01-16-2012, 08:03 AM | #1 |
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Censorship
Hi Folks,
After two-and-a-half years of blood sweat and writer's block I finally finished the Great Novel. (My first one.) Never mind an 800 pounder, it was like getting a 2 ton gorilla off my back! All I had to now is format and upload to Amazon. Not so fast! When I checked out the Contents page on Kindle Help I discovered the following: WE DON'T ACCEPT PORNOGRAPHY OR OFFENSIVE DEPICTIONS OF GRAPHIC SEXUAL ACTS. I have no problem with the pornography aversion but the other bit is giving sleepless nights. The Great Novel has several sexual scenes in them and they are described in quite specific - some might say 'graphic' - ways. It all depends on the sensitivity and moral perceptions of the reader. The questions for the forum are: have any you ever fallen foul of Amazon's Content rule? How strictly is it applied? Do you think - if they had been unknown - people like Henry Miller, Nabokov, D.H. Lawrence, John Updike, Marquis de Sade, Chaucer and Harold Robbins would have had their work published under that rule? |
01-16-2012, 08:10 AM | #2 |
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I feel they have the right to accept or decline any piece of work in which they host the material.
Henry Miller's "Tropics" books were banned in the United States. Miller (and Grove Press) had the obscenity charge overruled in 1964. Don Last edited by Dr. Drib; 01-16-2012 at 08:27 AM. |
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01-16-2012, 09:42 AM | #3 |
Grand Sorcerer
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A few of my novels have sexual acts depicted in graphic detail, and one includes a (consensual) bondage sex scene. I have yet to hear from Amazon complaining about the content or taking it down. My suggestion would be to put it in (!) and see what happens.
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01-16-2012, 10:21 AM | #4 |
Lord of Frogtown
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One of my novels has some sexual content and I haven't heard a peep about it from the Board of Censors or whatever body might (and probably does not) exist at Amazon. I wouldn't even begin to worry about this. I'd assume that if your novel has some redeeming social value, and is not simply one description of sexual acts after another, you're in the clear.
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01-16-2012, 02:49 PM | #5 |
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01-16-2012, 05:27 PM | #6 |
Chasing Butterflies
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I have a hard time believing this can be a thing. I mean, I've no doubt that Amazon has the statement in their TOS, but I've had to stop browsing their store at work because the COVERS depict graphic sexual content. So I wouldn't worry -- they've got a huge list to go through before they get to your novel.
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01-16-2012, 09:22 PM | #7 |
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I think the keyword there is offensive. Someone has to complain saying they are offended by whatever it is that's depicted. In general, they have pretty specific rules against sexual acts involving underage participants, but I doubt they bother coming down on much else.
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01-17-2012, 06:30 AM | #8 |
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Censorship
Thanks everyone. Very reassuring. And yes the book does have powerful social themes. (It's about the survival of Life on Earth.) I am going to follow your advice and give it a shot. In the meantime I'll sleep better tonight
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01-21-2012, 12:06 AM | #9 |
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I've seen erotic ebooks on Amazon, I guess it's a rule not so heavily enforced. No need to worry.
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01-25-2012, 11:59 AM | #10 |
Pigmy Hippo Trainer
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has some pretty ... er... explicit scenes. I think you'll find you'll only get booted off if someone flags your book as a violation.
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01-25-2012, 07:40 PM | #11 |
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Um, I made some covers for some erotica that focus on, uh, body parts, but I don't think it's anything too bad. Like a leg, or a belly button or whatever. Sure, it looks a bit sexualized, but I don't think it's over the top. Do you think they'll censor them?
I mean, I've seen some pretty scandalous covers and I really don't think mine are that bad |
01-26-2012, 07:47 AM | #12 |
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A man once said "I know obsenity when I see it." The problem is that aside from things like rape and underage sex which most everyone agrees is outside the acceptable boundaries there isn't really a standard for what is obscene. A man got in trouble around a century back for sending a poem through the mail. The name of the poem? "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's." Anyone can find anything objectionable but the thing is that also serves as great advertizing. The minute a book is objected to or banned everyone seems to come out of the wood work wanting to read it.
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