Quote:
Originally Posted by jamthecat
I appreciate your response.
I can see my books being categorized as erotica because of the sex in them, but they also have realistic characters with arcs, solid storylines and have a point to make.
Every definition of pornography I can find says it's all about the sex. It's tittilation and an appeal solely to one's prurient needs. My books do not meet those criteria by any stretch of the imagination. The only reason Amazon pulled my books was because that reporter of KCPQ labeled them porn in a news segment..
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I don't know if you've seen my previous posts, but I may be the only person on this thread who looked at the books (besides you, of course). I completely agree with your description. I was only able to read the samples because the B&N prices are out of my budget. (My limit for ANY book right now is $6; I would have purchased them both otherwise.) My assessment was that it was not pornography. In fact, I stated that though it was labeled as gay erotica, I felt this was done for purposes of reaching a niche market. (Novels with gay sexual content haven't quite gone mainstream yet.)
I think anyone who is claiming it is porn clearly hasn't even looked at it. It doesn't even meet my definition of erotica in the usual sense. The characterization and story development is more like that of a contemporary novel. But someone, apparently your publisher, made the decision to clearly market it as gay erotica. I see the value of this in terms of where you started, but I fear that will make things a lot harder where you are now and I have no idea how that can be overcome.
I wish you luck in this. My advice would be what someone else has mentioned - consult legal counsel before continuing your internet attack. I know you want to scream at everyone right now - anyone would in your situation - but you need to protect your interests going forward. You know how media works - that's what started this mess. If they decide to bite again, they will twist everything they can find to "prove" that they were right, and they will turn it on YOU instead of your books. Limit the ammo they have available to them.
If you want to continue to use the internet as your platform, can you find a blogger who will post a review? I think honest discussion about the books is more likely to be helpful than attacking Amazon's actions. Just like people who jump on the "pornography" bandwagon, lots of people will jump on the "Amazon is evil bandwagon". That seems good in terms of numbers, but when it comes down to protecting yourself, your interests and your reputation, those people can't help you. They can cheer you on, and that feels good, but ultimately it's only distracting everyone from whatever legal grounds you may be able to pursue.
I hope you'll at least think about this. I'm glad that B&N hasn't made any moves yet, your stuff is still available there. I wish you the best of luck.