September 26, 2019
tl;dr ebooks now available for purchase on Gumroad!
At one point or another, a large percentage of my books have been banned by one retailer or another, especially the books I write under my Korin I. Dushayl pseudonym.
So once again I find myself spending Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) advocating for my own work to be available for sale.
This year, I had to pull all of my books off Amazon because it has refused to pay me any royalties for a full year now (although you can, apparently, buy some of my books for up to a thousand dollars from third-party sellers, I will not see one penny from that sale).
This issue has been compounded by Amazon's elimination of CreateSpace, which I had used to produce print versions of all my novels, short story collections, and poetry book.
Recently, I started uploading my books to Draft2Digital with the understanding that it now offered a POD option and that I could sell my books through various retailers, including the Kindle store, allowing readers with those devices to purchase their books there.
But, Draft2Digital refuses to accept my books. Among the reasons stated were that the books would not be accepted by Kobo or iBooks, even though a) I had never asked them to be posted to Kobo or iBooks because b) the books are already for sale on Kobo and iBooks.
Other reasons given by "Tara" (who signs herself as Draft2Digital's Director of Operations but doesn't share her last name and uses a general support address) included "Rape erotica and sexual slavery erotica, where the predominant theme is rape violence for titillation is strictly prohibited".
However, none of the scenes she identified as rape or "sexual slavery" were written as erotica or "for titillation". They were written from a perspective of characters trying to define and understand consent (in the case of Phil in Choices) or women (and males in the case of Jesse in Playing With Dolls) coming to terms with their own sexuality and identity. Some of the scenes she quoted in her email were written to show the difference in what consent means to men versus women.
Broken and Shattered are specifically about abuse not sex. (And, as I told her, I have had people tell me they couldn't even read those scenes because they found them too painful. People who found them the erotic have told me they questioned their own reactions.) The entire point of those two books is to get readers to think about abuse versus consent and about the darkness in themselves and in others. Reviews I quote on my website show I succeeded.)
It should be noted, that the main reason I created the Korin Dushayl pen name, and why she is identified as a transgressive writer rather than an erotica writer, is to differentiate the books which were not written as erotica from my other work which was. Consent (including consent to polyandrous relationships versus cheating) is literally the most important thematic issue of the books Draft2Digital refused.
You can now purchase those four books -- Broken, Shattered, Playing With Dolls, and Choices -- on Gumroad. Each is available in .mobi (Kindle/Kindle app) and .epub (Nook, Kobo, iPad, etc.)
In the coming weeks, I will be making more of my books available via Gumroad. And, hopefully I will be able to find an affordable POD option, so they're available in print in the very near future.
Plus, the third book in The Lady & The Spyder series will be available for pre-order soon.
At one point or another, a large percentage of my books have been banned by one retailer or another, especially the books I write under my Korin I. Dushayl pseudonym.
So once again I find myself spending Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) advocating for my own work to be available for sale.
This year, I had to pull all of my books off Amazon because it has refused to pay me any royalties for a full year now (although you can, apparently, buy some of my books for up to a thousand dollars from third-party sellers, I will not see one penny from that sale).
This issue has been compounded by Amazon's elimination of CreateSpace, which I had used to produce print versions of all my novels, short story collections, and poetry book.
Recently, I started uploading my books to Draft2Digital with the understanding that it now offered a POD option and that I could sell my books through various retailers, including the Kindle store, allowing readers with those devices to purchase their books there.
But, Draft2Digital refuses to accept my books. Among the reasons stated were that the books would not be accepted by Kobo or iBooks, even though a) I had never asked them to be posted to Kobo or iBooks because b) the books are already for sale on Kobo and iBooks.
Other reasons given by "Tara" (who signs herself as Draft2Digital's Director of Operations but doesn't share her last name and uses a general support address) included "Rape erotica and sexual slavery erotica, where the predominant theme is rape violence for titillation is strictly prohibited".
However, none of the scenes she identified as rape or "sexual slavery" were written as erotica or "for titillation". They were written from a perspective of characters trying to define and understand consent (in the case of Phil in Choices) or women (and males in the case of Jesse in Playing With Dolls) coming to terms with their own sexuality and identity. Some of the scenes she quoted in her email were written to show the difference in what consent means to men versus women.
Broken and Shattered are specifically about abuse not sex. (And, as I told her, I have had people tell me they couldn't even read those scenes because they found them too painful. People who found them the erotic have told me they questioned their own reactions.) The entire point of those two books is to get readers to think about abuse versus consent and about the darkness in themselves and in others. Reviews I quote on my website show I succeeded.)
It should be noted, that the main reason I created the Korin Dushayl pen name, and why she is identified as a transgressive writer rather than an erotica writer, is to differentiate the books which were not written as erotica from my other work which was. Consent (including consent to polyandrous relationships versus cheating) is literally the most important thematic issue of the books Draft2Digital refused.
You can now purchase those four books -- Broken, Shattered, Playing With Dolls, and Choices -- on Gumroad. Each is available in .mobi (Kindle/Kindle app) and .epub (Nook, Kobo, iPad, etc.)
In the coming weeks, I will be making more of my books available via Gumroad. And, hopefully I will be able to find an affordable POD option, so they're available in print in the very near future.
Plus, the third book in The Lady & The Spyder series will be available for pre-order soon.
August 7, 2019
For the past decade plus, I never hesitated to make my very low opinion of Amazon known. But, I listed my books for sale there because some readers prefer that platform.
But, I also never gave my work away for free (except in some rare cases as charible contributions and for promotional purposes).
Amazon has refused to pay me any royalties since October. 2018. I won't bore you with the long, excruciating details of my attempts to get paid, but the short version is their customer "service" agents try to blame me for their mistakes, ask for the same information over and over, don't respond to emails, (and, my favorite) when they do respond use one-time, no-reply addresses.
I am still trying to get paid, but in the meantime there is absolutely no reason for me to make my books available there. You can find my work for sale on Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books. I'm also working to make them available via more retailers. In the meantime, if you can't find what you want in a format you want (including in print which is temporarily unavailable) please use the contact form to send me a message and I'll make sure you can purchase what you want.
December 1, 2018
"Older Than Her Chronological Age", my op-ed in response to the rape of Cherice Moralez by her teacher, Stacey Rambold, (that originally appeared on SpeakOut and that was updated for publishing by PDXX Collective (now Visitant)) was included in You Are Not Your Rape, a collection of poems and creative nonfiction.
All proceeds for the book, published by Rhythm & Bones last month, go to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR), and other nonprofit organizations focused on helping victims and survivors of sexual abuse, assault, and trauma.
October 4, 2017
To support the Circlet Press 25th Anniversary "Best Erotic SciFi" Anthology, I wrote an essay about how erotic speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.) can help you explore your sexual desires (even if you suppress them).
In The Freedom of Fantasy, I explain how erotic speculative fiction offers endless possibilities to titillate the imagination of incredibly sexual humans who live in societies that repressed their sexuality. Support the Kickstarter, increase the erotic speculative fiction available, and get some for youself!
January 3, 2017
Today, on my blog, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.
September 8, 2016
Recently, I was appalled by a privilege-blind piece in a Southwest Portland local monthly newspaper. I wrote to the editor, who published an abbreviated version of my comments. In today's blog post, "Privilege Blind" I share my full "editorial".
July 12, 2016
Just before I shut down last night, I learned that Connecting to Kink: Safely exploring your BDSM fantasies online is a Finalist for a 2016 Golden Flogger Award.
Connecting to Kink offers essays, tips, personal experience, and opinion written from more than a dozen years of experience advising online kinksters. Whether you just discovered online kink, tried unsuccessfully to connect with someone, or want to satisfy your curiosity, you will find useful information about safely exploring your BDSM fantasies online in its pages.
Now through the end of July, Connecting to Kink is half price as part of the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale. And, if you send a copy of your receipt to info@BDSMWritersCon.com before August 17, 2016, BDSM Writers Con will send you a FREE BDSM eBook.
July 5, 2016
During the Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale, purchase I.G. Frederick's ebook short story and poetry collections, plus Dommemoir and Connecting to Kink, at half price.
In addition, get half off all Korin L. Dushayl ebooks published by Pussy Cat Press at Smashwords.
Just use the code SSW50 through midnight July 31.
March 7, 2016
For one week only, purchase all of Korin Dushayl's ebooks published by Pussy Cat Press for 50% off as part of the Smashwords "Read an Ebook Week" promotion.
In addition, you can get 50% off all I.G. Frederick's ebook collections (short stories and poetry), novels, and non-fiction at Smashwords.
That's a total of 21 books on sale for half price -- just use the code RAE50 at checkout.
Hurry, these promotions expire at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.