What exactly do I write?

Answering this question might be harder than you think. Sure, I know my genre and categories in bookstores. However, there are still lots of people who have never heard of Erotic Paranormal Romance. Not to mention they are thrown for a loop by the word "erotic."

So many people hear "erotic" and think "porn" or "filth." While that is certainly out there, I don't write straight up filth. When asked in person about the content of my books, I'll tell people something along the lines of, "They have graphic violence, language, and sexual content." No one bats an eye at the graphic violence or language, but nearly everyone says something like, "So, it's just a dirty book?"

I cannot express enough how much I would like to slap these people. Scratch that. I'd like to Superman punch them in the face. Ha. Ha. I would also like to add at this time, that the people I encounter online are so much more accepting and intelligent than those I generally run into in person. I only have these bizarre confrontations in my small, Southern hometown and the surrounding area. 

Now, there are plenty of people online who think "erotic" means "porn." But mostly if they are talking to me, they've figured out the difference. 

I've even tried explaining to folks, "It's like watching anything on HBO. My books have the same type of content. There is violence, graphic language, sex, and A PLOT. The story doesn't take a back seat to any of the other elements. I couldn't possibly write about nothing but sex. There has to be a reason for it, for everything." 

Still, I get those blank looks. Or I get questions like, "Why include it at all?"

"Because in real life, there is violence. People speak (especially in private) however they wish to speak. Oh, and REAL PEOPLE DO HAVE SEX. Just because my stories have fantastical elements, doesn't mean I don't strive to give them a touch of reality."

That's normally the point in the conversation where someone says if there are vampires, wizards, or werewolves, the story can't be realistic. Honestly? Did they miss Harry Potter?

Anyway, this has obviously turned into a rant. LOL

What exactly do I write? One of my readers summed it up best. She said, "If Quentin Tarantino did romance, this is what it would look like."

That's probably one of the most awesome things anyone has ever said about my books. Not all of them are violent enough to qualify, but that's still a great explanation. 

Amazon may consider your books porn

It seems there is always something or someone trying to persecute those who write or enjoy reading (or both) erotic romance.

Lately, all the buzz is about Amazon and their new search "feature." Apparently, when you do an "All Department Search" erotica is being filtered out.

Right off the bat I can tell you that is a terrifying prospect to me. It's also offensive to be thrown into the category of porn. My books have sexual content. So do a lot of movies, games, and TV shows. They aren't considered porn, and my books shouldn't be either. I've read several horror writers who include sex in their books. They aren't being excluded from searches. Why? Maybe it has something to do with the category of erotica?

Now I mentioned this was terrifying to me. That's because I do this for a living. I have no other job. I write. I use my income from royalties to pay my bills. I also earn the majority of my income from Amazon sales. You see where I'm going with this? It's scary.

I wonder if this will blow over. Will writers like myself continue to be able to make a living? I sure as hell hope so. It's pretty well known that erotica was a driving force for Kindle sales. At long last, people could read romance novels without anyone seeing the cover and judging them for it. Surely, Amazon realizes this?

I know several people, men and women, who were thrilled to be able to read a BDSM novel without anyone knowing. One of my friends sat at the dentist office reading as he called it, "straight-up kink" and no one knew. THIS is what sold the kindle. Sexual content. Period.

And now, after all that, WE are getting filtered? My books are not porn! There are many novels in other genres who have just as much sex in them as my books do. Is it because my stories have a happy ending that I'm getting the shaft? (Yes, the pun is totally intended.)

Besides being scary, treating erotica writers this way is just plain bad business. We make Amazon a lot of money.

Back in the day, books used to only be filtered (or excluded from searches) if there was nudity on the cover. For that reason, none of my covers have naked people. I thought I had this Amazon thing figured out.

As I was composing this blog post, I read another post that answered a question I really wanted to know. You can no longer put your book in both "Erotica" and "Romance" categories. Additionally, the category "Erotic Romance" puts your book in erotica.

Seriously? I'm going to Amazon right now to change my categories. I don't think that's an option if your books are already considered "ADULT". Once a work is considered "erotic," it stays that way. Naturally, huge traditionally published books like 50 Shades get the option to change their category. But not the little guys.

I searched for my books on Amazon in the "All Department Search" and only one was excluded, Diary of an Incubus. Yes, it has been slapped with the ugly ADULT label.

While I figure out what to do about that, I'm going to pause blogging and go change the categories of my other books. Hey, Amazon didn't bother to tell us they were doing this filter crap. Why should I play nice? I need to make a living here.

*after changing categories*

Okay, now ALL my books are in different categories besides Erotica. Here's what I did with mine.

Necromancer - Horror, Romance Paranormal

Wicked City - Romance, Fantasy

Eden - Paranormal, Fantasy

Bitten - Romance paranormal, horror

The Eternal Kiss - Paranormal, short stories

The Dread Moon - Paranormal, Horror

Object of My Affection - Paranormal, Horror

Red - Paranormal, horror

Frank and The Werewolf Tamer - Fantasy, Romance paranormal

I hope this works. My fear is that changing the categories will actually make my books harder to find. But if the filer might have been preventing them being found ... hell, I don't know.

I changed the category of Diary of an Incubus to Romance, Paranormal. If it's being filtered for the cover, then screw Amazon. I've seen a lot worse.

I would like to say that this will blow over and everything will be okay. But the truth is I don't know what will happen. I'm trying to stay positive. Maybe changing these categories will help MORE readers find me.

Whatever happens, I will survive, and so will you.

If you could censor the things you don't like, would you?

As most of you have heard by now, credit card companies think they have the right to dictate to Paypal what types of accounts they can handle. Paypal in turn thinks they have the right to tell publishers and companies like Amazon and Smashwords (among others) what types of books they can sell based on "objectionable" content. I'm still talking about it because it needs to be talked about. If we remain silent we have no room to complain.

The major areas they are cracking down on are rape, incest, and bestiality. Besides not having the right to do this, they are also only targeting erotic works. That is wrong on many levels, but I'll try to stick to the point. The definitions set by these companies are so broad, there are thousands of books that will fall into one of those categories.

Let me give you a few examples. If someone in a novel starts dating their step-brother by marriage, BOOM it's incest. Even though the characters are not related by blood, it doesn't matter.

The most upsetting to me is the subject of bestiality. The definition commonly meant to have sex with natural animals. Well, no one in my books humps cows or anything, so we're good, right? Wrong. This definition as set by the credit card companies (and in turn Paypal) has been expanded to include were-creatures of various kinds. According to them, werewolves (or any other kind of shifter) must be in their human forms when they have sex. In my books, they always are. I find the thought of having sex with a full-blown (no pun intended) werewolf is sick. But what if they think that their eyes turning color during sex is transformation? What then? That happens in HUNDREDS of paranormal books.

As for rape, the definition has also been expanded. Typically if anyone is forced to perform any type of sexual act against their will, that is rape. Someone in charge has gotten it into their head that BDSM books are all about rape. That's just not true. Many BDSM titles depict acts between consenting adults.

Don't even get me started on the fact that all of this is fiction and no one has the right to say what you can and cannot write about. It's not as if these acts are actually being committed.

While I'm at it, I'd like to clarify something. Many people have come to the incorrect assumption that I am fighting for the right to write about rape. Um, no. Rape is one of the most offensive things I can think of finding in a book. I'm not even going to get into the fact of how horrifying the thought of the act truly is. If I read a book that has rape in it or watch it in a movie, I'm offended. Big time.

Years ago I actually started a petition to have movies rated for rape. Why? Because I don't want to look at it. I go to the movies to be entertained and watching someone tortured sexually is not entertaining to me. However, people have the right to make a movie about it if they want to. As long as no one is actually hurt. All I wanted was to know up front before I made the mistake of going into the theatre.

The worst book I ever read was a BDSM title. I'm not against the genre by any means, but this was awful. It was written by a very well-known author (whom I won't name) and came highly recommended. I was expecting something sexy. What I got was 30 pages (because that's all I could stomach) of the rape and torture of an innocent young woman. No thank you. It's the only book I've ever returned in my life. I felt like my mind needed to be washed with holy water.

However, I didn't try to have it pulled from the shelves. I didn't start a petition of any kind. I simply never bought anything else by that author. Lots of people liked it. I'm not their judge. I also didn't feel the need to write a scathing review. I was ashamed for anyone to know I'd read it.

Would you have things removed that you didn't like if you had the power? If you suddenly found yourself in the position of the credit card companies would you lobby against "filth?" Or perhaps there is something else you'd have removed if you could? I wonder what other people think about this.

Another thing that I've seen crop up more and more is the mistaken impression that all small presses or independent authors publish "naughty" books. Every time I read something like that I roll my eyes and think, "Grow up." Now all romance is "naughty." And who uses that word besides Santa anyway? I know of very few people who write nothing but a "book full of sex."

In fact publishers of erotic fiction won't even consider a manuscript if it doesn't have a sound plot. You can't just dash off a wad of filth and hand it in and get a contract. It doesn't work that way.

My point is (I swear I had a point) people at credit card companies have no right sticking their nose into this. And whether or not I like a subject is irrelevant. I am defending people's right to read and publish whatever the hell they feel like.

You may think this doesn't affect you. Maybe you write in a different genre or maybe you don't write at all. You are wrong. This affects everyone. If they are allowed to get away with this, they may go after something close to you next. What if they decide that all horror involving zombies must be pulled from the shelf because the degeneration of human flesh offends them? Sure, that's stupid as hell ... so are their complaints about erotica. Stupidity hasn't slowed them down yet.

In case you want to sign a petition against censorship.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/stop-internet-censorship/

Censorship is a scary thing

Apparently, Paypal decided to lay the morality smackdown on certain types of erotic content in books. A few days ago, I received this email from Smashwords. (By the way, it's not only Smashwords doing this, it's Amazon, Bookstrand, and others.)

February 24, 2012

Re: Your Smashwords account at http://smashwords.com/profile/view/traceyhkitts

Dear Smashwords Authors, Publishers and Literary Agents,

This email is being sent to all authors, publishers and agents who have published erotica at Smashwords. We will also post this message to Site Updates and the Press Room. According to our records, you pubish 2 erotica-categorized title(s) out of 2 title(s) now live in the Smashwords system.

This message may or may not pertain to you. Today we are modifying our Terms of Service to clarify our policies regarding erotic fiction that contains bestiality, rape and incest. If you write in any of these categories, please carefully read the instructions below and remove such content from Smashwords. If you don’t write in these categories, you can disregard this message.

PayPal is requiring Smashwords to immediately begin removing the above-mentioned categories of books. Please review your title(s) and proactively remove and archive such works if you are affected. I apologize for the short notice, and I’m especially sorry for any financial or emotional hardship this may cause the authors and publishers affected by this change. As you may have heard, in the last couple weeks PayPal began aggressively enforcing a prohibition against online retailers selling certain types of "obscene" content.

For good background on the issue, see this Selena Kitt post here - http://selenakitt.com/blog/index.php/2012/02/19/slippery-slope-erotica-censorship/ or here - http://theselfpublishingrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/02/slippery-slope-erotica-censorship.html#comment-form or this Kindleboards thread here - http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,104604.0.html

On Saturday, February 18, PayPal’s enforcement division contacted Smashwords with an ultimatum. As with the other ebook retailers affected by this enforcement, PayPal gave us only a few days to achieve compliance otherwise they threatened to deactivate our PayPal services. I've had multiple conversations with PayPal over the last several days to better understand their requirements.

Their team has been helpful, forthcoming and supportive of the Smashwords mission. I appreciate their willingness to engage in dialogue. Although they have tried their best to delineate their policies, gray areas remain.

Their hot buttons are bestiality, rape-for-titillation, incest and underage erotica. The underage erotica is not a problem for us. We already have some of the industry’s strictest policies prohibiting underage characters (we don’t even allow non-participating minors to appear in erotica), and our vetting team is always on the lookout for "barely legal" content where supposed adults are placed in underage situations.

The other three areas of bestiality, rape and incest were less well-defined in our Terms of Service (https://www.smashwords.com/about/tos) before today. I’ll tackle these one-by-one below, and I'll provide you a summary of the changes that will go into effect immediately.*Incest:* Until now, we didn’t have a policy prohibiting incest between consenting adults, or its non-biological variation commonly known as "Pseudo-incest."

Neither did our retailer partners. We’ve noticed a surge of PI books over the last few months, and many of them have "Daddy" in the title. I wouldn't be surprised if the surge in "Daddy" titles prompted PayPal to pursue this purge (I don't know). PI usually explores sexual relations between consenting adult stepchildren with their step parents, or between step-siblings. Effectively immediately, we no longer allow incest of any variety in erotica. Like many writers, censorship of any form greatly concerns me. It is with some reluctance that I have made the decision to prohibit incest-themed erotica at Smashwords.

Regardless of your opinion on incest, it’s a slippery slope when we allow others to control what we think and write. Fiction is fantasy. It’s not real. It unfolds in our imagination. I’ve always believed fiction writers and readers should have the freedom to explore diverse topics and situations in the privacy of their own mind. From an imagination perspective, erotica is little different from a literary novel that puts us inside the mind of farm animals (1984), or a thriller novel that puts us inside the mind of a terrorist, or a horror novel that puts us inside the mind of an axe-murderer or their victim. All fiction takes us somewhere. We read fiction to be moved, and to feel. Sometimes we want to feel touched, moved, or disturbed. A reader should have the right to feel moved however they desire to be moved.Incest, however, carries thorny baggage. The legality of incest is murky. It creates a potential legal liability for Smashwords as our business and our books become more present in more jurisdictions around the world. Anything that threatens Smashwords directly threatens our ability to serve the greater interests of all Smashwords authors, publishers, retailers and customers who rely upon us as the world’s leading distributor of indie ebooks. The business considerations compel me to not fall on the sword for incest. I realize this is an imperfect decision.

The slippery slope is dangerous, but I believe this imperfect decision is in the best interest of the community we serve.*Bestiality:* Until now, we didn’t have a stated policy regarding bestiality. I like animals. Call me old fashioned or hypocritical (I’m not a vegetarian), but I don’t want to be a party to anyone enjoying animals for sexual gratification, for the same reason we’ve never allowed pedophilia books. I don’t want to publish it, sell it, or distribute it. The TOS is now modified to reflect this. Note this does not apply to shape-shifters common in paranormal romance provided the were-creature characters are getting it on in their human form. Sorry I need to clarify it that way, but we don’t want to see bestiality erotica masquerading as paranormal romance. *Rape:*

Although our Terms of Service prohibits books that advocate violence against others, we did not specifically identify rape. This was an oversight on our part. Now we have clarified the policy. We do not want books that contain rape for the purpose of titillation. At Smashwords, rape has no longer has a place in erotica. It has no place anywhere else if the purpose is to titillate. Non-consensual BDSM - or any other form of non-consensual violence against another person - is prohibited.

There is more to the letter, but I decided to cut it off here as the rest only give steps on how to remove your content IF you fall into those categories. Before I go further (because when I mentioned this on Facebook recently, someone misunderstood my intent) I am NOT advocating the topics of rape, incest, or bestiality. I AM advocating freedom of speech.

In my opinion, that's what this is really about. I find those topics disgusting to say the list. However, I do not have the right to tell other people what they can and cannot write, publish, or read. And neither does anyone else.

Read the Selena Kitt article listed above. It's scary and eye-opening. I had no idea any of this was going on until I got that letter from Smashwords. Thank God I decided not to write any BDSM because that is being targeted now also.

I could understand being in an uproar if someone was selling images depicting acts of rape, bestiality, etc. But these are WORDS. FICTION for crying out loud.

Perhaps they are only targeting erotica because the "morality police" are afraid of sex? If they're going to get picky about content, then mysteries and thrillers should also be removed due to content. How many mysteries and thrillers contain rape, murder, mutilation and the like? Don't even get me started on horror! But you know what? I LIKE horror and I'll be damned if anyone is going to tell me I can't read what I enjoy.

Same goes for romance. Today it's the (in my opinion) really sick shit that gets targeted. That of course, doesn't include BDSM. Targeting consensual acts between adults is way out of line.

My question (and concern) is, what's next? What if they decide that vampires and werewolves are immoral? That means I lose my source of income. But more than that, I lose my dream. I lose what I love and the best job I've ever had. And thousands of people lose their favorite form of entertainment. Not just my books (I wish) but all of those that fall into the same categories.

I do not believe that I am immoral and I do not believe my content is in any way "sick" or "unnatural." But what happens when someone else does and they happen to have the power to ruin my life?

That my friends, is scary as hell.