While that type of book definitely has a niche market, this is an unusual move from Amazon which recently defended the sale of Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure saying:
“Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”
Amazon did an about face with the Pedophile’s Guide, removing the book without comment. Now it’s going after self-published author Selena Kitt, which wrote a novel that addresses the theme of “incest-themed erotica”, as well as several other authors that write on the same topic. Kitt writes in a blog post,
“I want to be clear that while the subject of incest may not appeal to some, there is no underage contact in any of my work, and I make that either explicitly clear in all my stories or I state it up front in the book’s disclaimer,” Kitt writes”I don’t condone or support actual incest, just as someone who writes mysteries about serial killers wouldn’t condone killing.”
Worse, the authors allege that Amazon has been deleting these books from Kindles remotely. Amazon claims this was a technical glitch and those books are now available to be downloaded if already purchased prior to their ban from the Kindle store.
None of this is new to Amazon which in July 2009, indiscriminately removed copies of 1984 from Kindles without the end users permission (how Orwellian!). After a law suit was filed and settled, Amazon agreed to legally binding terms that entailed its content deletion policy. When it came to books, Amazon will only delete books from a Kindle for the following reasons: failed credit card transactions, judicial orders, malware, or the permission of the user.
I have no issue with any kind of book except the ones that specifically are guides on how to harm people. There's a big difference between writing a story with a plot, and a step by step instructional guide on how to harm someone. Authors write about murder, rape, etc etc…does it mean they like to murder and rape people? No…but educational instructions on how to murder and rape people? I'd say the author has either prior experience or has thoroughly thought about it.
The 1st amendment is freedom of expression. How is expression involving one telling others how to hurt others and get away with it? I don't think that's what they had in mind when writing this amendment.
"Worse, the authors allege that Amazon has been deleting these books from Kindles remotely. "
None of the authors have alleged any such thing. The books were removed frmo the store and the archives. No files were removed from people's actual Kindles.
I point this out only in the interest of accuracy, not with the intent of defending Amazon. I think what they're doing is ridiculous, and even removing them from the archives deprives people of content they PAID for. Amazon assures customers that their books are stored with Amazon and will be accessible for download at any time. Though I'm sure there's something in the License Agreement that allows them to remove anything they want from your archives, I think it's terrible business practice.
Ya vol heir Amazon! Please tell what I can read and what I can not. Be certain not to give me any choices nor allow me to have an opinion of my own. Next… let's ban the bible. Lets see how that flies.
"the authors allege that Amazon has been deleting these books from Kindles remotely."
I'm one of the authors involved, and to the best of my knowledge none of us have made that allegation. Amazon has not been deleting content from users' Kindles, and that isn't an issue. The issues are:
Despite their earlier statement about censorship (quoted in the article), they are now engaging in censorship, for no stated or apparent reason.
They have no clear or usable guidelines for authors to abide by.
This current purge is not being applied evenly or consistently (only a few authors have been targeted, apparently chosen for their success rather than the nature of their books' content).
They have made no statement explaining what they're doing, why they're doing it, or what their new policy is.
It's because of this that I see Amazon as evil. I don't like the books that they chose to remove, however, I don't need government, corporations or anyone making choices for me. Especially removing content that I purchased from them. If they have issues with the content then they should do a better job of filtering upfront. I will never own a Kindle.
Do you condone pedophilia?
Amazon has the right to not carry any book or item. Just like any other retailer in the USA. They don't have to sell a product.
When does the gov't get into the game and a court "direct" all copies of a book to be pulled…Buy the hardcopy folks.
Or buy a Wifi only nook and get the epub versions. :)