Amazon and incest

[Bebeslut]

Don't know which thread the question was posed on, but as to Amazon purging incest stories, not yet at least. I was just looking under "sex stories" and saw a couple of titles with incest prominently in them.
Thank goodness.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Yes, they are. They just haven't gotten to all of them yet. Take a look at the Kindle Incest Search Page. It's like swiss cheese. There were over 650 titles on that page on December 12. I blogged about this last week - they removed three of my titles. They seem to be working their way from the top down (highest ranking, highest visibility). I did (finally!) talk to a CS rep at Amazon and while they wouldn't confirm or deny the reason for the title removal (aside from "violation of our content guidelines) when I asked if "all titles that violated the content guidelines in a similar way" were going to be removed, they said yes, that was their intention.

 

[Bebeslut]

Are they mainly deciding what to purge based on titles? 'Cause I'm safe, there.

Yes, they are. They just haven't gotten to all of them yet. Take a look at the Kindle Incest Search Page. It's like swiss cheese. There were over 650 titles on that page on December 12. I blogged about this last week - they removed three of my titles. They seem to be working their way from the top down (highest ranking, highest visibility). I did (finally!) talk to a CS rep at Amazon and while they wouldn't confirm or deny the reason for the title removal (aside from "violation of our content guidelines) when I asked if "all titles that violated the content guidelines in a similar way" were going to be removed, they said yes, that was their intention.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Are they mainly deciding what to purge based on titles? 'Cause I'm safe, there.

No. Tags.

 

[Bebeslut]

No. Tags.

Just checked. Safe there, too.

 

[Carl East]

They have now removed nine of my titles from Amazon, two of which were compliations and five which were my best sellers. Oddly though when they emailed me to let me know that they'd been removed one of the titles mentioned wasn't one of mine.

I was doing really well until this happened, oh well back to more mundane stories. lol

Carl

ps Happy new year everyone.

 

[harding]

I can understand why Amazon are doing this (kind of).

But - does this mean they will purge all "mainstream" novels that also contain incest? What about those with under age sex like Nabakov? We don't even allow that on Literotica!

 

[Stella_Omega]

I can understand why Amazon are doing this (kind of).

But - does this mean they will purge all "mainstream" novels that also contain incest? What about those with under age sex like Nabakov? We don't even allow that on Literotica!

I don't think "Lolita" is in any danger from Amazon, no.

Nabokov is a very highly regarded writer, and the story does not glorify underage sex-- it condemns the fools who fall in love with young girls.

What "mainstream novels" contain incest?

My notion is that Literotica should open an ebook store. (more work for Manu, natch)

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I don't think "Lolita" is in any danger from Amazon, no.

Nabokov is a very highly regarded writer, and the story does not glorify underage sex-- it condemns the fools who fall in love with young girls.

What "mainstream novels" contain incest?

My notion is that Literotica should open an ebook store. (more work for Manu, natch)

But with their share of sales they should be able to hire one or two talented individuals who would maintain the eBook site. It would be getting editors lined up and so forth that would be difficult and expensive and time consuming.

 

[glynndah]

I don't think "Lolita" is in any danger from Amazon, no.

Nabokov is a very highly regarded writer, and the story does not glorify underage sex-- it condemns the fools who fall in love with young girls.

What "mainstream novels" contain incest?

My notion is that Literotica should open an ebook store. (more work for Manu, natch)

I was curious so I looked on Amazon. The Flowers in the Attic series is still for sale and the Kindle edition is due in February. It features incest and is more or less a "mainstream" novel.

 

[sr71plt]

I was curious so I looked on Amazon. The Flowers in the Attic series is still for sale and the Kindle edition is due in February. It features incest and is more or less a "mainstream" novel.

I doubt they'll go after any mainstream books. The mainstream backlash would be too strong. They won't think twice about going after essentially self-publishing and small-time e-book publishing, though--unless and until interests combine here that could make an impact on Amazon in the marketplace.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I was curious so I looked on Amazon. The Flowers in the Attic series is still for sale and the Kindle edition is due in February. It features incest and is more or less a "mainstream" novel.

Is it erotica first, or a novel first?

 

[Selena_Kitt]

They went after Olympia Press. They're the ones who published Lolita back in the 70's when no one else would. Lots of authors over there have had books removed.

 

[amicus]

http://www.metafilter.com/99070/Amazon-Banning-Books-that-Discuss-Fictional-Incest

In a more recent action of book banning, Amazon appears to be banning books about incest that are not top rated titles. Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein is
available, for example. Covered here as well.

http://theselfpublishingrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/12/amazon-in-book-banning-business.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/d...orum=Fx20DX5GEB7TUX8&cdThread=Tx25BON7V8GYPEB

http://www.businessinsider.com/amaz...med-erotica-removed-from-kindle-store-2010-12

http://www.amandayoung.org/2010/12/12/amazon-is-now-banning-select-erotica/

There are 181,000 entries listed on the subject of Amazon's actions. Here's hoping that anyone who has a voice will place a complaint with Amazon as censorship of one category of literature may be just the beginning...

Amicus

 

[alwayswantedto]

From the top

<deleted>

 

[sr71plt]

The top of what?

 

[alwayswantedto]

<deleted>

 

[sr71plt]

Amazon

Well, of course it does. Such a policy can't be initiated at the middle or the bottom. But what prompts the top of Amazon to cut off a profitable appendage? Isn't that the real question?

 

[alwayswantedto]

<deleted>

 

[sr71plt]

What I meant to suggest is that it might be more of a personal decision by someone very high up rather than a new corporate policy per se and, if so, wonder what that might imply for any rational appeal to Amazon to modify its behavior. I think, if true, it would be even more a waste of time.

It's a lucrative genre and any picking and choosing like this brings grief to the business. A personal quirk of someone on top is possible, but it certainly wouldn't be the first explanation I'd jump to (or the second or third).

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I think it's a combination of things. The pedo-book that was removed. Then Wikileaks. Then the guy who was arrested for incest with his 24 year old daughter. Perhaps Amazon is getting pressure from higher up. Perhaps they just decided to make a business decision and drew the line (as Lit does, and as we do at Excessica) at bestiality and underage sexual contact - and extended it to incest as well.

I don't have a problem with them making a business decision. I have a problem with how they made it and how they told (or didn't) authors they were going to do so. This clandestine sneaking around removing books and telling authors and publishers after the fact - and then threatening to cancel author or publisher accounts if they "continue to violate the content guidelines" when they don't even tell you how you violated the guidelines in the first place - yeah, that's just bad business.