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Is Salacious Content Driving E-Book Sales?
narramissic writes "Having already abandoned ebooks once, Barnes & Noble is jumping back into ebooks with the purchase this week of ebook seller Fictionwise. Why is the format suddenly hot? Look no further than the top 10 Fictionwise bestsellers, says blogger Peter Smith. Once again it seems like 'porn is blazing a path to a new media format. Of the top 10 bestsellers under the 'Multiformat' category, nine are tagged 'erotica' and the last is 'dark fantasy.' Need more proof that folks (let's take a leap and call them women) who read 'bodice rippers' like the privacy of ebooks? Author Samantha Lucas (who writes for publishers like Cobblestone Press and Siren Publishing) tells Smith that she sells almost all of her novels in ebook format."
I used to read alt.stories.erotica way back in the 9600 baud days. The only thing new here is that people are paying for it.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
The ability to turn pages one-handed is touted as one of the big improvements of the Kindle 2.
Draw your own conclusions.
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain
Pornography has always been at the forefront of technology. VHS, DVD, they were the first to really start using DRM on video content, too. A quick search on Google for 'porn technology' will give you lots of articles on the subject.
Love sees no species.
And that it's much easier to wipe off a kindle. Ever cleaned a keyboard?
Not the "porn is what drives adoption of all new formats and technologies" explanation again... has everyone already forgotten that HD DVD was supposed to win over Blu-Ray because of its early adoption by the porn industry? There were only, oh, a few thousand posts to that effect right here on Slashdot - right up until HD DVD died.
#DeleteChrome
That would be interesting if the chance to read naughty lit in public drives the sales of a $350 e-book reader.
Think Deeply.
People have evolved to be interested in sex. Those that aren't die out. So of course if the web provides a means to look at boobies, it's going to get more popular...and if an ebook reader allows you to read about people having sex, those who are interested might turn to it. It's a hell of a lot more discrete to use an ebook reader than have a sexually explicit book open. You don't have to hide it behind something else to avoid attracting attention or getting into trouble.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
If she likes the Wizard's Rule series by Goodkind, I think she'll really enjoy the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. If she likes dark fiction with a strong tragic-hero element, I think she'll also enjoy the Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock, particularly the Elric books.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
Like, why are you not totally rejecting this and not talking to her about her porn habits?
Maybe ... because she's twenty years old? As in, old enough (by a couple of years) to vote, get married, buy a house, or get pieces of herself blown off in Iraq -- but apparently not old enough to read about guys getting it on, at least in your book.
Or maybe he feels that his daughter is an independent, thinking human being and he doesn't get to tell her what to read.
Of course, maybe it's that she's twenty years old.
Possibly it's because he doesn't have the same visceral reaction to guy-guy porn that you do. Something tells me that if OP had mentioned that he had a son (particularly a grown son) who's into girl-girl porn, you wouldn't have a problem with it.
Also, did I mention that she's twenty years old?
Someone needs some serious help here, and you know, it's not OP or his daughter.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
Rationally considered, you are correct. However, human social instincts are not rational consideration. A big faceless corporation knowing that you purchased a porno is, viscerally, way less intimidating than having a clerk who won't remember you tomorrow raise an eyebrow slightly.
... this is clearly a privacy issue, not a pornography issue. If it were common for me to read in public places, like at work on my lunch break, a e-book would be far better than a typical paperback. Why, because then no one could learn what I am reading unless I tell them.
I don't read anything to be embarrassed about, but I can imagine it is awkward for women into those trash romance novels to hold a lewd covered book when sitting across the aisle from their boss.
Or what about people reading the Bible, Koran, or other religious manuscript. I have seen the way people look at folks reading such material on subways.
E-Books are great for everyone concerned about others judging them by what they read. Hell, in some cities you can be judged by which news paper you read... god forbid your conservative boss sees you reading the New York Times. I know I would hate to have a perfectly good working relationship ruined because I think homosexuals should be allowed to marry and raise children.
I am all for personal privacy in all things personal. I am not a conspiracy theorist that thinks the government or big business is spying and gonna use information against me... but I don't want my reading material, music tastes, or social/political beliefs to be an issue with those I wouldn't readily discuss such things with. A good ebook reader and some head phones allow me to consume media privately, if for no other reason than that.
Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.
"Once again it seems like 'porn is blazing a path to a new media format"
Again the myth that porn has decided the formatwars is called upon again.
"Many theories regarding why Sony's Betamax failed have arisen over the years. One of the more amusing (and false) is that Sony refused to allow pornographic material on their system. A quick perusal of the Betamax library reveals that adult entertainment was readily available. For example, Playboy Industries released their videos in a dual format, both Betamax and VHS, for most of the 1970s and 80s (and can be confirmed with a quick search through Ebay's adult section, or other used video markets). Second, the adult industry is too small to have any lasting impact on standards selection. According to Forbes.com, adult video income is approximately $1 billion. "The industry is tiny next to broadcast television ($32.3 billion in 1999), cable television ($45.5 billion), the newspaper business ($27.5 billion), Hollywood ($31 billion), even to professional and educational publishing ($14.8 billion). When one really examines the numbers, the porn industry--while a subject of fascination--is every bit as marginal as it seems at first glance." (Link - http://www.forbes.com/2001/05/25/0524porn.html )"
There, it should be over now.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
Sounds like the post is just factually true.
Except that what it is implying is that the 'glass ceiling' is imaginary, that gender-based discrimination does not exist. Even in our 'enlightened' society, where the role of women has been significantly balanced, it remains ignorant to say that women only get worse pay because they do not work such long hours. In addition, the number of women who do work long hours and do not spend excessive time on childcare is certainly not insignificant, nor (as parent^4 seems to think) worth dismissing.
Also, it seems to me that women are mentioned here purely for comic effect, not because Amazon sees them as more apt to consume.
"No one thinks women should be discriminated against but I do think that as a group that working women take more hours off than working men. Period."
If you don't count time off die to child birth, that discrepancy almost completely vanishes. If you also take into account that men generally make more money for the same work, the notion that women take more time off starts looking like a self fulfilling prophecy (ie. given the choice between a family losing $x when a woman takes the day off or losing $1.5x whena man takes the day off, the most rational choice is clearly for the woman to take the day off), not to mention that there is a cultural norm that mothers are expected to take time off to deal with children (meaning that schools are more likely to call mothers in an emergency than fathers, and that employers are far more likely to permit time off to deal with children for mothers than fathers). Even assuming that your statement of "fact" really is, there are some very clear factors making it far more likely than the alternative which, frankly, have almost nothing to do with the quality or quantity of work done by women and everything to do with social norms and economic conditions.
"So that means they work less hours. Less on the production side. Also as a group women make more of the buying decisions in a family than the men do. More on the consuming side."
I doubt this very much. I work in retail, and while I certainly see women buying more items, I also men buying more expensive items... VASTLY more expensive.
"Sounds like the post is just factually true."
No, it sounds like the post is stating a common and highly controversial assumption that is factually ambiguous but reinforces what many people already believe subconsciously and is possibly a major factor in making or keeping it true. It is rationalization for sexism, not a valid explanation in its own right.
Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
Fictionwise's own lists of Best Sellers/HIghest Rated titles tells a different story.
Entries in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series rank 1st, 2nd, 3d, and 4th as best sellers the past six month.
Joe Halderman's "The Accidental Time Machine," came in fifth.
No erotica title made it into the top 25.
You will find YA "Twilight" on the Fictionwise "Dark Fantasy" shelf.
Which means were looking at more blogger BS on the front page of Slashdot.
Listen you stupid jackass, Obsidian is the latest flash-in-the-pan buzzword-heavy gimmick that lets newbies chip one edge and pretend they know what they're doing, which is fine if you live right next to a FREAKIN' VOLCANO.
For those of us who prefer not to tempt the wrath of the LavaGod, and oh yeah -- maybe make FIRE, HAVE YA HEARD OF THAT YET, YOU WHEEL-LESS SLED-DRAGGING DORK -- we'll remain with a proven technology with Spark(TM)!