Jack & Dora Story Cat and Canary Rises to #93 in the Top Free 100 in Humor for Amazon Kindle!

My Jack & Dora story Cat and Canary has risen into the top Free 100 in Humor for Amazon Kindle! Free for another 2 days http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006WEDULO

An Important Victory for Free Speech and Writers

Exclusive: PayPal backtracks on obscene e-book policy

Fantastic News!! A victory for free speech and writers, especially independent writers, everywhere. Thanks to all who spoke out to protect our freedom of expression from control by financial institutions. Let us please stay vigilant.


Now, I can get back to writing!!!

Cheers,

Robert

www.robertszeles.com

My Response To Joe Konrath's Post on the Paypal Erotica Ban

Joe Konrath recently chimed in on Paypal's selective ban (now becoming not so selective) on processing erotica books for indie distributors like Smashwords. http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/03/paypal-erotica-and-censorship.html

Here's my response:

I agree that the best way to circumvent oppressive institutions of this type is by creative solutions that bypass the need for these institutions. However, your solution is not a solution for people like me, who have a book that may end up being banned by someone like Paypal (for explicit sex, not for any of the so-far mentioned taboo subjects) but which I do not consider erotica and do not want to be sold alongside "Spank My Donkey." (I'm referring to my Jack & Dora stories, such as Jack & Dora Do L.A.)

It's good that most people are starting to see that this isn't about morality, it's about financial institutions having too much power.

But to say they're just private institutions and they can do whatever they want: Well, NO, they can't.

These huge financial institutions have become the primary controllers of the money flow.  Financial institutions were once actually regulated so that they didn't become too big and gain too much power over the economic system and our society in general. When they reach the level these companies have, there are few realistic alternatives to using their services, unless one wants to commit business suicide (or create a financial processing company yourself as you suggest). The Founding Fathers would be appalled at the size and power of these institutions.

The huge financial institutions that control (and stole) our money now want to dictate what we read. I think it's about time these financial institutions were broken apart into smaller entities.

And it's all fun and games to talk about Spank My Donkey and such (and yes, I do think it's funny and I laughed and thanks for that), but it's a bit misleading because it encourages people to think they're safe cause they don't write incestual donkey porn. It's NOT so funny when you read of Tess Harding's book recently being rejected for distribution for showing a very tame photo of a women with one breast exposed in the INSIDE of the book.

http://jt-harding.com/i-ought-to-laugh-but-im-not-sure-i-can/#comment-242

Like Tess, I can't laugh that off either. I think we should look into creative solutions as you suggest. But I also think we should refuse to give in to what is surely a minority of people trying to banish free thinkers to the Donkey Porn section of the online book world. I, for one, will not go gently into that gross night.

Finally,

Sign the petition and tell the financial institution that you don't want them deciding what you read.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/stop-internet-censorship/

Thanks,

Robert

www.robertszeles.com

http://robertszeles.blogspot.com/

An Interview with Robert Szeles by Kris Wampler

An new interview with me about writing, publishing and my new novel Jack & Dora Do LA, on Kris Wampler's Blog http://kriswampler.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/robert-szeles/

Woman's Book Denied Distribution Because of Nipple Photo

The Paypal ban is obviously not limited to just sexually extreme taboo subjects. This from author Tess Harding. Please pass this on:

I ought to laugh but I’m not sure I can…

I recently made a few changes to the text of Ali’s Art. I uploaded these to Kindle and also to Smashwords last weekend so the updated version was available for the read an eBook week.

I have now just received an email from Smashwords saying the book cannot be included in the extended distribution channel because it needs changing. The change they require is:

Please obscure/cover over the woman’s nipple and areola in the photo inside the front of your book. When you’re finished correcting your book, go to Dashboard: ‘upload new version’ to upload the new version. Thanks.

Here’s the image.

It seems the move by PayPal and the Credit Card companies is spreading it’s wings even wider. Now I can’t have a drawing of a woman who displays her nipples inside my book. This isn’t on the cover, it’s an interior image!

Scary, scary times for writers of erotica.

http://jt-harding.com/i-ought-to-laugh-but-im-not-sure-i-can/#comment-242

A Call for Writers To Unite

The Paypal ban.

I think it's sad that this issue has become divisive amongst writers. Almost no writers are in favor of pedophilia, rape, etc. But these things happen and if you can't write about them, you're not stopping these things from happening, you're only stopping people from writing about them. I'm bothered as much as anyone about the homepage of Smashwords, with the sleazy, cheezy porn covers (I won't insult Erotica by calling them Erotica). I'm bothered more by the bad taste (bad writing, bad covers) than the subject matter.

But this isn't about that. It's about huge companies controlling our lives. If you're on the "Right" you supposedly don't want the government controlling you. If you're on the "Left" you don't want big corporations controlling you. Most people are a mix. I agree with both sides. I don't want either controlling our lives.

So, WE SHOULD BE UNITED ON THIS. If we all are disgusted by Smashwords homepage for instance, let's get together as writers and ask Mark Coker how these damn things end up there (and not, for instance, MY book! or YOURS!) and see if we can instead get something better. After all, in a way, it's OUR site (I think Mark Coker would agree in a sense). If we don't want crap on there, maybe we should all contribute time and volunteer to read new stuff (God knows there's enough of us) and create some kind of indie vetting system. That's just off the type of my head. I don't know the answers (there are probably many).

But having these big entities that have only profit in mind making such decisions for us is WRONG. It is wrong as Americans. It is wrong as authors. It is wrong as proponents of free speech. I can't think of any way it is right.

Banks Now Telling You What You Should Read

I'm disturbed by the number of writers I've seen who find no objection with, or even support, Paypal's decision. http://www.poszu.com/2012/03/02/smashwords-vs-paypal-update/

Many people are obviously missing the issue. This isn't about morality, it's about financial institutions having too much power.

These huge financial institutions have become the primary controllers of the money flow. To say they're just private institutions and they can do whatever they want: Well, NO, they can't. Financial institutions were once actually regulated so that they didn't become too big and gain too much power over the economic system and our society in general. When they reach the level these companies have, there are few realistic alternatives to using their services, unless one wants to commit business suicide. The Founding Fathers would be appalled at the size and power of these institutions.

The huge financial institutions that control (and stole) our money now want to dictate what we read. I think it's about time these financial institutions were broken apart into smaller entities.

Go to the link above and take action. Make it known that we don't want financial institutions to control what we read.

Thanks for listening,
Robert
www.robertszeles.com

Paypal Censorship Update

I wanted to post this link for everyone with Mark Coker's (of Smashwords) latest update on the issue.
You can see, as he points out, that this act of censorship reveals itself to be not just an attack against these taboo subjects, but an attack on sexual expression in books in general by the fact that the ban is only against books in the Erotica category, not in mainstream fiction where these taboo subjects are also dealt with. Please go to the link and take action to stand against this attack on our freedom of expression.

http://www.poszu.com/2012/03/02/smashwords-vs-paypal-update/

Thanks for caring,
Robert
www.robertszeles.com

Less Sex, More Violence: Moral Hypocrisy and Corporate Blackmail in Paypal Versus Smashwords

On Februray 27^th, news came out that Paypal was demanding that many booksellers, including one of the largest independent distributors, Smashwords, remove certain types of erotic content.

Smashwords founder, Mark Coker, had no choice but to comply, since Paypal is one of their main financial processing companies. He contacted authors with material that might fit into the threatened category, all in the Erotica genre. He had this to say:

"We think our authors should be allowed to publish erotica. Erotica, despite the attacks it faces from moralists, is a category worthy of protection. Erotica allows readers to safely explore aspects of sexuality that they might never want to explore in the real world... Erotica authors are facing discrimination, plain and simple. Topics that are perfectly acceptable in mainstream fiction are verboten in erotica. That's not fair. If you're going to push the limits, push the limits of great writing, not the limits of legality."

There was such a negative backlash to this news of corporate censorship (or corporate blackmail) that Paypal began to soften or at least, partially rethink its position.

Article here: http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/28/paypal-loosens-grip-on-erotica-ban/

As the author of the article, Nate Hoffelder, smartly points out:

"Why the revision? Well, over the weekend a number of people pointed out that Paypal’s ban would extend far beyond the reaches of this one genre. For example, it would include Woody Allen biography, history books, and even the Bible. There’s also a not so short list of works of literature which would fall under the banhammer as well (The Color Purple, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, just to name 2).

I’m not going to argue that Paypal’s actions are wrong; I did that in my last post. But I do want to point out what a slippery slope this was and how poorly conceived it was. Whoever initially came up with this ban didn’t look beyond their personal distaste for the topic."

So, you can’t censor erotica without censoring the Bible (which is full of rape, killing, mass murder, sex with paranormal entities, etc.). Well, I damn well don’t want to censor the Bible. And I don’t want to censor other books that may offend certain people’s sensibilities. And as an author, I don’t want to have to censor what I write. If what I’ve written has cultural worth, it will hopefully be read and appreciated by those who need or want to read it. If not, it will fade into oblivion (unfortunately, even the good works can).

The fear and repulsion toward the sex impulse in our culture that divides most people against themselves and creates so much guilt and shame can be traced, at least partially, to the stern, pleasure-hating, militant, Puritan ancestors that had influence in the founding of this country. This is the group that, as Gore Vidal points out, was kicked out of England not because they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, but because they were not allowed to persecute others for their beliefs.

This strange moral hypocrisy lingers to this day. It's okay to be "entertained" by murder, torture, serial killing, war and other horrid violence, but sex is a "taboo" subject. That's what this is really about. A free sexual attitude threatens societal control and cuts down on productivity. And according to the twisted Puritan idea, sexual pleasure is, at best, a necessary evil. More likely, it is a tool of the Devil.

But those in control of our society need it to be pro-violence to make all of our military escapades not only acceptable, but heroic, whatever the real intent. Again, as Vidal once said: “The sexual attitudes of any given society are the result of political decisions.” (http://www.gorevidalpages.com/1979/01/sex-is-politics-by-gore-vidal.html)

I have a story, Sick Day, from The Romantic Adventures ofJack & Dora, where the husband ties up his wife, partly with sexual intent (I won’t say exactly why, as it would give away the plot). The public, that does much stranger things in private, needs to be protected from that? In fact, the people claiming to want to protect the public probably do stranger things in private than that. But reading about soldiers blowing people’s heads off and serial killers cutting out people’s organs and eating them with fava beans is just good entertainment?

The more you repress and push down a powerful, natural impulse (and sex is probably the big number one), the more it will grow in the underground and sprout up in a far more twisted, unhealthy form. Historically, in societies where sexuality was a much more open part of day-to-day life, there is almost no evidence of what we think of today as pornography.

If you're really interested in where the Western attitudes toward sex come from, see one of the best books ever written on this subject: Eros Denied. It was written in the 1960s by Wayland Young, a respected British Lord and member of the European Parliament, of the Western European Union, and a NATO Parliamentarian. This book will not only open your eyes about the source of our sexual attitudes, it will also take you on a fascinating journey through art and cultural history.

If you want to sign the petition, standing against Paypal’s demand for censorship, click here.

A final thought. Is Paypal’s decision motivated by some sense of morality? Is it motivated by a desire to protect the public? Or, is it motivated by a desire to protect their professional reputation in order to not lose bigger financially support (bigger than their profits from processing erotica)? The concern for commerce in our culture overrides all other concerns. In my next blog post, I will discuss the devastating affect this has on our lives, and our sex lives in particular.

Happy uncensored reading!

Robert Szeles

(pronounced saylesh)

www.robertszeles.com