Saturday 25 February 2012

Don't blame Smashwords or Paypal: The frontier moved for indie authors, it's time to move with it

As this post and many others currently mushrooming on the web are commentating, indie ebook distributor Smashwords has asked authors of certain kinds of erotica to remove their content in order to satisfy an ultimatum from Paypal that such content be removed or the payment processing facility be withdrawn.

Now argument is raging on all kinds of fronts. Some have to do with US consitution, on which I'm not going to offer comment. Thankfully, very little debate has focussed on the type of material under discussion - that doesn't seem, to me, to be the point.

The two points that seem to me to be most pertinent (others will have different opinions) are these:
- what do we think of Paypal makin this request?

- what kind of organisation does Smashwords want to be?

To take the latter first, Mark Coker, an inveterate champion of indie publishing, has regularly portrayed Smashwords as a champion of all things indie. It is this that I think has so many authors angry. I won't harp on too much about this, but much confusion comes from what we mean by "indie", as I'm always saying. The more the indie book world looks like the regular book world (and as more people self-publish the more it *does*) the more we should expect indie champions to behave like people in the mainstream. Erotica authors were amonst the earliest adopters of epublishing - they were indie frontierspeople, and I think they still share a pioneering view of what indie means (as I tend to), hence they feel sold down the river first and foremost because what they thought of as a safe haven for boundary pushers has been colonised by the "safe" making it no longer safe for them. As it were.

I'm not saying Mark Coker *should* be one thing or the other, but this decision has a "needs of the many..." feel to it. It is a move mainstream, so those who enjoyed the pioneeringness of smashwords will move out, and will do so feeling regret that things have changed. Though I hope they won't feel it for long - regret at change is a very conservative tendency and I would expect them to wipe the tears and not find but create something new. The problem comes with the commercial aspect. And that's where I think we're seeing a fundamental crisi of identity for the frontiers-type indie - is what you do about the art, integrity, and pushing boundaries, or is it about the bottom line? I have no problem with people who make either choice, but I think authors have hitherto had the possibility of prevaricating. Now they don't. That's uncomfortable, but maybe it's also a good mind focusser.

To get to Paypal. I think their decision is heinous. But bon this point the discussion has been less balanced. And I can't help feeling a lot of people are finding themselves in a liberal conundrum. I see a lot of people saying that as just "processors" or "bankers" Paypal shouldn't be interested in content.

To those people, I would like to say - rewind a moment. One of the great consumer movements of recent years has driven the rise of "ethical" or "green" banking. Whether it's planet-raping gas companies, those whose accounts are tainted by blood diamonds, or those charging interest on sweat-shop produced profit, banks are being forced to offer commercial products that steer clear. Now it's true that I have no interest in a bank that steers clear of xyz erotica. But I am very happy to see an account that won't place my savings (or wouldn't if I had any) anywhere near sweat shops or blood diamonds. And I don't see that I can have one without allowing the other. So, like out of town supermarkets and organic produce, I would urge those who really care to vote with their feet and with their voices, but not to argue that Paypal shouldn't do what it's doing without accepting the consequences.

In short, this is a wake-up call to indie authors that things have changed and maybe we can't choose to have a foot in the mainstream and the pioneering camps any more and it's time to face those difficult choices. And then get on and do - because that's what we're good at - actio. Not reaction, but creating something new.

20 comments:

  1. It's always all about critical mass. At first, most organizations can do as they intended when they began, but if they are successful, they grow. Once they grow and attain sufficient attention and attendance, they have to make a choice. It is rare to choose to remain small and dedicated to a cause. Most go bigger and become dedicated to success for the sake of being successful. Business, philosophy, charity, religion, politics - it's always the same.

    Those who are turfed out of smashwords will simply find a new marketplace and a new name. What about neo indie? Or Indie Classic? Indie Zero? Indie Max? Or AltArt?

    Inevitable.

    Sláinte.

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  2. That post is very theoretical, but to make my personal position clear: I think Mark Coler has made what's probably the right decision for the site that Smashwords now is and the authors it hosts. And because this has made it clear that's the case, it's not really a site I'm interested in using, so I'll be removing my books. I'll be keeping my ebooks on Amazon because I knew what they were when I uploaded and they haven't changed - once I can sell them through my local bookstore, I will. My paper books will remain not available on Amazon or through any bricks and mortar chain but only direct and through selected independent bookstores - part of the reason we have these monopolies we now are up in arms about is because for too long we thought we could do it both ways - I was criticised again and again for not making my paperbacks available through Amazon or chains. I'm sure I lost sales, but that made me go selling direct to live crowds, and a whole new vibrant writing and relating-to-my-audience life has evolved from that, so I'm glad I stuck to it from every angle. Kindle and smashwords have spoilt us into thinking we could have indie and art and commercial success and not choose, and maybe the uncomfortable choices we now face are a result of our not questioning that sooner.

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  3. I have to disagree with you Dan - Mark Coker made his OWN moral judgement in stating 'rape has no place in erotica' - it's not up to him to decide. He's making a financial decision, true, but the words he's used to explain it make it clear it conforms to his OWN moral structure (more - if I don't like it no one can mentality). He can ban my books - but if I get the opportunity in the future, believe me, I will rub his nose in it!!

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  4. Sessha, I agree that is very didappointing for a lot of us, and I think we absolutely should take issue with Mark's idea of what does or doesn't consititute legtimate subject matter for erotica. My point i that given this is what he - and/or Paypal - feel, I don't think he's wrong to bring that into his business. It just means that Smashwords is not what we thought it was - and that is very disappointing.
    I think Letitia's analyis is spot on - once something is successful it will either move towards the mainstream and those who wish to remain at the cutting edge will have to keep breaking off sideways and creating new spaces - not once but regularly.
    These are issues I've had to face personally at eight cuts with sexual content - we had a very successful night at one of Oxford's galleries. They took offence at one story at one of our nights because of the questionably consensual relationship it portrayed. We were asked to submit all content in advance thereafter. I said no, and moved to another venue with much a much smaller reach, but kept control of the content. I think as a gallery of all places, they are stupid to think what they think, but I don't think they were wrong to run the gallery how they wanted - that just made it not a place I want to be associated with, and I openly tell people about what happened so they can make up their mind what to do.
    In short, I think "I expected better of Smashwords", "Mark Coker's opinions are to cock", "I can't work with Smashwords", and "everyone, this is Smashwords' position, think carefully if you want to deal with them" (on this latter issue, I don't produce the material they are wanting withdrawn but I'm taking my books down in solidarity with those of you who do) are absolutely justifiable and right, as is "I wouldn't run my business like Mark does" - I just don't think "Mark shouldn't run his business like that" is well-directed.

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  5. Good post, Dan. Thoughtful and from a different angle. Whether the folks at Smashwords and/or PayPal have made a decision based on business or based on personal moral choices, they absolutely have that right.

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  6. they do, Robb, and I think arguing they don't (as with arguing the skippery slope case) misses the opportunity to take them to task about the erotica issue itself.

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  7. I agree it is all about critical mass. It was always going to be the case that successful indie publishers would follow the money and make the rules. As you say Dan, whatever we think to this degree of censorship, it has to be their choice and we have to be inventive about our response. The problem for me is when do we get the writing done?

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  8. Because neither of my books on Smashwords is listed as "erotica" I didn't get Mark's memo. I'm just looking at the information now and read the email sent out here: http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/25/smashwords-succumbs-to-censorship/. I'm feeling a bit sick. Amazon also has an anti-porn policy and has been known to pull stuff. That's legit. It's Amazon's platform and Amazon's choice, even if they are doing it to avoid possible legal ramifications. However, here it appears to be Paypal's demand, not the choice of Smashwords. That feels very wrong. Mark's email also talks about avoiding naughty words that might lead to one's book being censored. My novel is not erotica but it's full of naughty words and actions that would certainly put it in the danger zone. (I might write a blog about them). I have sold very few books through Smashwords and have mostly used it to give away content through coupons, but it is my link to the I-Books store and other venues. I'd hate to lose it. There are other ways to collect and pay money besides Paypal. Coker should consider them. If he wants to set up rules for acceptable content on his site that should be his call, not Paypals.

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  9. Avril, I think being at the edge of the indie scene means that one has to reinvent oneself every few years in order to avoid being sucked towards the centre.

    Marion - the question you raise is one I haven't seen answered anywhere, which is what will happen to free content if this is Paypal's problem.

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  10. Hi Dan,

    Personally, I've never seen myself as mainstream/non-mainstream. For me it was never really so political. I just cared about the work and being true to that work. True to the story on the page. Some people are clever about the wider world. Not me.

    But I knew, when PayPal kicked Wikileaks to the curb, that this was coming. And Mark Coker is a smart man. He should have seen it too. So, perhaps you are right, and this is just a convenience for him.

    As you say, time to move on and reinvent.

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  11. yes, he should have done. That's a very good point.

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  12. Dan, I'm looking forward to more of your thoughts on this. It looks like you've reacted and pulled your books from Smashwords, but they are still available on Kindle and Amazon also has a TOS and has recently pulled some objectionable erotica. So what's the argument for pulling from Smashwords and not Amazon? Is it about the idea of Paypal's being behind the decision? Do you view Amazon as independent?
    I'm not trying to challenge, honestly I have a lot of thoughts about this and am trying to think my own way through.

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  13. My reasoning was that I knew what Amazon was like before I put my books there. Nothing's changed. Smashwords was something different - a home for the dispossessed. It has now firmly aligned itself with commercial interest. I've just been asked to speak about ebooks and independent bookstores for a panel event held by the Society of Young Publiahers. This is perfect for focusing my thoughts for that (I'll upload a copy of what I end up saying) - what I want is for something like Hive to take off properly (http://www.hive.co.uk/) - at the moment it's an inchoate mess that has no clarity and no obvious pro-independent culture agenda - it's pro-independent bookstore but the ebooks it promotes all seem to be mainstream. For me that's nonsense - I don't think independent bookstores (just like I don't think independent authors) deserve support "because they're independednt" - they earn it by offering what the mainstream can't.

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