Slate Article on "Kindlerotica."

[KathleenD]

At first, I was going to post this in Erotica. (If it gets moved there, I'll understand.) Then I realized that the article is about marginalizing romance and e-publishing, and the focus on OMG THE SEX was a smokescreen designed to get idiots like me to click and read.

http://www.slate.com/id/2269132/

Let's review this author's completely idiotic assumptions, while speaking respectfully of a fellow author, of course.

- Women don't read/have hardcore BDSM fantasies. Anything along those lines must secretly be targeted at men.

- Giving away a free story with sex in it is not simple marketing, it's degrading to "real" (quotes mine) bestsellers because the free stuff gets onto Amazon's bestseller lists. (I mean, jeez, this trash is beating out FRANZEN. /rolleyes)

- If you filmed a scene from a book and it looked pornographic, the novel itself is therefore porn even if it's marked as romance.

- Amazon is allowing publishers of "racy" material to give away free stories because it will goose the sales of Kindles.

- Explicit sexual content will sully the e-reader's reputation.

- Christians and other conservatives do not read explicit material.

The author uses the word porn a whole lot, but when he gets to the part where he calls Amazon a producer and a promoter, he uses... for the first time... the word "erotica." He switches back to the word porn.

Did I miss anything?

By the way, if there's a way to contact the author of this piece, I haven't been able to find it.

I have been wondering for the past day - is this hilarious, or enraging? Or both?

[Collectonian]

It was interesting until the author started in on the "OMG, Porn" stuff. Wish I'd know about the free copy of Compromising Positions sooner...I'd have downloaded it too *grin*

I'd love to know if that article's author has ever wandered out of the book area...to notice that Amazon sells condoms, vibrators, dildos, and other sex toys. And they worry about a niche genre of books in a niche form? :-P

[brainstorm77]

Perhaps they live in a cloud? Their thoughts are certainly muddled.

[job]

James Ledbetter: I'm shocked, shocked to find that pornography is going on in here!

[veinglory]

Apparently I am less worried about getting approval from my mother/the-conservative-right than this Slate journalist is.

[Sheryl Nantus]

James Ledbetter: I'm shocked, shocked to find that pornography is going on in here!

I'm surprised that *they're* surprised.

I sort of wish they had noted that Samhain also prints many books that are not sexually explicit - my two books with them, for example, are pretty darned mild.

It does seem to flutter all over the place from the topic of free ebooks and are they beneficial to the industry to the topic of erotica...

Time to switch to decaf, methinks.

:D

[Flicka]

- If you filmed a scene from a book and it looked pornographic, the novel itself is therefore porn even if it's marked as romance.


I randomly pulled out three books from my bookshelf - George R.R. Martin's A Feast For Crows, Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin and subjected them to this test.

Wow.

I suppose Amazon is just CHOCK-FULL of porn.

[xccorpio]

I'm speechless, and it takes a lot to accomplish that.

What is this person agenda? I’m not going to waste time even thinking about it. I'd rather read some of the sizzling-hot-explicit-erotic romances I got for free.

Actually, after reading for free K.A. Mitchell's Collision Course, I ended up using my cc on the Samhain's website. Mrs. Brashear's marketing strategy works.

Anyway, if you guys want to learn about the free spicy reads while there are still free, check this tweet: http://twitter.com/kindlenews or this Kindle Store Top 100 Free.
(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Top+100+Free&x=14&y=19)
One doesn’t need a kindle to read the books, Kindle for PC is an alternative among many others.

[KathleenD]

Gaiman is a well-known agent of evil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQAk_T9SBbw&feature=player_embedded).

[scarletpeaches]

Whoever wrote that article just needs to get laid.

[HayleytheScribbler]

Really interesting article. I personally think it's it a pretty good marketing ploy to have books for free in the Kindle store. I got a Kindle only recently, and I've "bought" a number of free ebooks that I never would have looked at twice if they weren't free (including Compromising Positions). It's a great way for people to step outside of their normal reading comfort zone and discover new genres.
But I guess no one was really arguing with that :)

I agree that the article was pretty good until about halfway through--then it just become ridiculous. And yes, the author needs to get laid.

[anne_holly]

Man, I wish I could get one of these guys to rant about how dirty my stories are - I could use the free publicity.

[Lainey Bancroft]

:roll: Ditto! Man, I wish I could get one of these guys to rant about how dirty my stories are - I could use the free publicity.

[Uncarved]

;)At first, I was going to post this in Erotica. (If it gets moved there, I'll understand.) Then I realized that the article is about marginalizing romance and e-publishing, and the focus on OMG THE SEX was a smokescreen designed to get idiots like me to click and read.

http://www.slate.com/id/2269132/

Let's review this author's completely idiotic assumptions, while speaking respectfully of a fellow author, of course.

- Women don't read/have hardcore BDSM fantasies. Anything along those lines must secretly be targeted at men.

- Giving away a free story with sex in it is not simple marketing, it's degrading to "real" (quotes mine) bestsellers because the free stuff gets onto Amazon's bestseller lists. (I mean, jeez, this trash is beating out FRANZEN. /rolleyes)

- If you filmed a scene from a book and it looked pornographic, the novel itself is therefore porn even if it's marked as romance.

- Amazon is allowing publishers of "racy" material to give away free stories because it will goose the sales of Kindles.

- Explicit sexual content will sully the e-reader's reputation.

- Christians and other conservatives do not read explicit material.

The author uses the word porn a whole lot, but when he gets to the part where he calls Amazon a producer and a promoter, he uses... for the first time... the word "erotica." He switches back to the word porn.

Did I miss anything?

By the way, if there's a way to contact the author of this piece, I haven't been able to find it.

I have been wondering for the past day - is this hilarious, or enraging? Or both?

:roll:

It was interesting until the author started in on the "OMG, Porn" stuff. Wish I'd know about the free copy of Compromising Positions sooner...I'd have downloaded it too *grin*

I'd love to know if that article's author has ever wandered out of the book area...to notice that Amazon sells condoms, vibrators, dildos, and other sex toys. And they worry about a niche genre of books in a niche form? :-P

I have it on my kindle, with a few file transfers I could send it to yours I think

[brainstorm77]

;)

:roll:



I have it on my kindle, with a few file transfers I could send it to yours I think

He needs to read my last finished novella.:tongue:evil

[jana13k]

Well, as a Christian, a conservative and a romance writer who both writes and enjoys hot sex, I am amused. I don't give stupid people the effort it requires to get angry.

[brainstorm77]

It made me laugh more than anything else.:D

[scarletpeaches]

Well, as a Christian, a conservative and a romance writer who both writes and enjoys hot sex, I am amused. I don't give stupid people the effort it requires to get angry.Perfect attitude.

One I admire, although haven't yet mastered.

[Collectonian]

I have it on my kindle, with a few file transfers I could send it to yours I think

Really? That would be cool. I didn't know you could do transfers. Would it still work if I do all my "kindle" reading via the PC version?