I was wondering if, and how, books are rated? I have Royal Assassin, and there's a big S on the back in the triangle. I was assuming that it was the rating. I tried to google it but couldn't find anything meaningful.
Oh, you mean the symbol that says the book is strippable. It also comes as an empty triange when the book cannot be stripped.
See: http://www.bisg.org/documents/barcoding.html#Strippable/Non-Strippable Indicators
I would turn the attention of those of you expressing appreciation for the fact that books are not rated to look to the UK, where talk of late has been of Age-banding children's books...
Not just talk, I got a call from my UK publisher verifying the age range they were planning on putting on my books. It made me sad because even though it is technically 9 - 12, I have got emails from teenagers and adults who enjoy it. My fear is that putting an age on a book will then make kids older than the age embarrassed to read something meant for younger, and kids younger than the age intimidated that it will be too much for them. I really really hate the idea.
Added: Wait- in the UK- are they using the age thing as a general reading level comprehension suggestion or a real restriction? Like, if you're not 13 you can't buy this book?? That would have me all fired up.
No no of course not! Technically with rating systems choosing a rating below your level is fine, it's always the choosing above your level that causes problems. However with the books, I doubt even if the book is for 18+, it wouldn't be like a restricted movie where you aren't allowed to buy it if you are younger. At least not yet. And I hope never.
I think that rating schemes do very quickly become adult content filters. I would be surprised if this scheme avoided that, albeit on a voluntary basis--i.e. book chains signing up not to sell to 'underage' customers.
The librarian at my public library had to call my mother when I wanted a book on sexual anthropologu when I was about 12. But fortunately she okayed it and I was off on my way to becoming an erotica writer