Belegon
Still Kicking Around
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2003
- Posts
- 17,028
I'm editing a BDSM anthology and there are capitalization and jargon issues.
Specifically, the non-capitalization of names/nicknames for subs. On a related subject, there is the use of "hir" as a pronoun, which from context seems to mean a "female (perhaps strictly lesbian) sir."
I'm waiting for a response from the publisher, but I wanted opinions...
My belief, as an editor, is that these terms are jargon. They are like "LOL." Or referring to an "ODP Report" in a financial operations meeting. That is to say, people who are in the know will see these and have no problem with them.
However, people who are NOT insiders will be merely puzzled...and perhaps thrown out of the book.
And the readership of BDSM erotica and romance is not primarily from people already within the lifestyle. Perhaps 15% of the readership is active or formerly active (a generous estimate.) The great majority is indulging a fantasy by reading and slipping into a different world.
So, the decision to me is clear, although the publisher will have the final say. Jargon is not appropriate for a generally released book, whether it be jargon from an insurance company or from a club.
What I want to know from you is... how would it affect your enjoyment of the work? Would it throw you out of your immersion in the text to have a sub's name or nickname capitalized?
What if I took the "hir" references and changed them to "her" or a similar pronoun depending on context? How would that affect you?
Specifically, the non-capitalization of names/nicknames for subs. On a related subject, there is the use of "hir" as a pronoun, which from context seems to mean a "female (perhaps strictly lesbian) sir."
I'm waiting for a response from the publisher, but I wanted opinions...
My belief, as an editor, is that these terms are jargon. They are like "LOL." Or referring to an "ODP Report" in a financial operations meeting. That is to say, people who are in the know will see these and have no problem with them.
However, people who are NOT insiders will be merely puzzled...and perhaps thrown out of the book.
And the readership of BDSM erotica and romance is not primarily from people already within the lifestyle. Perhaps 15% of the readership is active or formerly active (a generous estimate.) The great majority is indulging a fantasy by reading and slipping into a different world.
So, the decision to me is clear, although the publisher will have the final say. Jargon is not appropriate for a generally released book, whether it be jargon from an insurance company or from a club.
What I want to know from you is... how would it affect your enjoyment of the work? Would it throw you out of your immersion in the text to have a sub's name or nickname capitalized?
What if I took the "hir" references and changed them to "her" or a similar pronoun depending on context? How would that affect you?
but I was 
." 
