Forgotten Book Censorship…Irish Justice Minister’s novel set to be investigated by his own book censorship board

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See article from independent.ie See Censorship of Publications Board from justice.ie See List of banned books [pdf] from justice.ie

A sexy novel written by Ireland’s Justice Minister, Alan Shatter, has been referred to the Censorship office. Book censors are set to investigate whether Laura: A Story You Will Never Forget is too obscene for Irish readers. The book, which the minister wrote 24 years ago, contains steamy sex scenes and centres around the troubled private life of an Oireachtas member who is having an affair with his secretary. At one point in the book, the fictional parliamentarian attempts to force the woman to have an abortion in order to save his political career. The Herald understands that a complaint about the book’s sex scenes has been lodged with the Censorship of Publications Board. Another allegation is the novel advocates the procurement of an abortion or miscarriage. In Ireland there are two main categories under which books can be banned. The first is they are indecent or obscene while the second is they advocate the procurement of abortion or miscarriage . A spokesperson for the Board confirmed that concerns have been raised with its secretary by a member of the public and added: The complaint will be considered by the new Censorship of Publications Board when it is appointed. Ironically, it is Shatter who is due to announce the members of the board in the coming weeks.

The Age of the Book Censor…Ever wondered why characters in young adult fiction never swear like teenagers in real life?

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See  article from  guardian.co.uk by James Dawson

James Dawson, author of teen read Hollow Pike , explains why he has to hold back on the cussing in order to get his books accepted by the gatekeepers , booksellers and librarians. Any artist tries to reproduce reality on their terms. So, as an author, I aim to portray young adult characters in the most honest way possible. Logically, this involves them swearing. In Hollow Pike, I was allowed shit and any swear word less than this one ie bloody, Jesus Christ etc. Interestingly shit was only allowed as a curse, not as a bodily function (all bodily functions were removed at the edit, to make the characters more aspirational). It was only when editing my new, second novel that I asked if I could use even stronger swear words in an extreme situation of peril. My editor was sympathetic and has no personal objections to stronger words than shit , but it was at this stage the gatekeepers were first mentioned. Booksellers, book groups, librarians and bookshop buyers form this steely line of defence. They are arguably the most powerful link in the publishing chain. These are the people who decide whether or not to sell your product. Without them, a book, especially a book by a debut author, is relegated to the internet and warehouse shelves thus limiting the potential contacts a reader can make with the book in the real world …Read the full article

Is the London Book Fair Supporting Chinese Censorship?…Should a state that bans and censors books and imprisons writers be guest of honour at the 2012 London Book Fair

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See article from guardian.co.uk by Richard Lea

Next week the London Book Fair welcomes China, the world’s largest publisher by volume, as the 2012 market focus and has teamed up with the British Council to invite around 20 Chinese writers to west London for a series of readings, discussions and talks celebrating the best in Chinese literature. But the writers who make up the delegation and the events at which they’ll be speaking have been chosen in consultation with partners including China’s General Administration of Press and Publishing (Gapp), whose responsibilities include the censorship of newspapers and publishers. According to writer Ma Jian this makes true cultural exchange impossible, and puts freedom of expression in China under yet more pressure: For China to be named guest of honour. for the British cultural establishment to be shaking hands with the Chinese head of propaganda, a man responsible for the banning and censoring of books and the imprisonment of writers, is disgraceful. …Read the full article

Kindle Book Censors…Amazon suspends the Kindle account of Digital Managa

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See article from digitalmanga.com

Digital Manga wrote: As March 15, 2012, Digital Manga Inc.’s account has been suspended from the Kindle platform. While we’re working to try and amend the situation, we will not be able to publish titles to the Kindle for the foreseeable future. Our account was suspended under troubling circumstances – we have had titles cited for content violation, and while we screen every title to ensure they adhere to Kindle’s standards, their guidelines are notoriously vague, and prohibit Pornography and hard-core material that depicts graphic sexual acts. There is no definition of pornography versus erotica officially available from amazon. In the past, we considered our titles the latter, and strive to comply with Amazon’s guidelines. However, with such vague guidelines and a veritable library of erotica in written and drawn form already available on the Kindle, it is difficult to discern exactly what rules Amazon wanted us to comply with. We also find it disheartening that our titles depicting male homosexual romance have been banned while erotica depicting other forms of intercourse flourishes. What makes relationships between men more objectionable than erotic tristes between men and women? This is a question we imagine you’re all asking yourselves right now, and a question that we need Amazon to answer for us. While we work to restore our account, we encourage yaoi fans to explore alternate platforms for reading manga. Our titles are available on emanga.com, Nook (including free apps for your PC, iPad, or Android tablet), and on the DMP App for Apple products and Android Tablets. This event has also led us to pursue the possibility of making digital manga available through other platforms. We look forward to continuing to bring you all the best in manga content, yaoi or otherwise, and appreciate your continuing support. For Information the Kindle content rules re porn are simply: See article from kdp.amazon.com Pornography We don’t accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts. Offensive Content What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. Thankfully Amazon soon changed their stance, and Digital Manga posted again: See article from digitalmanga.com Due to the events that transpired on Thursday, March 15th we were prepared for the worst. But thanks to the massive outpouring of fan support protesting Kindle’s illogical censorship policies and flimsy guidelines, Digital Manga’s Kindle account was restored in record time. We had expected an uphill battle, but manga fans and advocates of equal rights made their voices heard and Amazon realized how loud you all can be. This morning, we received this email: After reviewing your response, we have reinstated your account and we will once again accept your books for possible publication. Please be advised that all of your submissions must comply with our Content Guidelines for publishing in the Kindle Store and that your future submissions may be subject to additional review prior to being published. This may result in a delay in publishing.

Pally Again…Paypal book censors back off from general bans but may still object to specific books

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See article from xbiz.com

PayPal retracted its threat to close the accounts of online booksellers who sell works that they claim could be considered obscene. In a statement posted on its website today, PayPal announced that in the future it will not reject e-books that consist only of text unless they contain child pornography, or … text and obscene images of rape, bestiality or incest (as defined by the U.S. legal standard for obscenity…). PatPal committed to limit its objections to particular books rather than rejecting entire classes. It also said that it is developing a process that will allow an author to challenge a PayPal notice that a book violates its policy. The PayPal statement does not fully resolve all issues, however. It is not clear whether legal material would be affected by PayPal’s policy regarding e-books that contain child pornography, some of which may be legal. This decision recognizes the important principle that neither PayPal nor any other company involved in payment processing has any business telling people what they should read, said Joan Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC).

A Weak Response from the Paypal Book Censors…Forbes finds that it is not Visa pushing book censorship on Paypal

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See article from forbes.com See Paypal’s official repsonse from thepaypalblog.com

There has been a lot of criticism of PayPal across the web, in the erotica and general fiction communities in the last few days. PayPal responded on their blog, saying: Unlike many other online payment providers, PayPal does allow its service to be used for the sale of erotic books. PayPal is a strong and consistent supporter of openness on the Internet, freedom of expression, independent publishing and eBook marketplaces. We believe that the Internet empowers authors in a way that is positive and points to an even brighter future for writers, artists and creators the world over, but we draw the line at certain adult content that is extreme or potentially illegal. The problem here is in the weasel words extreme and potentially. How is PayPal to say what is extreme? Or potentially illegal? If they are concerned about facilitating the sale of illegal content they should work with the community to figure out what to do about it, not impose ill-defined and vague strictures on the publishing and distribution companies that use their services. Then we have: Some feedback we’re getting is a belief that PayPal is forcing its moral beliefs on others and restricting people’s right to free speech. We can tell you with 100 percent conviction that this is not our intention. While we understand that people don’t always agree with our policies, this decision has nothing to do with our personal views on the content or any desire to limit free-speech rights. It may not be PayPal’s intention to censor fiction, but it is the effect of their policy nonetheless. But we didn’t mean it like that is a poor response. … Blogger Madeleine Morris, writing on Banned Writers, published a response from Visa to her enquiries about the issues which disputes this view: Dear Ms. Morris, Thank you for your email regarding PayPal’s recent decision to limit the sale of certain erotica content. First and foremost, we want to clarify that Visa had no involvement with PayPal’s conclusion on this issue. Nor have we seen the material in question. This fact is made clear by PayPal’s recent blog post where it states that its own policies drove the decision. [T]he sale of a limited category of extreme imagery depicting rape, bestiality and child pornography is or is very likely to be unlawful in many places and would be prohibited on the Visa system whether or not the images have formally been held to be illegal in any particular country. Visa would take no action regarding lawful material that seeks to explore erotica in a fictional or educational manner. [...] Visa is not in the business of censoring cultural product. We recognize, as courts in the U.S. and elsewhere have long recognized, that this is a challenging topic. Bright lines are difficult to establish. We welcome the input of all stakeholders regarding our policies as we work to sustain a network that supports global commerce, while respecting the laws of the countries where we operate. However you look at it, PayPal is imposing its moral position on writers and publishers because it is asking for work to be taken down that has not been found illegal. …Read the full article

A Letter to the Paypal Book Censors…The topics PayPal would ban have been depicted in world literature since Sophocles’ Oedipus and Ovid’s Metamorphoses

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See article from publishersweekly.com

Tell PayPal: Don’t Censor Books PayPal, which plays a dominant role in processing online sales, has taken full advantage of the vast and open nature of the Internet for commercial purposes, but is now holding free speech hostage by clamping down on sales of certain types of erotica. As organizations and individuals concerned with intellectual and artistic freedom and a free Internet, we strongly object to PayPal functioning as an enforcer of public morality and inhibiting the right to buy and sell constitutionally protected material. Recently, PayPal gave online publishers and booksellers, including BookStrand.com, Smashwords, and eXcessica, an ultimatum: it would close their accounts and refuse to process all payments unless they removed erotic books containing descriptions of rape, incest, and bestiality. The result would severely restrict the public’s access to a wide range of legal material, could drive some companies out of business and deprive some authors of their livelihood. Financial services providers should be neutral when it comes to lawful online speech. PayPal’s policy underscores how vulnerable such speech can be and how important it is to stand up and protect it. The topics PayPal would ban have been depicted in world literature since Sophocles’ Oedipus and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. And while the books currently affected may not appear to be in the same league, many works ultimately recognized for their literary, historical, and artistic worth were reviled when first published. Books like Ulysses and Lady Chatterley’s Lover were banned as obscene in the United States because of their sexual content. The works of Marquis de Sade, which include descriptions of incest, torture, and rape, were considered scandalous when written, although his importance in the history of literature and political and social philosophy is now widely acknowledged. The Internet has become an international public commons, like an enormous town square, where ideas can be freely aired, exchanged, and criticized. That will change if private companies, which are under no legal obligation to respect free speech rights, are able to use their economic clout to dictate what people should read, write, and think. PayPal, and the myriad other payment processors that support essential links in the free speech chain between authors and audiences, should not operate as morality police. Signed by: American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Association of American Publishers Authors Guild Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Electronic Frontier Foundation Feminists for Free Expression Internet Archive National Coalition Against Censorship Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Peacefire PEN American Center Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance

Who’s behind the Paypal Book Censorship?…The Paypal ban on erotica may be part of a larger move towards censorship

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See article from techdirt.com

Re Paypal’s ban on text based erotica and small self publishing companies: While the government in the US is not able to censor speech, there is little preventing a private company like Paypal or its credit card partners from taking these actions. Yet, Smashwords is not giving up hope. In its latest update, Smashwords notes that it had managed to get the deadline extended as well as the definitions of prohibited content relaxed. It also wants to clarify that neither it nor Paypal are the real villians in this issue. A lot of people have been attacking Smashwords for my decision to comply with PayPal’s requirements. They’re pointing their arrows at the wrong target, and they’re not helping their cause. We’re working to effect positive long term change for the entire Smashwords community, and that includes all our erotica authors and readers. Over the weekend, many Smashwords authors and publishers demanded we abandon PayPal and find a new payment processor. It’s not so simple, and it doesn’t solve the greater problem hanging over everyone’s head. PayPal is trying to implement the requirements of credit card companies, banks and credit unions. This is where it’s all originating. These same requirements will eventually rain down upon every other payment processor. PayPal is trying to maintain their relationships with the credit card companies and banks, just as we want to maintain our relationship with PayPal. People who argue PayPal is the evil villain and we should drop them are missing the bigger picture. Should we give up on accepting credit cards forever? The answer is no. This goes beyond PayPal. Imagine the implications if credit card companies start going after the major ebook retailers who sell erotica? …Read the full article

Publishers Descended into Savage Censorship…Lord of Flies publisher demanded that William Goldring write out allusions to christianity

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See article from thisiscornwall.co.uk

The author of a classic novel which charts the descent into savagery of a group of marooned schoolboys was ordered to remove a Christian theme from the book before it was published. The surprising insistence of publishers editing William Golding’s seminal work Lord of the Flies has emerged in correspondence released on the centenary of the author’s birth. As well as telling Golding to steer clear of Christianity, his publishers also ordered details of nuclear holocaust to be struck from the pages. In 1954, Golding was an author struggling to find a publisher for his first book, Lord of the Flies, an allegorical tale of civilisation crashing into barbarism. It had been rejected 10 times, including by Faber and Faber, who then relented and finally put the book into print. Correspondence with publishers, which have not been made public until now, forms a central part of new display at Oxford’s Bodleian library. Also on display for the first time is the rejection note from Faber which called the novel an absurd and uninteresting fantasy. Rubbish and dull. Eventually the book was championed by a publishing executive, Charles Montieth. The letters reveal Montieth objected to what Golding called the theophany of the novel, the appearance of God to man, and the obvious Christianity of Simon, another of the boys marooned on the island after the plane crash.

Educationally Challenged…Nutter MP repeats her call to appoint the BBFC as book censors for sex education material

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See article from bbc.co.uk

Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom has repeated her call for sex education books to be classified by the BBFC. Leadsom claims some of the material being taught to children as young as five is extraordinarily inappropriate. She wants books and videos used for sex education to be given a rating by the British Board of Film Classification before they are used in schools. During a Westminster Hall debate, Leadsom said many adults were horrified when they found out what children were being taught about sex. She said:  I’ve seen cartoons of two people engaged in sexual activities with the caption ‘Here are some ways mummies and daddies fit together’, others depicting two cartoon characters locked in an intimate embrace, accompanied by a vivid explanation, using sexual terminology of the act of intercourse. As well as cartoons I’ve been shown a video of two people engaged in intercourse, with a child’s voice over the top, saying, ‘it looks like they’re having fun’. She also wants the law changed so that parents actively have to opt in to sex lessons, rather than opt out, as is currently the case if they have objections. Schools minister, Nick Gibb, said all sex education material used in state schools was scrutinised to ensure it set the right tone. The education secretary had set out statutory guidelines for schools and councils to follow, he added, which would ensure that inappropriate content would not be used. Comment: Parental Guidance Perhaps a Sex Ed Parental Guidance certificate would read: Suitable for children of all ages. Children are advised to consider whether the material may upset sensitive parents before showing it to them.