So, apparently (quelle shocker) there’s a book kerfluffle right now. An author wrote a dark erotica book that went #1 in the romantic erotica category on Amazon. Then a bunch of other people started reporting it to Amazon.
NOT cool. Not cool at ALL.
If you don’t like a book, don’t read it. But unless it’s plagiarized, or does something like portraying pedophilia for titillation, don’t fucking report it. That’s petty and douchey and simply shows the kind of person YOU are.
HOWEVER…here’s the flip side of the coin.
Authors do NOT always get to choose what categories the ‘Zon sticks their books in. You can choose some basic categories when you upload it, but the other categories? It’s like some code monkey at Amazon tosses a dart and hits a random spot. And sometimes trying to fight with them to get them to change it is just bullshit. Do NOT assume that’s the category the author chose.
AUTHORS – there’s a VERY simple, easy fix for this that you CAN control, even if your book is with a publisher. When you upload the book for sale (if you do it yourself) or via your Amazon Author Dashboard (for publisher-loaded books) just insert a little line. ONE FREAKING LINE.
At the top of your book blurbs, start out with a VERY SIMPLE disclaimer. Regardless of the kind of book. Use the word count, the romantic pairing (if erotica or romance) and a basic descriptor. (Do NOT go fucking keyword-stuffing happy, either.) Put this at the TOP of your blurb.
(70k, MM, contemporary, romance, HEA)
(30k, MF, dark erotica, dub-con, might trigger some readers, HFN)
(40k, MMF, erotic romance, BDSM, HEA)
(80k spy thriller)
(69k historical cozy mystery)
…and so on. Make it SUPER-EASY for the reader to immediately see what kind of book you wrote and how long it is.
Now then. READERS…
READ THE FREAKING BLURBS. Even if there isn’t a disclaimer in the blurb, if you hate MM books and there are only two HEROES being described in the blurb? Um, hello? Logic? Also, if the book is in an LGBTQ category, that is a hint that, helloooo…
I see SOOO many reviews for myself and other authors where MM (or MMF, as opposed to MFM which is TOTES different) where the reviewer says they hate MM action in a book.
THEN WHY DID YOU BUY IT WHEN THE BLURB CLEARLY STATES IT’S A MALE/MALE BOOK?
I get it that if you buy a book that turns into dark erotica/dub-con/whatever, and you had NO clue from the blurb, okay, leave a review that states THAT.
“This book wasn’t my cuppa, reader beware it contains _____ and that isn’t disclosed in the blurb.”
(Just go back and READ the blurb BEFORE you do that, because ya might find out it was a case of reader-fail on your part.)
But what DON’T you do?
YOU DO NOT REPORT THE FUCKING BOOK JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T LIKE IT.
I hate liver. I don’t call the health department demanding Publix pulls it from the fucking shelves.
I cannot eat spicy foods. I don’t demand that Publix pulls hot sauce from its shelves, or that they stick it in a far-assed corner somewhere just because _I_ have a problem with it. I simply walk on by that section and don’t buy hot sauce.
In the United States, we are already fighting a growingly hostile climate in terms of diversity.
How about we don’t be dicks when it comes to our books, huh? (Or other art forms.) Leave the artists alone. That’s someone’s LIVELIHOOD you’re fucking with. I have readers who don’t enjoy BDSM books and so you know what they do?
They don’t buy my BDSM books. Or, they don’t like my shifter books, so they don’t buy my shifter books.
And you know what? That’s TOTALLY COOL, because I have genres I’m not fond of as a reader. I have no problem with my readers who love some of my books but don’t like the others. This world would be a shittily uniform shade of crap-brown shirts (yes, mental image totally deliberate if your mind went there, too) if we all wore the same clothes or liked the same things and nothing else.
Worse, if OTHER PEOPLE DICTATED to us what we’re “allowed” to like and enjoy in terms of our books/art.
You know what makes my readers totally rock and why I <3 them so fucking much? Even when I write books that aren’t their cuppa, they don’t fucking report them. They simply don’t buy the ones they aren’t interested in.
Because they’re MATURE ADULTS.
You are NOT the art police. You should NOT be the art police. Because that shit goes bad REALLY fast, and if you can go after someone else’s art? Guess what? That can spin around and bite YOU in the fucking ass in a heartbeat when someone decides they don’t like YOUR art and comes after YOU.
Then we’re all wearing crap-brown shirts before you know it. (Don’t think it can’t happen. It already has, many times, in history.)
And if you’re a writer encouraging your readers to report a book for reasons OTHER THAN PLAGIARISM? (Again, plagiarism is a different subject, it’s a crime, and it’s douchey.)
You’re an immature, jealous douche.
Want a prime example of this kind of douchery that’s not a romance book? Go look up the reviews for Chuck Wendig’s book Aftermath. It’s a Star Wars book. A LOT of people wrote shitty reviews for it based on the fact that it HAS GAY PEOPLE IN IT.
Oh, the humanity! <sarcasm> He wrote a book in a series that basically is an allegory for “Nazis=bad people” (which is why some mental midgets are protesting the latest Star Wars movie) and had the AUDACITY to include…oh, DIVERSITY. HOW DARE HE?
<more sarcasm, in case it wasn’t clear>
That particular subset of people got pissed off at him because he is a vocally outspoken proponent of equality and representation for women and the GLBTQ+ community and freedom in art and diversity in art. And he “dared” to be an artist and reflect real-world ideals in a fictional book.
So they came after him. I get that not everyone is a fan of his. That’s fine, too. But he’s a voice in the darkness TRYING to help. And I respect him for that.
And look what happened. (Joke’s on his haters, because his book’s a bestseller, but still.)
And if you’re a reader following an author who is telling their readers to report a book for … reasons? Because they’re jealous or don’t like something in the book? (Again, NOT talking about plagiarism here. I’m talking personal preferences.) Then yeah, you might want to rethink that whole witch hunt mentality. NOT cool.
It’s hard enough to make a living as a writer. Right now I’m pulling, no shit, 16-hour days, nearly 7 days a week. And I’m getting by, but we’re not rich. Don’t assume full-time writers are rich, because most of us are working our asses off to make ends meet. (And unfortunately, with my health issues, working a job outside the home full-time isn’t possible.)
Having to worry that someone might get a stick up their butt and decide that BDSM sex is wrong and let’s report the books is a legit fear myself and other writers worry about.
Or what if they think shifter books are wrong?
Books about demons?
Books that espouse a different religion?
Books about <gasp> gay people??
Think about it. We covered this shit in Fahrenheit 451, did we not?
BANNING BOOKS IS BAD, IMMATURE, AND DANGEROUS TO A FREE SOCIETY. STOP REPORTING BOOKS JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T LIKE THEM.
And grow the fuck up. Did you just get out of middle school? SERIOUSLY?
If you don’t like something, move on past it.
(Final caveat because I know someone will bring it up: If you stumble across a MISCATEGORIZED book, for example, erotica listed as children’s lit, OBVIOUSLY I would encourage you to e-mail the author/publisher and give them a heads-up that the code monkeys somewhere screwed up. But don’t be a dick and report it for content. Try to be HELPFUL and point it out to them that yo, that erotic dub-con double-cocked alien gang-bang slave book should totes NOT be listed as kids sci-fi and okay for children ages 3 and up, just sayin’.)
And yes, now I TOTALLY want to write an erotic dub-con double-cocked alien gang-bang slave book…
#plotbunnies
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Hi Tymber. What’s the name of the book? Now I want to read it!
You’re not the only one, Linda! Now I want to go buy the book too.
Jordan Silver, and it was originally called Redneck. I think she re-released it as T-Bone Redneck.
Yes please on you writing an erotic dub-con double-cocked alien gang-bang slave book…I totally spit my mouthful of soda all over the dinner I was cooking when I read that line btw…
I wish you didn’t have to write something like this, but I love your rants. The sarcasm always cracks me up and I end up feeling fired up right alongside you. And I, too, would love it if you wrote a double cocked alien book.
You’re amazing. Thank you for putting so much time and work into your books.
Continue to rant into the darkness of stupidity, Tymber!! The world is a better place for all who embrace diversity and encourage tolerance; we support you and will continue to join your voice with ours as we shout-down those who would drag us all back into the world of “crap-brown shirts” who seek to destroy all free thought!!!!
Tymber, appreciate your, as always, spot on informative writing. The suggestions on writing reviews is great, Amazon should have this on their how-to page.
I agree with Linda, I would like to know the writer & book!
I want to read it also. I had an author come after me about a review that I wrote last year.
Angela, what happened? No names needed, just interested in the escalation and how you protected yourself.
Was it on Goodreads? They seem to have a culture of bullying over there.
Diversity is what makes us strong. Sheepeople make us weak. Tymber, loved your awesome rant/editorial on freedom of speech, ideas and divetsity. What’s this book that is being targeted? I want to buy it, even if it’s not my flavor, just to throw in my support. I really have a problem with those who push their values on to others. I respect freedom of speech, and If is or isn’t your flavor, your right to say so. Artistic expression, what ever the form, falls under that. The Zelots and Crusaders who take it to far, deserve it blowing up in their faces, just like the Cincinnati Sheriff and the Mapplethorpe exhibit.
So about that erotic dub-con double cocked alien gang bang slave book, can you make that a MMF story, their my favorite.
I would also like to know the name so I could read it.
What is the name of the book. I want to read it
NOTE: Apologies if a few comments got deleted in this thread. I had a plugin update that borked and I had to default to an earlier backup version. In the process, it deleted a few comments that had come in after the backup.
I’m hosting a Banned/Challenged Books Reading Challenge in 2017 and I’d love to be able to link to this post. May I?
@Gina – Absolutely, and thank you very much! Feel free to post a link in the comments here to your challenge, if you’d like!
I’ll be one of the first to admit I don’t get the mm book explosion. It’s not my choice in reading material for the most part. That being said, there are a handful of authors, you Tymber being at the top of that list, that I WILL read them from. But, as a reviewer, I’ve read plenty that I have had issues with, hit some triggers, ect.
But… I would NEVER in a million years report an author. Never have, never ever will. I respect the fact that author has poured their heart and soul onto those pages. If you don’t like it, simply either don’t buy it, or don’t finish reading it.
@Sandie – <3 And, exactly. There are book genres I'm not fond of, and I simply don't read them. There are people who enjoy them, so live and let live is what I say. 🙂
It appears that T-Bone by Jordan Silver has been removed from Amazon. Any suggestions on how to have it reinstated?
It has now being released as Redneck Rebellion. It really doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, but for $2.99
I can put my money where my mouth is. Keep up the good work, Tymber!
I should add I’m not crusading “for” or “against” the book’s content. That’s not the point. The point is if a book of fiction can be targeted for removal simply because people don’t like the content, that is a HUGE slippery slope. Not just a slope, but a cliff with a thousand-foot drop-off.
“But Tymber, where do you draw the line?”
On a book of fiction, I don’t know if I can. Yes, there will be LOTS of shit that disgusts me personally, pisses me off, that I disagree with.
But unlike say the “how to molest children” non-fiction book that was shut down a couple of years ago, when it comes to fiction, if it’s not plagiarized, it really needs to be a let the market decide kind of situation.
BOYCOTTING a book/author is TOTALLY different than reporting and trying to get one banned.
One simply withholds buying dollars. The other totally deprives a person of their ability to make a living. Look, there will always people people who enjoy the hell out of shit that might make you queasy in terms of fiction. I get it.
Personally? I’m not Christian. And some fundamentalist, far-right evangelical fiction that demonizes gay marriage and praises a man and a woman doing nothing but missionary position would personally piss me off.
Do I have a right to report it just because I don’t like it?
No.
In fact, it’s a bellwhether. I can see people who do like that fiction and quietly distance myself from them, because they obviously don’t reflect my personal beliefs that consenting adults of any gender/orientation/race/religion all have the same human rights and should be entitled to them equally.
Love this book or author or hate this book or author, that’s YOUR right.
Report them for content just because you don’t like the author/book?
That’s douchey. Bottom line. How would you like someone doing it to you, or to your favorite author?
Originally titled Red neck-banned and republished as T-Bone, which was also banned.The new edited version is Red neck Rebellion. What I’d like to know is where can I get the original version????
I think she had it on Smashwords, I saw?