Great article from Publisher’s Weekly, quoting yours truly, about Indie writers rocking the erotica world! Thank you, Allison Schiff, for writing such a sex-positive and erotica-positive article!
And go go erotica authors! 😀
Some highlights:
“Basically, they’re hiding our books on their site and it’s becoming harder and harder to find our audience,” says Kitt, whose incest-themed books were banned from Amazon. She has since released revised Amazon-only versions to avoid the filter, including Back to the Garden, a collection of four short stories centered on incestuous encounters. The original uncut book is available for sale on other sites, including Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
“The problem is that Amazon isn’t listening to the throng of readers who want this material,” says Kitt, who also laments Amazon’s notoriously vague content guidelines. “They’re not the vocal ones, but they vote with their dollars.”
AND
While it can’t be denied that the wild success of Fifty Shades of Grey put erotica as a genre firmly into the mainstream, it’s the self-publishing realm that keeps it thriving. “There’s no more brown paper bag; the shame of that is gone,” Coker says. “You don’t have to look across the cash register at a snotty bookseller who’s judging you, real or imagined, for whatever you’re buying—you can browse, download, and read with total freedom and anonymity.”
AND
“I write erotica for a living,” says Kitt unapologetically. “It’s a genre with a huge audience, and I’m not ashamed of what I write—and I don’t think readers should be made to feel ashamed of what they’re reading, either.”
What do you think, erotica readers? Are you tired of being sent the message by retailers that what you read is “bad” or “dirty” or “wrong?” Go leave a comment on PW!
Email retailers and TELL THEM how you feel – stand proud and get loud!
EMAIL AMAZON – that’s Amazon’s executive customer service!
EMAIL KOBO – that’s the head of the company himself! Tell him how you feel about his ban on “certain” erotica content!
You can also support authors and find out details about banned books at BANNED EROTIC BOOKS.
And if you’re an erotica author, join THE EROTIC AUTHORS GUILD!