[M. P. Rey]

I guess it should have happened sooner or later...
My latest kinky gay short-story didn't make it through the Amazon censors, I'm afraid. I don't know if I should be p*ssed or proud... after all, most great authors got censored in the past, LOL.  

As several other authors reported in forums, I just got a notice in the mailbox saying it "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah". After inquiring about what exactly was wrong with it, I got another mail stating that the story  "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah" and I can resubmit after changing it.
Truly helpful

Now, my story doesn't seem much different from the thousands of naughty kinky gay erotic tales out there... it's definitely kinky and hardcore, but it doesn't contain any red-flag topic such as taboo issues or any dirty picture on the front cover. I don't see it as more controversial than the other stories I had written before which had no censorship problems. So, it's really hard to tell what to do to get it published.

Has anyone managed to get a block on one of their stories lifted? Any advice?  

 

[TexasGirl]

Resubmit in the morning M-F. The weekend/evening shifts tend to be more prude. I know writers who have updated previously approved books and THEN got blocked.

Be careful of any keywords that suggest noncon or dubcon or daddy. Those will get you blocked in a hurry.

 

[sbaum4853]

Who knows if they're not gonna tell you? Tinker with the details and resubmit until they take it. And while you wait, find a way to shout to the hills that you have a story so hot Amazon won't take it.

 

[Becca Mills]

That's very annoying, mprey. I'm sorry to hear it.

Maybe if you posted a more specific description of the story's content, told us its title, and posted the cover image, some of the other erotica writers could help you ferret out exactly what might've triggered the rejection.

That said, I've heard erotica writers say in the past that a lot of it depends on who at Amazon happens to see your story. Sometimes you get a more laid-back and sometimes a more prudish checker. If that's true, it might be worth making a few very small changes and then republishing on a different day of the week, hoping to just get better luck on who looks at the story.

 

[MegHarris]

I agree that more specific information would help. A few years ago, Amazon had a big public-relations mess when they stripped LGBT books of their rankings. I doubt they'd try discriminating against LGBT books again as a general matter of policy. But it's always possible to be reviewed by an Amazon worker who regards gay erotica as less acceptable than straight erotica. Nevertheless, without seeing the cover and blurb and title, it's impossible to know exactly what the issue might be, or what you might need to change. Otherwise, "tinkering" is probably your best bet.

 

[M. P. Rey]

Thanks everybody for the support!!

I've put the cover up on my blog site: mprey123.tumblr.com under /new releases for those who asked. Maybe the guy's too hot? LOL

I'd love to copy and paste the blurb, but the damn thing is blocked so I can't access it anymore... in any case the story is about a kinky dom/sub gay couple who receives a visit by a sexy friend, Luke... and with the friend in the house comes trouble, if you know what I mean... 
I guess the most controversial issues are gay threesomes, some domination/submission (consensual) a brief golden-shower scene (maybe that's the culprit!), some foot-fetish scenes and some spanking. Wait, did I mention it was a kinky story, right? 
In any case Amazon shelves  are literally covered with stuff on those topics... so it's hard to tell what prompted the backlash.


ps. By the way, is Kindleboards censoring text nowadays? Because all my "damn" and "pissed" come out with a star!

 

[Claudia King]

I'll echo what other people have been posting and say that you probably just got unlucky with your reviewer. I've had it happen to me in the past too, and systems like this are always highly susceptible to human error.

Just give it another go, from your description it should be fine.

 

[M. P. Rey]

Thanks Claudia. It's probably what I'm going to do...
*fingers crossed*

 

[DarkScribe]

I guess it should have happened sooner or later...
My latest kinky gay short-story didn't make it through the Amazon censors, I'm afraid. I don't know if I should be p*ssed or proud... after all, most great authors got censored in the past, LOL.

As several other authors reported in forums, I just got a notice in the mailbox saying it "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah". After inquiring about what exactly was wrong with it, I got another mail stating that the story "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah" and I can resubmit after changing it.
Truly helpful

Now, my story doesn't seem much different from the thousands of naughty kinky gay erotic tales out there... it's definitely kinky and hardcore, but it doesn't contain any red-flag topic such as taboo issues or any dirty picture on the front cover. I don't see it as more controversial than the other stories I had written before which had no censorship problems. So, it's really hard to tell what to do to get it published.

Has anyone managed to get a block on one of their stories lifted? Any advice?

Of course it has been rejected. I just had a look at your cover and it has a guy with a visible erection. It is way outside Amazon's guidelines - why on earth would you expect it to be approved?

 

[Caddy]

Of course it has been rejected. I just had a look at your cover and it has a guy with a visible erection. It is way outside Amazon's guidelines - why on earth would you expect it to be approved?

Yup. Betting Darkscribe is right.

 

[Becca Mills]

Of course it has been rejected. I just had a look at your cover and it has a guy with a visible erection.

I agree with DarkScribe that the cover is probably the issue. It's seriously hawt, but alas, definitely NSFAmazon.

 

[olefish]

Yep, it's your cover.  It has a visible erection. Note girl nipples aren't even safe for the Zon either.  Change the cover and resubmit.

Your content looks "run of the mill"  there are enough people who make a living publishing gay erotica on amazon.

 

[Annette_g]

Yep, I think it's the cover. You wouldn't be able to publish that cover on allromance either

 

[TexasGirl]

I agree it's the cover. None of the other issues will get you banned.

Another way to get it through if you continue to have trouble after changing the cover--actually, I'll PM you.

 

[Ian Marks]

Be careful of any keywords that suggest noncon or dubcon or daddy. Those will get you blocked in a hurry.

Erp... feeling really stupid here, but I have no idea what noncon or dubcon mean. I'm going to guess that noncon means "non-consensual," but the other has me stumped.

 

[MegHarris]

I'm going to guess that noncon means "non-consensual," but the other has me stumped.

"Dubious consent."

 

[Miss de Meanour]

I guess it should have happened sooner or later...
My latest kinky gay short-story didn't make it through the Amazon censors, I'm afraid. I don't know if I should be p*ssed or proud... after all, most great authors got censored in the past, LOL.

As several other authors reported in forums, I just got a notice in the mailbox saying it "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah". After inquiring about what exactly was wrong with it, I got another mail stating that the story "violates their terms and conditions... blah blah blah" and I can resubmit after changing it.
Truly helpful

Now, my story doesn't seem much different from the thousands of naughty kinky gay erotic tales out there... it's definitely kinky and hardcore, but it doesn't contain any red-flag topic such as taboo issues or any dirty picture on the front cover. I don't see it as more controversial than the other stories I had written before which had no censorship problems. So, it's really hard to tell what to do to get it published.

Has anyone managed to get a block on one of their stories lifted? Any advice?

Most certainly the cover. Despite the fact that pretty well all non-gay women and all men of either persuasion will have seen and or had one, those things are something that society rules should be hidden away. It should be easy to obfuscate the offending area with a few minutes in Photoshop.

 

[intinst]

ps. By the way, is Kindleboards censoring text nowadays? Because all my "d*mn" and "p*ssed" come out with a star!

No, not nowadays; it always has. Harvey, the site owner set the tone very early on by saying that all posts should be family friendly. It's in the Forum decorum, which everyone agreed to abide by when becoming a member.

 

[MeiLinMiranda]

And yet we're talking about golden showers and BDSM...

ETA: not arguing, just think it's funny.

 

[Claudia King]

I had to take a second look at the cover to catch the offending bulge, but yeah, that looks like it might go over the line of what Amazon accepts. It should be easily fixable though. If I didn't catch it at first glance, I'm sure some creative rearrangement of the text can provide a nice natural censorship bar.