[mrv01d]

Just FYI, BN is definitely purging books. No account shut downs since the last one I mentioned, but watch your dashboard for greyed out titles that you can't publish or otherwise activate.

M

 

[Gone To Croatan]

I am worried that the gist of much of the debate is how to disguise the content so it gets through. It really should be the other way, how to make it clear so it doesn't show up where it shouldn't. Of course most of the blame lies on Amazon. If they put up a filter like Google does so you have to opt in to see adult content, the problem would be solved and I don't think it would affect sales that much.

Why should adults have to opt in to see 'adult' content? That merely encourages the less reputable writers to try to avoid the 'adult' tag, because many adults won't be seeing their books because they won't have enabled it.

Retailers don't need an 'adult' tag, they need a 'kid-safe' tag. There's no incentive for those writers to try to get a 'kid-safe' tag on their books, because kids are unlikely to want to read them. Then the problem goes away.

People pushing for an 'adult' tag are just making the problem worse.

 

[Monique]

Why should adults have to opt in to see 'adult' content? That merely encourages the less reputable writers to try to avoid the 'adult' tag, because many adults won't be seeing their books because they won't have enabled it.

Retailers don't need an 'adult' tag, they need a 'kid-safe' tag. There's no incentive for those writers to try to get a 'kid-safe' tag on their books, because kids are unlikely to want to read them. Then the problem goes away.

People pushing for an 'adult' tag are just making the problem worse.

I disagree. An adult filter makes more sense. You can't unsee something. In my opinion, it's better to have to expand the offerings than to see them all and think, 'Oh, crud'.

 

[beccaprice]

I agree, Monique. I don't read erotica, don't particularly want to see it (not that I object to it in principle, just not interested) - I'd much rather have the adult flag be opt in, because I don't read kid stuff either.

but I want the adult flag to be fair - if something like "Daddy loves his little girl in all the wrong ways" gets the adult flag, so should any book that uses incest or PI as titulation be flagged as adult, even if it's published by the Big 5.

 

[polecat]

but I want the adult flag to be fair - if something like "Daddy loves his little girl in all the wrong ways" gets the adult flag, so should any book that uses incest or PI as titulation be flagged as adult, even if it's published by the Big 5.

Hear hear!

 

[cinisajoy]

Ereaderiq automatically turns on their adult filter.  It takes one click to turn it off and see everything.    I like that I only see erotica if I want to.    Also on the same note: I would not let a child search for images of Cinderella without a safe search on.    Filters are much needed when so many words can mean so many different things.

 

[swolf]

If Amazon and the other retailers taking the heat these days had had an 'adult' switch, their simple response could have been, "Hey, you turned the switch on.  What were you expecting to see?"

 

[RaeC]

If Amazon and the other retailers taking the heat these days had had an 'adult' switch, their simple response could have been, "Hey, you turned the switch on. What were you expecting to see?"

But that would be admitting they're filthy smut peddlers who sell so much erotica it *needs* a switch. No matter that coding and implementing a switch would probably be cheaper and more effective than what they're doing--image comes first!

Amazon's like the A-Rod of retailers.

 

[cinisajoy]

If Amazon and the other retailers taking the heat these days had had an 'adult' switch, their simple response could have been, "Hey, you turned the switch on. What were you expecting to see?"

Puppies and kittens??

 

[Someone]

Two books removed by Amazon today
Offense?
Their only commonality is the word virgin in their titles

 

[swolf]

Two books removed by Amazon today
Offense?
Their only commonality is the word virgin in their titles

Yeah, I had three with that word removed last night.

One of them also had the word p***y, but they didn't mind that.

 

[JKenney]

Small Publishers are starting to get pulled as well...

All based on title or keywords some of which were not EVEN erotica!



This is just NUTS....

 

[Terrence OBrien]

But that would be admitting they're filthy smut peddlers who sell so much erotica it *needs* a switch. No matter that coding and implementing a switch would probably be cheaper and more effective than what they're doing--image comes first!

Amazon's like the A-Rod of retailers.

Image does come first. Many here have observed they consider Amazon to be a company that is focused on the long term rather than the short. I disagree, but if one does hold that position, image is a long term consideration.

 

[CrystalVeeyant]

They are now censoring content now and it needn't be incest, pseudo-incest, rape, dubious consent or bestiality. As always the reviewer suggests I follow the content "guidelines"—"What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. "—I think that Jerry Springer is offensive but I bet they'd sell his video or books—thus I have no guidelines with which to fix it. I've already gone through and changed all references of "Daddy"—said as a nickname or roleplay context—to "Master" and got rid of all other PI roleplay. STILL it got blocked again.

Smashwords is starting t look really good about now...

 

[I Nympho]

I'm a new erotica author and my publisher initially told me Amazon had me banned, the reason, they put me on a 7 day review. My publisher says it's usually a few hours to get a book approved by Amazon.

After they uploaded my work, KDP emailed them it was on a 7 day review due to content.

I'm their first erotica author, so they said they didn't think Amazon was going to approve new erotica, with all this banning they're doing, and my book has TEEN prominently in the title since it's about a just turned 18 year old stripper.

Half a day later, KDP published it though.

So sexually explicit work is getting through, as long as it has nothing the courts have defined as pornographic in it and nothing underage.

So it looks like erotica is still okay on Amazon.

 

[jackz4000]

There is no question people are impacted. I suspect a huge problem they face us they are not capable of identifying the characteristics of what is on their servers. The way they are handling the issue is a function of what they are capable of. I doubt they have flags set on each book that lets them know what they need to know for the current situation.

When the companies offered unrestricted access to authors, they took whatever came in. They didn't have a crew of editors going through the books and tagging them as adult, mature, family, etc. They took whatever came in the uploads and we all cheered the trampled gatekeepers.

So, following my uninformed speculation, they now have an inventory that can't be managed to meet the specific needs of the current problem. That's unfortunate, and there is plenty of brilliant analysis we can deliver in hindsight. But they are still stuck working with what they have. That's why nobody likes what they are doing.

And unfairly impacting readers? I disagree there. Kobo doesnt owe them anything. They sure don't owe me anything.

Agree. Whether Kobo, B&N, Amazon or whatever a store can sell products it wants to sell. If they don't want your product maybe another store will. When a store allows anyone to sell their faucets, electronics, ebooks or whatever, in time they may filter some out.

 

[CrystalVeeyant]

I'm their first erotica author, so they said they didn't think Amazon was going to approve new erotica, with all this banning they're doing, and my book has TEEN prominently in the title since it's about a just turned 18 year old stripper.

Half a day later, KDP published it though.

So sexually explicit work is getting through, as long as it has nothing the courts have defined as pornographic in it and nothing underage.

I think you just got lucky, although I believe that having an actual publisher on your side may have done the trick for you. It appears that it is self-published that is getting the most scrutiny. It is also dependent on the prejudices of the individual reviewer. With no meaningful rules to apply-"What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. "-they can make it up as they go along, which is incredibly frustrating and time-consuming.

 

[Sarma]

I don't want call out another author/board member, so sorry if this is out of bounds. After some research yesterday, I'm questioning if PI is really banned, or if they just want us to hide it. There's no mention of Daddy/PI in this title/cover/blurb, but when you look inside, it's stepdad/father/Daddy, etc. I've found several PI books that were republished with a cleaned up image.

Though I hate the idea of misleading readers, if covert PI is allowed for some, I might try my chances at getting my PI stories back up.

Spoiler

http://www.amazon.com/Too-Make-Babies-Nicole-Snow-ebook/dp/B00BRMMAKS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3

 

[KMatthew]

I don't want call out another author/board member, so sorry if this is out of bounds. After some research yesterday, I'm questioning if PI is really banned, or if they just want us to hide it. There's no mention of Daddy/PI in this title/cover/blurb, but when you look inside, it's stepdad/father/Daddy, etc. I've found several PI books that were republished with a cleaned up image.

Though I hate the idea of misleading readers, if covert PI is allowed for some, I might try my chances at getting my PI stories back up.

Spoiler

http://www.amazon.com/Too-Make-Babies-Nicole-Snow-ebook/dp/B00BRMMAKS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3

I might rework my PI titles after I'm done with my current WIP. Seems like it's working for most PI writers, though I still don't think I'll be adding anymore PI titles to my catalog. I think hiding what the story is about via title and blurb is more sketchy than the sub-genre itself.

 

[Daizie]

I might rework my PI titles after I'm done with my current WIP. Seems like it's working for most PI writers, though I still don't think I'll be adding anymore PI titles to my catalog. I think hiding what the story is about via title and blurb is more sketchy than the sub-genre itself.

I know. I don't like this prancy dancing that Amazon wants authors to do in the blurbs. It's not honest. I don't get what's so bad about PI anyway, why it's this icky category of books all of a sudden.