Friday 30 November 2012

Literary sex and Amazon


Something worth keeping an eye on for UK authors is the news released in the Bookseller yesterday that Amazon publishing plans to open a European publishing wing based in Luxembourg. Vicky Griffith will relocate from Seattle in the New Year and start building a team of editors and marketing personnel. There is a thought that Amazon may wish to acquire global English language rights with this move. Big name authors have not flocked to Amazon Publishing, and some US stores have boycotted Amazon published titles because of the required exclusivity on Kindle deals.

There’s an interesting piece I spotted in the in the Guardian by Lee Rourke here on why sex isn’t suited to the pages of literary fiction. I think he is saying it may well be suited to the pages of commercial fiction but I’d have to go and read it again to be sure. Why don’t you read it and let me know? I’ll go and dry my recently washed hair and then trot off up the hill to renew my car tax before I become illegal. and when I come back, I shall put my nose to the grindstone (or in this case the computer keyboard) and try and complete the remaining pages of Victorian Beauty.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, in that article the first example of sex scene is flat and boring - nothing attractive for me here, too graphic - the second example sounds ridiculous when you read it - I don't read "erotica" novels (I tried once out of curiosity but it's not my thing at ALL) and I don't read contemporary novels either. I read exclusively historical novels - I always look for a strong story with believable and interesting characters, sexual tension, sensuality, conflicts, etc ... and if there's one or two sex scenes that contribute to the story it's ok but I just hate when it's too graphic and explicit. It simply kills the magic - I want my imagination to work in unison with the author's description, I want to imagine and to feel.
Simple as that :)

Jen Black said...

I agree, and writing sex scenes is fraught with danger. One person's sensual is another person's graphic, and it is so easy to fall into the heaving-bosom-ridiculous trap. It isn't as easy as crossing a field, that's for sure!

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