I LOVE living in a free country. I celebrate my freedom of speech to the fullest extent possible. Admittedly, I even I like to push the edges. As a sex educator, performance artist, and author, I think it’s important to question the lines of appropriateness.
So I suppose it wasn’t such a shock when Amazon flagged my new book as an “adult theme” and will not promote it on their site. (They published it, but censored it from showing up when searched.) When I called to inquire if there was a specific requirement or community guidelineI that I was breaking, they said that somebody at Amazon flagged the book as inappropriate and there was no way to un-flag it unless I re-published a whole new edition of the book with a new cover and ISBN number.
So I am posting several alternatives pieces of Erotic Art that I am considering for the new title, please help me select the new book cover by voting for your favorite in the comments below!
The sad small consolation prize is that they are still willing to carry the book. However it will remain hidden in their system so that if my fans want a first edition they can still purchase a copy with the original cover, nipple and all, but only if they use this specific link: http://amzn.to/1RBmFPD
Maybe someday it will become a collectors item.
The truth is: I’m not against censorship. I am constantly censoring violence, slander and misinformation, especially in my role as mother, public figure and even theater director. Censorship is simply “the suppression of speech, public communication or other information which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other groups or institutions.” So, I don’t blame Amazon. As a private entity, they are entitled to promote or sell whatever they want. They are simply exercising their right to discern what content they chose to promote. Point in fact, despite the controversy, I am grateful that Amazon does not carry such title as The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure and cockfighting magazine, The Game Cock.
The funny thing is that when I personally selected my favorite piece of Art piece by François Dubeau to be the cover for my new book of sutras, I never imagined this would happen. I knew it was provocative, but subversive and offensive–never! I specifically selected a piece that I thought would appeal to the mainstream. I avoided some of the more risqué pieces of erotic art that involved full frontal nudity, domination or whips. And the joke is that if I posed naked for the cover and had the same cartoon dot covering my nipple, it would probably be considered appropriate.
So this whole censorship fiasco threw a big monkey wrench in my dream to become an Amazon bestseller. But my new plan is to publish a 2nd edition with a more modest, but equally sexy new cover. And I will take this opportunity to try to sell more books while educating people about “slut shaming.”
According to Wikipedia, Slut–shaming is a form of social stigma applied to people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate traditional expectations for sexual behaviors.
So I implore you to help me shed the shame by sharing this article and telling your friends about my book. Here is the hidden link: http://amzn.to/1RBmFPD Also, since Amazon also censored 5 customer reviews, your positive (but appropriate) feedback is much appreciated! Indeed, the response I’ve been getting from readers across the country is phenomenal! Thank you!
