and answer most of it. (You would be correct in assuming the ones I don’t answer start out with, “Hey, you write good, let’s fuq!”)
I suppose I’m lucky to a) not have so many fans that it would be impossible for me to answer them all and b) to have fans who enjoy my work and want to write me and say so in the first place. It’s a nice middle-ground place to be.
I’ve heard a lot from writers in the past year who have entered the erotica market with laptops blazing, ready to pump out title after title until they reach the magic number that will allow them to make a living from writing “smut.” I’ve heard writers talking about “collecting” emails via mailing lists in exchange for a free book or promotion. I’ve watched contests and giveaways scroll my by Facebook feed, “freebie” books offered as an enticement, even “I’ll write my next book about YOU,” promos, all just to attract the attention of possible readers.
But once you have a reader, once you have that mailing list… now what do you do?
I think too many writers forget who readers are. Readers are, quite often, also writers. Readers are smart. Readers like words, lots of them, in a satisfying order. They like stories most of all. Readers prefer to rely on their own imagination – with the helpful prompt of the writer. This is especially true of the erotic reader, more than any other genre, because otherwise … well, we all know how much visual stimulation is out there on the Internet. I’ve had people ask me, “How in the world are you making a living at this when there’s so much FREE porn on the Internet?!”
Because readers are special. Readers are unique. Readers want a story, they want you, the writer, to engage their imagination. They want a relationship with you, through you, to the story you are telling, the characters who walk and talk on the pages. Readers want to connect, with your characters, AND with you, as a writer.
Of course, with erotica, there’s a fine line to be drawn between fantasy and reality. We all know that every erotica writer is a sexual powerhouse who does nothing but work out and do “it” … while they’re not writing, that is. Sure. And I’ve got some real estate in Florida for you…
But it helps, as a writer, to remember that every single email on your mailing list is a person. It’s not just a number, not just another email address, not just another sale. Every single person who gave you their email address in exchange for a free read is a “someone.” Readers are valuable, but not just as a means to an end. I think too many people in the genre this past year or so have entered with dollar signs in their eyes, and forget that readers are individual people, every single one, who sought YOU out, as a writer, because something about the way you tell a story appealed to them.
Do you know what a gift that is?
Don’t forget it. Don’t just accumulate names on your list and rest on your laurels.
Because the market is flooded right now, and I mean flooded, with erotica and erotic romance. The one thing you, as a writer, have in your favor are your fans. Treat them well, and they will return the favor. It is a symbiotic relationship, not a one way street. Don’t ignore email from readers, don’t think you’re above connecting with the people who appreciate your work.
When aspiring writers ask me, “What is the one thing I can do to be successful?? I used to say, “Keep writing.” Which is still great advice and my number one response. But now I would also add, “Cultivate relationships with your fans.” Interact with them, talk to them, respond to their kudos and criticisms, both. Most of all, respect them. Remember that they have a lot of choices available to them out there–too many to count–but they chose you.
Treat that as the gift it really is. There’s nothing wrong with offering a free read in exchange for a mailing list sign up. I do it too. It’s what happens afterward that matters. Now that you’re connected, what do you do? Don’t disappoint your readership, don’t belittle them or treat them like a number. They are much, much more than that. In the self-publishing wild west out there, your readers are your most important thing. They’re not just your bread and butter, they’re valuable, in and of themselves. Each one wants something from you, and each one deserves your very best. Treat fans like you, as a reader, would want to be treated by someone whose work you enjoy.
That, more than anything else, will keep you going, writing what you love to write, for the people who love to read it.
Selena Kitt
Erotic Fiction You Won’t Forget
www.selenakitt.com
LATEST RELEASE:
Temptation
Confession
FREE on Kindle! Temptation by Selena Kitt
The sequel to Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed has been a long time coming.
The original sequel was set to release right around the time Amazon starting banning biological incest fiction. In order to allow people to continue to access the book on Amazon, I created two versions—the original Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed and Plaid Skirt Confessions. The former ended the same way this story ends, but the latter leaves Leah and Mr. Nolan in an entirely different place.
In order to release a sequel, I knew I would have to figure out how to let the continuation apply to both versions. And the more I re-wrote the original sequel in an attempt to fit both, the more I realized that the story that wanted—really, needed—to be told, required that I change the first one. Again. So I thought I would try a little experiment. What if we took the same characters, the same basic situation, but I took them back in time?
Not literally, of course—the girls don’t get into a DeLorean and travel back to 1955 with Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, I promise. I just decided that, to tell the story I wanted to tell, we had to be situated in a different place and time, when the secrets found under Mr. Nolan’s bed were (arguably) far more shocking—and dangerous—than they are in our present time.
I hope you will continue this journey with Leah and Erica and, as you read the trilogy, you’ll understand why I’ve written this first book, Temptation, to begin their saga, rather than relying on version one (the original Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed) or version two (Plaid Skirt Confessions) as the basis for the series. I believe the integrity of the first story has been kept intact, but the experience, I think, is something entirely new.
You can get TEMPTATION for FREE this week on Kindle! The sequel, CONFESSION, is now out as well – and look for the third installment in the trilogy, GRACE, coming in April 2013! Click the links below for your FREE copy of TEMPTATION and to check out the sequel, CONFESSION!
Get it while it lasts! Free until the end of the week!
“Lead us not into temptation…”
What happens when you fall in love with your best friend’s father?
Leah is a good, Catholic girl, and she and Erica have been best friends since their first communion. Sure, Erica’s father is handsome and charming, but Leah spends so much time at the Nolan’s—just Erica and her famous, photographer father now, since Erica’s mother died—that she’s practically part of the family.
Both girls have led privileged, sheltered lives and are on the “good girl” track at St. Mary Magdalene’s Preparatory College, Leah pursuing her love of dance and Erica sating her endless curiosity as editor of the newspaper. Neither of them could have ever imagined that one fateful discovery will not only push the boundaries of their strict, repressive upbringing, but the bonds of their friendship as well.
Leah certainly never could have imagined finding herself torn between her best friend and her best friend’s father. Sure, Leah’s mother had always talked about Mr. Nolan as “a catch,” but Leah herself had never thought of him as anything other than just Erica’s dad—until the girls discover something darkly erotic under Mr. Nolan’s bed, a deep, shameful secret that will not only lead them into temptation, but will deliver them into a far greater revelation than any of them could ever have imagined.
If you read the original Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed, you will find this retelling a richer experience with deeper secrets to reveal—and don’t miss Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed: CONFESSIONS, the second installment in the three-part series!
Word Count: 75,000
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“With the mouth, confession is made into salvation…”
The shocking discovery best friends Leah and Erica have made under Mr. Nolan’s bed has them down the wicked path of temptation, both girls veering far from the narrow path dictated by their strict Catholic upbringing, and their sexual transgressions have had unintended consequences.
Erica finds her life turned upside down when Leah falls for Erica’s father, but just as Erica is beginning to accept their love for each other, Leah disappears. Bewildered and abandoned, Erica and Mr. Nolan are faced with sadness and confusion at their loss, but while Mr. Nolan spirals into mourning, Erica is determined to find her friend.
Erica can’t possibly know why Leah has vanished, but when she enlists the help of Father Michael, her search and the real reason for Leah’s disappearance intersect to uncover a multitude of shocking confessions and a secret that will shake not only the foundation of their faith, but the entire institution of the Catholic Church itself.
Look for Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed: GRACE the final installment in the trilogy coming April 2013!
Married Sex and Pizza
What is it about the beginning of a relationship that makes us so euphoric?
I’m sure there’s some biochemical explanation. And a psychological one, too. I remember, soon after meeting my husband, riding next to him in the car on the way home from a date, the window open, the wind in my face, his hand on my leg, and I thought, at the time, I’d never been as happy and didn’t know if I ever would be again. That memory lives in me like a heartbeat, even now. Every aspect of that moment has been preserved, because I reminded myself at the time to remember it.
Remember this. Remember this, years from now, when you’ve been married seven years and things aren’t so easy anymore.
And I do. You see, I’d been married before. I knew how fast the bloom falls off the rose. And I knew, too, sometimes you just can’t put all the pieces back together, no matter how hard you try. So I never expected to feel that high, euphoric, totally in-love feeling forever. We’ve been together for fifteen years and married for thirteen, now, and life has had plenty of ups and downs in that time period. It’s also fallen into its routines, and we’ve had plenty of time to find each other’s faults.
Plenty. And we’ve found lots of them. We’ve hurt each other a lot. We’ve forgiven each other a lot, too. We’ve held each other open when we wanted to curl inward and close. We’ve pressed each other’s buttons in ways no one else ever could. And I wouldn’t trade what we have now for that beginning euphoria if someone offered me a million dollars. I truly wouldn’t.
Our love has grown as much as we have. It’s matured, as we have. I’m softer, more open, less afraid, and more accepting now in loving him. I think he is with me, too. As much as I remember that incredible, floaty lovesick feeling at the beginning, I don’t crave it or think I’m missing anything. I would never give up what I have now for the promise of that feeling (and a whole new set of problems, I might add.)
And when it comes to sex…
A single friend recently asked me, “But… isn’t married sex kind of… boring… after a while?” I just blinked at her. “You know, I mean, I like pizza, but if I had to eat pizza every single night I’d get… bored.”
First of all… bored with pizza? Perish the thought!
Secondly… no. Married sex isn’t boring.
In fact, I wouldn’t trade my married sex life for a single one if someone gave me the choice. I can’t imagine going through all that… stuff… again. You know, that self-conscious first undressing, learning all the buttons to push – or not. Those particulars vary so much from person to person. When you’ve been with someone a long time, you get comfortable. Not in a take-for-granted sort of way, but in a relaxed, open way. I can let myself go with him in ways I can’t imagine doing with someone else. Because I love him, because I trust him, because we’ve spent the time, in bed and out.
I don’t honestly even miss that first time sexual excitement, because for me, so much of it was nervousness and anxiety. The fear of rejection out there in the single world looms pretty large, real or imaginary. We talk about what it was like at the beginning sometimes, and while it was fun and sweet and exciting… I really have no desire to go back.
Just this morning, he called from his cell phone and told me how much he wanted to roll me over this morning and lick me through my new pink striped panties. (New panties are always a cause for sexual celebration in our bedroom, and while I don’t usually wear panties to bed, last night I fell asleep before taking them off. So my husband was faced with not only a new situation – me in panties – but new ones at that).
“Too bad you woke up late,” I teased.
“Remember the first time I licked you?” It was the first day I met him. How could I forget? “Remember all your half-hearted attempts at protest: ‘No… wait… I… ohhhh…'”
“Shut up, you!” I blushed just remembering.
He went on anyway, imitating me, “‘Oh god, your tongue, oh please, that’s so good…'”
“I remember. I remember!”
He chuckled. “You were so shy and sweet. You made me want to eat you right up.”
“But you did.”
He lowered his voice. “Are you still wearing those panties?”
“No… I’m not wearing any panties…”
“Oh god…”
“Wanna eat me up?” I teased.
“Does a cat meow?”
“Meoooowwwww…”
No, for us, married sex just doesn’t get old.
But I don’t get sick of pizza, either.
Selena Kitt
Erotic Fiction You Won’t Forget
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