The Erotic eBook Market On Amazon

Notice the dramatic changes in erotic books over the last couple years. Market saturation has become the norm, leaving authors to fend for themselves at a loss to figure out the reasons for their rapidly declining sales. What happened?

Amazon has erotic issues! 

While self-published authors try hard to locate multiple distribution sites, they remain unaware of any good solution capable of competing with Amazon sales. Authors agree Amazon excels as the best place to publish erotic eBooks. But Amazon keeps censoring books resulting in banned author accounts, and confiscation of authors’ hard-earned royalty money.

Authors who grow increasingly tired of Amazon’s repeated issues are learning that other solutions, such as Lot’s Cave exist, and will publish their Amazon censored erotica. They disagree with the idea of Amazon being the only place to make money. Additionally, successful self-published authors find they can bypass Amazon’s exclusive publishing deals.

With controversial erotica being the bestselling subgenres of erotica in today’s market, many self-published authors find they can’t publish their books on Amazon. One of the best ways to get your book or account banned for life is by publishing incest or bestiality themed erotica. Because of this content censorship, many readers looking for taboo based erotica no longer search Amazon’s website as it yields either incorrect or poor content results. This leaves many authors questioning the effectiveness of Amazon’s market for the book’s target audience. With no readers to buy their books, what money do authors stand to make?

Looking at Amazon’s latest censorship trend while pooling together the combined experiences of erotica authors, let’s analyze Amazon’s publishing policy and the significant difficulties one must hurdle.

Guidelines Aren’t Clearly Stated or Consistently Applied: Many books on Amazon contain content that authors know aren’t within Amazon’s Content Guidelines. Popular books containing BDSM, bestiality, incest, and more can be readily found on Amazon’s website. Yet Amazon uses the popular, ‘unsuitable content’ blanket term to regulate author’s controversial content. In no other genre is this issue raised more than self-published erotica. This means authors never know if their content is within guidelines, even if they try to meet Amazon’s murky standards.

Amazon Doesn’t Publish Incest, Bestiality, Dubious Consent, or BDSM: While Amazon’s policy is to not publish BDSM, incest, bestiality, or dubious consent, readers can find the subject broadcasted across the Amazon bookstore. Self-publishes find their books banned, while books from notable publishing companies have no problem selling their books. Complicating issues is Amazon’s sexist policy for adult erotica. Covers depicting women in BDSM themed bondage is quickly banned, while a male in the same situation is quickly overlooked. This conflicting standard happens repeatedly across various erotic subgenres indicating a company bias if not outright sexist policy.

Complaints Against eBooks Are Indiscriminate With No Appeal: Amazon’s customer first policy only complicates an author’s ability to provide quality content. Controversial erotica will always raise complaints despite artistic value, political merit or moral point to be made. At times, Amazon users ban books they haven’t even read leaving them with wrong impressions. Complicating matters are religious standards against any adult material, even in an artistic light. This indiscriminate policy victimizes authors, leaving them with no way to appeal Amazon’s mistake.

Banned Accounts Result In Lost Royalties: Getting a book or account banned may seem like the worst thing Amazon can do, but it gets worse, much worse. A banned account can mean the entire account is frozen, with all funds confiscated and reverting directly to Amazon’s bank account. Because Amazon delays royalty payments, this confiscation can result in authors losing several months’ worth of sales. Amazon’s policy states ‘If we terminate this Agreement because you have breached your representations and warranties or our Content Guidelines, you forfeit all Royalties not yet paid to you.’ Making this issue worse, is a banned account means authors can never make a new account because, ‘If after we have terminated your account you open a new account without our express permission, we will not owe you any Royalties through the new account.’ This is true regardless of a mistake on Amazon’s part, or whether a valid ban took place.

Feel free to share your personal publishing frustrations!

The Biblical Case for Incest

Examining the biblical cases of incest is not an easy task. For years, Christians have dealt with the conflicting standard of incest within their religious history. Today, incest is seen as a necessary evil, something that was done, only until it was no longer relevant. There seems to be a divide between Old Testament allowance of incest, and the new standard implied today within the New Testament. Still, when it comes to the importance of biblical stories, incest is always at the forefront. If one were to take away the inclusion of incestuous stories within the bible, the foundation of the faith would dissipate. In fact, the founder of the three Abrahamic Religions, was involved in an incestuous relationship, as were many surrounding family members. Interestingly enough, this means that the world’s three most influential religions all involved a standard of incestuous behavior at its foundation.

Abraham’s incestuous relationship with his sister, Sara, is actually an intricate part of the biblical story. For many faiths, Abraham is seen as the founder of the Jewish people. To put it bluntly, the people chosen by God above all others, has a blatant history of incestuous behavior. Abraham and Sara, Lot and his daughters, Nachor and Melcha, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Rachel are all incestuous relationships. Interestingly enough, when God is asked to identify himself to Moses, God identifies himself through such incestuous relationships. The Old Testament God would have been known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, especially in the time of Moses. To cement matters further, Moses, the deliverer and precursor to the symbolism of Christ’s relationship to his people,  is also a product of incest himself.

Arguing against incest, especially from a religious vantage point, almost seems impossible. Many Christians like to discount the cases of Old Testament incest, arguing that it was a necessity. When it comes to the New Testament though, a standard for incest is actually quite lacking. The way the New Testament is written, there isn’t a similar standard of law like there is within the Old Testament. As such, the debate between different Christian groups in regards to many matters continues. While one could hope for a solid line in the sand to appear, it’s just not going to. When a moral standard depends on ones own personal interpretations, things get a little hazy to say the least. The one standard that people can all agree on for the New Testament however, is Jesus Christ himself.

If one takes any short amount of time to trace the biblical genealogy of Christ, one will find a history of incest. At the very least, one has to wonder why the savior of us all, is the product of incest. There isn’t just one incestuous occurrence in the family line, but many. Anyone would find the chances of arguing for incestuous relationships with the bible are actually quite good odds. Jesus is said to be the product of incest, God’s chosen people are the product of incest, and the founder of the faith was at the very least, involved in an incestuous relationship. Everything about the Christian faith focuses on this same standard, as the New Testament is consistently linked with the Old. There simply isn’t a way around the incestuous relationships, or the inclusion of such a high biblical standard for such permissible relationships.

When it comes to the biblical case for incest, there are many different avenues one can choose. Christians as a whole, have a difficult time with the biblical cases of incest within their holy book. As society as a whole chooses to examine the depths of our sexual morals, the religious standards can’t help but be brought up. Taking a step back, we can start to examine where our ethical values started. If they happened to start with a nomadic tribe that practiced incest, we may need to take that into our consideration. While we may not often like to think of Christ as the product of incest, we cannot argue the fact isn’t true. The implications of such a fact though, are often up to the individual.

Highlighting Taboo Erotica

Over the years, erotica has become a growing industry. Publishers can afford to publish only erotica eBooks, drawing an author base easier than before. With such a presence growing within the industry, many authors have found certain topics taboo. The boundaries within erotica have become increasingly shortened, leaving many wondering what happened. Taking a brief step back, consumers can see the gaps within the growing market. Missing in the erotica market are some surprising categories many readers would never be opposed to buying. Examining at quick glance these left out categories, we can better understand the need for such materials. Whether publishing companies decide to include such topics remains up to them, however, no publishing company should be censored to not include a topic they wish simply because it’s taboo. In fact, many of the categories would be quickly accepted, were it not for such extreme efforts of censorship.

Barely Legal is a category that given the society we live in, is surprisingly unrepresented in erotic eBooks. Taking an honest look, this really shouldn’t have to be a category. Authors are find it increasingly more difficult to involve younger adult characters, especially involving relationships to older partners. This is a relatively new distinction, one that was never expressly forbidden, but actually quite accepted within publisher guidelines. The reason for the censorship regarding this topic often leaves authors frustrated. Many authors are more than eager to stick strictly within company guidelines, especially within legal parameters, but yet this legally permissible topic has become an erotic eBook taboo. For those curious about this erotica topic, or just want to see what books of this nature include, check out the following books.

       

Incest erotica is a category that has recently taken off, and become increasingly popular. Unlike pseudo-incest stories, the incest category focuses on consented sexual acts committed by biological family members. The censorship regarding the topic of incest could never be greater, with almost every publishing company forbidding it outright. Manuscripts that so much as mention incest are instantly rejected. What’s so confusing, is the market for incest erotica could never be greater. Many cultures have even come to accept incest, leaving it outside the taboo category. For the United States however, incest continues to be taboo and extremely censored by publishing companies. If you’re looking for some incest erotica, try the following titles published by Lot’s Cave. .

        

BDSM is a massive category covering a wide range of subjects. Over the years, this topic has grown in popularity. What’s surprising is how different aspects of BDSM are getting censored. While the category could never be stronger, or more relevant, the scope is slowly being narrowed. Topics like mind control, reluctance, and sadism/masochism still carry a taboo stigma. While readers are consuming these eBooks at an ever increasing rate, the market is seeing a stand still. The stand still is not due to a lack of authors, but merely censorship of publishers. If you’d like to explore the many different scopes of BDSM check out the following titles.

         

Questioning the Ethics of Incest

When it comes to the topic of incest erotica, nothing could be more forefront than parent-child relationships. There’s no relationship more debated or controversial than that of parent-child. In the public perception of incest, parent-adult child relationships bring only negative connotations. Often, such relationships are perceived as abusive, and many picture younger children forced into sexual acts. In erotica however, only consented parent-adult child incest is allowed and published. So why then, is the relationship so controversial? Parent-adult child incest should be a topic that is debated freely, expressed freely, and certainly published without negative consequences. Something about such an incestuous relationship however, often leaves only consequences and a cautious approach.

The main objection to any parent-adult child relationship, biological or not, is an abuse of position. A parent is supposed to do what is best for the well-being of their child. In most situations, a sexual relationship is seen as contrary to that standard of well-being. Taking a closer look however, the situation isn’t always as clear as society would like. In most cultures and societies, the age of consent, particularly with this kind of age difference, is around eighteen. Conveniently, eighteen is also the age where a child becomes a legal adult. Many children leave for college, live on their own, and start pursuing a more serious avenue for their future. To what degree then, does the responsibility of the parent to their child change and should there be the same standards regarding sexual relationships?

Looking at the standards applied to a non-biological parent, while often not advised, a sexual relationship is allowed to take place upon the child turning eighteen. Society is often quick to shake their heads in disapproval of the relationship, but it is still legally permissible. The relationship of biological parent to their biological child is under the same standard of societal rules. If the only issue with parent-adult child incest is the sex itself, then one has to wonder, what is expressly so wrong? Just because a sexual act is a cultural taboo, does not mean it should be legally impermissible. When it comes to parent-adult child incest however, that’s exactly what we find. There is a different standard placed on incestuous relationships, simply because of the cultural sensitivity to incest.

Incest erotica tries to often examine this different standard, even in the smallest of ways. Erotic eBooks try to make the reader think, and challenge common perceptions or ideas. Out of all the incestuous relationships, parent-adult child incest sells far better. What part of readers wants to examine this cultural taboo? Perhaps there is the acknowledgement that something within society doesn’t quite make sense. A story that allows societal norms to be challenged can only make such a society better long-term. Erotica not only examines the parent-adult child incest, but it examines the relationship itself. Authors often try to capture what for some people, is a mental struggle of sexual desires and ethical behavior.

While parent-adult child incest may not be approved of, that isn’t the end of discussion. Examining the cultural taboos, whether in writing or in conversations, can only add value to the situation. The bonds between a parent and child are often absolute, yet extremely complicated. Once a child becomes an adult, feelings of intimacy and love don’t simply cease to exist. Examining the responsibility a parent has to their child’s well-being will always be a critical part of better understanding incestuous relationships. Until society starts to open up though, the most common place to gain a better understanding will be incest erotica. This is why authors need to have a place to publish their work, and publishers need more awareness of the many censorship issues for such business topics. in the end, we have to do a better job of starting such discussions.

The Need for Controversial Erotica

Writing has always been a means of addressing the most sensitive of society’s controversies. The ability of authors to challenge their readers, to voice their personal experience, is an invaluable part of forwarding ideas. Publishing today is not ruled by the same restrictions it once was. Author’s can self promote, eBooks have become a stable product, and the consumption of material is now international. With the expansion of the eBook market, came the growing need for erotic stories. Now, publishing erotica became a good business decision, and companies could afford to narrow what they published. Authors seemed to respond to this growing need as well, writing all kinds of stories for the growing market.

With the growing market though, came a greater exploration of subject matter. While many publishers accepted erotica, they also shied away from taboo subjects. At times, censorship happens subtly, but in either case, the censorship still happens. When publishers decided not to touch the sensitive taboo material authors readily threw in their faces with eager enthusiasm, many authors walked away feeling confused and disheartened. Authors that had taken time to produce great stories, were suddenly left with nowhere to sell them. At times, these authors were well aware of the sensitivity involved, and wrote the story just for that reason. Whatever their reasons were though, publishing companies simply wouldn’t taboo eBooks.

Taboo subjects have always been in the backs of people’s minds. That’s what makes this intentional or unintentional censorship even worse. Many erotica writers have differing opinions when it comes to taboo subjects. The divide is apparent on any author forum, or even publishing website. How is it that an author can feel so strongly regarding a topic that they wish for censorship? These strong inner pulls of emotional reaction is exactly why there’s a need for taboo erotica. In fact, publishers that produce such controversial material find only an increase in their sales. So if the consumer wants taboo eBooks, authors want to write taboo stories, why is there then such a sensitivity?

The sensitivity to taboo material is simple, publishers fear that there will be serious business ramifications for publishing such material. That fact alone, should be more than enough reason to publish such material. The market for it is there, and no one argues that. Author’s are becoming increasingly aware of the growing market, but publishing companies just aren’t there. That’s what makes the need for taboo oriented publishers so great. Those publishers that do publish such material stand out, and grow quite a presence. Any time someone can break through a censorship barrier, society is made better for it. This is true with the sensitive topic of taboo erotica as well.