Paypal Prohibits "Obscene" Content

No, I don't write erotica with themes of incest, pseudo-incest, rape for titillation, underage sex or bestiality. However, even though erotic fiction with those themes does not appeal to me, there is a market for it. A huge market for it. And just like other readers, if the content of the story does not amuse me, I don't read it. Simple as that.

But now, PayPal is cracking down on publishers and websites that publishes and sales said books. Paypal warns if publisher continue to sale those books with "obscene content," Paypal will deactivate publisher's account. You may wonder why a company would threaten to deactivate so many publisher accounts like Smashwords.

"Paypal doesn’t want to have to pay Visa and MC for carrying “high risk” accounts on their books." Erotica writer Selena Kitt writes on her blog. And what's considered high risk for Paypal? Erotic books that contain the themes listed above. "Sites that carry high-risk material have to pay the high-risk costs of doing business. If you’re going through Paypal, you don’t have to pay that. Until Paypal catches you. And then they insist you take down your high-risk content or lose your account."

So it's the major credit card companies behind it all.

As a writer of erotica and erotic romance what I take form this is the major credit card companies saying… "We're not supporting your icky imagination and if you force me to associate my name with your obscene fiction, then we can't be friends anymore." … That's how I read it If it's really about the money or not.

No matter my personal views on erotic books with those "questionable" themes (incest, pseudo-incest, rape for titillation, underage sex or bestiality), they're still legal to write about. I am not a person to condone the suppression of published material. We're adults. We should be able to write, read, and buy the kind of fiction we desire without someone or some group making it difficult due to their tastes.

Mark Coker, founder and CEO of Smashwords, had this to say about Paypal's crackdown. "PayPal is asking us to censor legal fiction. Regardless of how one views topics of rape, bestiality and incest, these topics are pervasive in mainstream fiction. We believe this crackdown is really targeting erotica writers. This is unfair, and it marks a slippery slope. We don't want credit card companies or financial institutions telling our authors what they can write and what readers can read. Fiction is fantasy. It's not real. It's legal."

It concerns me. What will they target next in erotica?

Gay sex? Threesomes? Sex out of wedlock? Erotica in general?

What do you think about the crackdown?

Embracing Rejection Instead of Fearing It

All writers experience publisher/editor/agent rejection at one point in their writing careers, but serious writers learn to embrace that rejection and use it to improve their writing.

Here's how:

Don't let it hinder you

Just like that cutie in high school who never knew you existed. If only you could've built the courage to plop your food tray down on his table, slide in beside him and say, "Hi," things might've been different. Instead, fear held you down at the table in the corner with the rest of the unpopulars as you watched big busted Kyla sit down beside him and start up a giggle-laden conversation. What, just me?

Fear keeps you from trying because you're uncertain of the results. And the ultimate fear for writers is … what if they don't like my writing. And instead of finishing the novel, you put it on the backburner because if you finish it then you'll want to share it. And what if they think it sucks?

You want to get it published, but you're afraid of submitting it because you're writing sucks compared to other writers.  What if publishers think you have no business writing, even grocery lists?

They accepted and published your novel, but you're afraid to market it because reviewers and readers could be harsher than any editor. What if they hate your book so bad the only sales you get are from readers who buy your book for the satisfaction of watching the book burn ritualistic style and in your backyard, nonetheless?

Own up to the fact that you will be rejected one way or another, sooner or later, and make sure every time you ...

Learn from it

A (sort of) nice thing to take away from being rejected by a publisher, editor or agent is that sometimes you get a valued piece of written inscription known as a personalized rejection letter. Sometimes the editor will explain why the manuscript was rejected and sometimes will even give you pointers on how to improve it. Leaving you with the decision to fix it and move on (or resubmit) or move on to another publisher without making any changes at all. Whichever you choose, the point is … you're moving on (or revising and resubmitting) and trying again.

You may get rejection after rejection and no explanation for it. Which isn't unusual but if your work is continually getting rejected it's time to change your tactics.

• Rewrite the query letter. Sometimes tweaking the query letter is all it takes. Since the query is the first hint of your writing skills the editor encounters, it's important that it's just as polished as your manuscript.

• Have someone else look over the query letter and manuscript. Sometimes it's difficult for you to see your own mistakes and typos, or if something needs clarification.

• Double check and follow the submission guidelines. Make sure the publisher publishes similar books in your genre, are open for submissions, accepts from author or agent, etc.

• Be professional. No emoticons, text-like abbreviations or usage of slang in your query letter or any written correspondence between you and publisher/editor/agent.

• If all else fails … focus on writing your next novel. Don't spend too much time rewriting and submitting the same manuscript. Move on to your next novel which should be written better your last. You should keep learning your craft and improving.

Know it's not the end

Serious writers understand it's not the end of your writing career or the end of rejection. There will be more rejection letters just as long as you keep writing and submitting manuscripts. Rejection is a huge part of being a serious writer.

Imagine plopping your food tray down next to that cutie in high school and he turns to you with a look of disgust on his face. Your worst fear, right? Hey, you knew it could happen, at least you can say you tried and that you learned to never go that route again. (Next time you'll catch him at his locker after school.)

So embrace rejection instead of fearing it and use it to improve your writing.

Judy Mays: Erotic Romance Writer Outed

(Excerpt from Barbara Vey -- May 5th, 2011 link below)

Last week the earth shattering news hit that high school teacher Judy Buranich writes erotica as Judy Mays. Horrors!! An English teacher who writes. It’s almost embarrassing to read the news accounts of the outing. A parent came forward because she felt erotica “is unethical, totally unacceptable. Period. It just sort of sickens and saddens me to know everybody’s sort of looking at this like, hey, this is OK.” I hate to break it to you parent, but erotic is ok. It’s not illegal. Lots of people obviously like it because there’s definitely a market for it. We even do book blurbs on them here. So I contacted author Judy Mays and asked for her side of the story.

Read the rest HERE!