Is Smashwords the answer?

[JSWolf]

delete post

[altworld]

If I am reading most of the Smashwords public posts about this issue, it looks like they've stepped up to bat over this issue, when really they didn't have to do anything. Last update it looks like Mark has got guidelines from Paypal, which will help at least mark some lines. Mark has done a lot of good, a lot of good for indie authors and some of the demonizing isn't needed.

In this case as has been mentioned, SW as a business had to make a decision based on its marketshare and what is good for its long term growth. I see this happen a lot of SW, not knee jerk reactions, but a plan developed for the long term.

It should be noted, there are complications and issues that turn this all into areas of gray, moral issues that have us all questioning commitments we have made to 'freedom of speech and expression', but this is good... To blindly support is as bad as being blindly against.

I like the Walmart analogy that was used here, go into the store and look around for mature material. You wont find male interest magazines unless its gun, truck or wrestling. and we are talking magazines like GQ or FHM. A lot of the music albums they sell are missing some of the edgier artists. Walmart is the largest private employer in the USA and have a strong stance on what they wont have in their stores, and do this without going through the soul searching and questioning that I bet Mark did... And frankly the material he is having to exclude many people really don't care for.

About a year ago I released The Daughter of Frost, a fairy tale about a child who was the daughter of Jack Frost and the Fairy of Spring. It got sandwiched on the new release ticker between a BDSM book and a Daddy Girl's Book... On to of that there was a stream of XXX narrative porn titles... Seeing a children's take stuck between those two types of titles actually did upset me... Just bad timing I guess, just looked so out of place stuck between bondage and Lolita porn. I felt at that time the XXX releases need to be moved to another section because those that are interested in them, know were to find them and they didn't need to mix them into the regular titles. What was it three months ago the adult filter appeared and you had to be a registered user to view the adult titles?

Anyway, censorship is bad, always will be because it is a slippery slope no matter what the content you should be free to read what you want. The extreme material isn't going to disappear from the net, it will just more somewhere else. My experience is there is always someone out there ready to step into the breach if there is a market opportunity. Smashwords has just decided to save the whole they wont provide for the extreme XXX market anymore. That is their right as a retailer to refuse service or to sell a service... And if that pisses you off it should... However you should look beyond the company, and instead at Paypal and the banks that support it.

The story is always bigger than you know...

But, I've rambled enough over an issue that oddly enough Mark, who is getting bashed over the head a lot by the Indie community, is still fighting for us. So keep it up Mark, you have my support.
Arigato,
Nick

[VydorScope]

Well, big win for the anti-cenship ppl ...

March 13, 2012

Smashwords author/publisher update: PayPal Reverses Proposed Censorship


Great news. Yesterday afternoon I met with PayPal at their office in San Jose, where they informed me of their decision to modify their policies to allow legal fiction.

Effective last night, we rolled back the Smashwords Terms of Service to its pre-February 24 state.

It's been a tumultuous, nerve-wracking few weeks as we worked to protect the right of writers to write and publish legal fiction.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Smashwords authors, publishers and customers. You stood up and made your voice known. Thank you to every Smashwords author and publisher who wrote me to express opinions, even if we disagreed, and even if you were angry with me. You inspired me to carry your cause forward.

Smashwords authors, publishers and customers mobilized. You made telephone calls, wrote emails and letters, started and signed petitions, blogged, tweeted, Facebooked and drove the conversation. You made the difference. Without you, no one would have paid attention. I would also like to thank the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). These three advocacy groups were the first to stand up for our authors, publishers and customers. Their contribution cannot be overstated. We collaborated with them to build a coalition of like-minded organizations to support our mutual cause. Special kudos to Rainey Reitman of EFF for her energy, enthusiasm and leadership.

I would also like to thank all the bloggers and journalists out there who helped carry our story forward by lending their platforms to get the story out. Special thanks to TechCrunch, Slashdot, TechDirt, The Independent (UK), Reuters, Publishers Weekly, Dow Jones, The Digital Reader, CNET, Forbes, GalleyCat & EbookNewser and dozens of others too numerous to mention.

I would like to thank our friends at PayPal. They worked with us in good faith as they promised, engaged us in dialogue, made the effort to understand Smashwords and our mission, went to bat for our authors with the credit card companies and banks, and showed the courage to revise their policies.

This is a big, bold move by PayPal. It represents a watershed decision that protects the rights of writers to write, publish and distribute legal fiction. It also protects the rights of readers to purchase and enjoy all fiction in the privacy of their own imagination. It clarifies and rationalizes the role of financial services providers and pulls them out of the business of censoring legal fiction.

Following implementation of their new policies, PayPal will have the most liberal, pro-First-Amendment policies of the major payment processors. Will Google Checkout and Checkout by Amazon be next now that the credit card companies have clarified their positions, and have essentially given payment providers the permission to adopt more enlightened policies? Finally, thanks to Selena Kitt of Excessica and Remittance Girl for helping me to understand and respect all fiction more than I ever have before.

This is a bright day for indie publishing. In the old world, traditional publishers were the arbiters of literary merit. Today, thanks to the rise of indie ebooks, the world is moving toward a broader, more inclusive definition of literary merit. Smashwords gives writers the power and freedom to publish. Merit is decided by your readers. Just as it should be.


Thanks,

Mark Coker
Founder
Smashwords

[altworld]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Well, big win for the anti-cenship ppl ...

Yes it is, and much kudos for Mark who kept fighting even when he was getting showered in crap...

[heySkippy]

Wow, pleasant surprise!

[morriss003]

Once I had properly formatted my ebook as per the "Styleguide" I saved the template in Word as "ebook."