Prohibited Words

[R. Richard]

From one of my publishers, this is supposedly a list of words prohibited from appearing in e-book titles and/or blurbs. summaries.

Alcohol, drink, liquor etc.
Asphyxia, asphyxiate, asphyxiation etc.
Beastiality
Bestiality
Bled, Bleed, Bleeding etc
Blood
Brutality
Brutalization
Child
Chloroform
Drugged, Drug
Drunk
Force, Forcing etc
Hypnosis
Hypnotize, hypnotise etc
Incapacitate, Incapacitation etc
Incest
Infant
Intoxicate, intoxication etc
Kidnap
Lactate and variants
Menstrual, menstruate etc
Molest, molestation, molested etc
Murder (and variations)
Mutlilate, Mutilation etc
Necrophilia
Passed out
Pedophilia (and various alternate spellings)
Piss
Rape, raping, rapist etc
Scat, shit, fecal, bukake etc
Fetal, foetal etc
Sedate, sedative sedation etc
Sleep, slumber
Smother, snuff
Tentacle
Torture
Unconscious
Underage
Unwilling
Violate, violating etc

This list is likely to get longer as time increases. I'll try to keep you updated.
(I can't believe that they haven't included 'crude motherfucker.')

 

[Stella_Omega]

A list of encouraged words
Sweet,
kind,
heartwarming,
Patriotic,
fashionable,
well-groomed,
Butterflies
Magnet
Apples
broccoli
kittens
ponies
fluffy puppies

 

[Darkniciad]

I suppose that list is only for erotica, because otherwise, somewhere around half that list is pretty broad and limiting for general fiction.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I suppose that list is only for erotica, because otherwise, somewhere around half that list is pretty broad and limiting for general fiction.

It sure limits my erotica. This is a publisher I could never work with.

Actually, I can blurb just about every thing on that list without using any of those words.

 

[TxRad]

I'm glad to see butt plug did not make the don't list.

After three novels, I find the legal department more of a problem than the editors ever thought about being.

And they have absolutely no sense of humor either.

 

[mynameisben]

Whew! It looks like the working title of my current novel is safe. With a little luck, Axe Frenzy: Revenge of the Jizz-soaked Nuns will be hitting supermarket shelves in your hometown soon.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I had a publisher with a big list of words and acts prohibited from not only the blurb, but from the book itself.

No anal, no lesbian, no incest, and of course no snuff, bestiality, or kids. (I don't know if they'd even heard of necro, but this was back before the Vampire thing hit.)

Forbidden words included the C word of course, but also asshole, jizz, dick, prick, and any other slangy words for the male jalona. "Bitch" could only be used by one female in reference to another. Women could be called "slut" in moments of passion, but never "whore," unless they were one literally.

Also, the heroine could only have sex with one man in the course of the book. So any sort of group thing was out.

But this was back in the earlier 00's, when commercial porn for women was still something of a rarity. Soon, all sorts of people were publishing it and there was a rapid competitive race to the bottom. Their forbidden list was revised almost monthly to allow raunchier and dirtier things, and now I think only the C word is still off-limits.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Women have the potential to be far raunchier and dirtier than even they give themselves credit for.

All they really seem to need is a smidge of what might be termed "peer permission." And once the internet came into our lives-- there it was, for any woman who asked for it.

All of which is beside the point.

R.R, do you know why your publisher has this list? Is it to avoid triggering censorship vigilantes, which was my first thought?

 

[R. Richard]

R.R, do you know why your publisher has this list? Is it to avoid triggering censorship vigilantes, which was my first thought?

Supposedly the list came from Master Card. However, after the PayPal fiasco, I believe little about who decides what are banned words.

broccoli? broccoli? broccoli? Watch your mouth!

 

[Handley_Page]

From one of my publishers, this is supposedly a list of words prohibited from appearing in e-book titles and/or blurbs. summaries.

Alcohol, drink, liquor etc.
Asphyxia, asphyxiate, asphyxiation etc.
Beastiality
Bestiality
Bled, Bleed, Bleeding etc
Blood
Brutality
Brutalization
Child
Chloroform
Drugged, Drug
Drunk
Force, Forcing etc
Hypnosis
Hypnotize, hypnotise etc
Incapacitate, Incapacitation etc
Incest
Infant
Intoxicate, intoxication etc
Kidnap
Lactate and variants
Menstrual, menstruate etc
Molest, molestation, molested etc
Murder (and variations)
Mutilate, Mutilation etc
Necrophilia
Passed out
Pedophilia (and various alternate spellings)
Piss
Rape, raping, rapist etc
Scat, shit, fecal, bukake etc
Fetal, foetal etc
Sedate, sedative sedation etc
Sleep, slumber
Smother, snuff
Tentacle
Torture
Unconscious
Underage
Unwilling
Violate, violating etc

This list is likely to get longer as time increases. I'll try to keep you updated.
(I can't believe that they haven't included 'crude motherfucker.')

The mind boggles.
Define a road accident (or even (horrors) a murder), without the necessary blood and stuff and you're screwed !


Is this publisher one who limits their output to children's stories or Nursery Rhymes ?

 

[R. Richard]

The mind boggles.
Define a road accident (or even (horrors) a murder), without the necessary blood and stuff and you're screwed !

Is this publisher one who limits their output to children's stories or Nursery Rhymes ?

Actually, it's a BDSM site, headquartered in the UK.

 

[sr71plt]

Actually, it's a BDSM site, headquartered in the UK.

Yep, it sort of knocks the whole murder mystery genre out of the hall, doesn't it? And since I write some erotic murder mysteries . . .

 

[Stella_Omega]

Actually, it's a BDSM site, headquartered in the UK.

*laughing*

Or maybe

*sobbing*

 

[TxRad]

R.R, do you know why your publisher has this list? Is it to avoid triggering censorship vigilantes, which was my first thought?

In the case of my three books, which are mainstream and only slightly erotic, it was not so much the word itself but how it was used. Even though it was fiction the legal eagles combed every word for hidden meaning and agendas. Those people are crazy. They take covering their asses to a whole new level.

 

[SweetMaj]

Whew! It looks like the working title of my current novel is safe. With a little luck, Axe Frenzy: Revenge of the Jizz-soaked Nuns will be hitting supermarket shelves in your hometown soon.

Thanks for the laugh before I'm off to bed, Ben.



(What an image.)