I'm torn and need input!!!

[seanna78]

I just read a book by an author that I've read before, this one is the beginning of a series so I was excited at the end of the book when I totally loved it and couldn't wait for the next one! Her name is Suzanne Wright and if you like Erotic romance I recommend her with all my heart (as long as you can look past the spelling errors and British slang... nobody likes a know it all!)

So after finishing this book (Feral Sins) I looked her up to find out when the next book is coming out only to read on her blog that she has signed a contract with an Amazon publisher and is re-releasing Feral Sins with no group sex since in the contract only two characters can have sex at a time. I was a little dissappointed... not because the group sex is important, but because they are making her compromise and limit her imagination. Does this make me strange, I mean after all she did sign the contract so it couldn't have bothered the author as much as it does me, right?

So my first instinct is to stop reading her books 1. Because she is not going to be writing to her full potential with a list of rules she has to follow, is she? 2. Because the group sex was pretty interesting and different than I've read in other books, I liked her take on it. And 3. Because now with the re-release scheduled the new book in the series is pushed back all the way into next year! This could very possibly be me being a bitch... I have been known to do that on occasion. I also have some pretty standard expectations of the writers I give my loyalty to, MEG! Lol, just kidding but this seems like a pretty big compromise to me and I don't have a lot of money to waste on bullshit, ya know?

Any feedback helps, just trying to strike up a conversation!

[chris]

In the interest of conversation and providing invaluable feedback ('cause I like ya so much ) I shall respond with due consideration and honesty LOL

Frankly, I think sometimes it comes down to compromise for many writers who wish to get the contract they feel will give them the best pay-off. Like you, I don't like it one bit as I'm very much against over-censoring. Of course I understand that there are issues which need the occasional gag order (ie, hate speech, xenophobia, etc.) but I think many publishers/distributors take it way too far.

I would be utterly gutted, and more than a little put off, if Meg's books got that kind of policing 'cause lets face it, ménage à trios is totally fun when written right!

Can't blame you for wanting to boycott Ms. Wright but perhaps you should wait and see if the changes ruin the reading experience for you. Perhaps hold back on a final decision till there are some reviews on her new work when it come out. That way you are less likely to end up buying a less than satisfactory book.

[seanna78]

Awwwwww! I like you, too Chris!
I guess as a writer (not published, just a hobby, I'm a chicken) I cant imagine someone telling me to change any of my stories, ya know? Every one is special to me because I finish writing it, click "save" then I can breathe and say "I did that... that's all me!" If someone said to me "we think this is good but you need to change this one thing..." I would walk away without looking back. I look at each story as the author's baby and lord help anyone who tells someone their baby isn't perfect. Obviously I'm overthinking this and just need to wait for the new book to have a few reviews like you said, lol.

Just so you all know her other book I read was called something like Here Be Sexist Vampires, and it had me laughing so hard I almost peed at certain points! I do love a good sense of humor, it makes it much easier to forgive bad grammar, lol.

[Meg]

What puzzles me most is why that alleged clause would exist in the first place. Did they sign an erotica author to write erotica, or did they sign an erotica author to write gardening manuals? That makes no kind of sense.

I don't know. I'm really, really suspicious about that clause. And I hope this isn't a case where an author is forced to live out "sign in haste, repent at leisure" just because the acceptance by a traditional publisher felt good. I mean, I'm sure the deal was a nice one, but it's already unsettling her fan base, obviously, and over time, they're infinitely more valuable than any contract.

On the other hand, it sounds as if she would benefit from the traditional editing experience. Working with a strong editing team will change the way she writes and how much control she takes on the page, which can only be good for author and reader alike.

*shrug* Yes, the wait and price increases suck, but you could also be witnessing the start of something great. Give her the benefit of the doubt. Can't hurt, right?

[seanna78]

You have a very good point, Meg. I think I need to stop viewing it in a negative light and just focus on the fact that I enjoy her sense of humor, imaginary world, and characters. She will be working with professional editors so it will make her fans stop complaining about all the errors. This could be a good thing!

Meg, thankyou for flipping my bitch switch. I needed that!