Censorship, #Amazonfail, and the dark side of self-publishing

Remember Banned Books Week? It was a little over a month ago, and many of us defended the freedom of access to books, regardless of their content:

“I'm very much in favor of the freedom to read what one chooses to read - and in order to make those choices well, one needs access to the full range of choices. I also believe in the freedom to choose not to read something. But I believe those rights belong to the individual and not to any institution (with an exception, perhaps, for parents of young children regarding what those children read in their own homes). I do not support censorship...

“Having said that, I don't make a point of seeking out and reading banned or censored books just because they're banned...But I also know there are themes and topics that just don't appeal to me, and quality of writing notwithstanding, if I choose not to read a particular book, that will be the reason why.”

Image via Wikipedia

And a how-to guide for pedophiles is definitely not something I would choose to read. But as you’ve most likely heard by now, an e-book on this very topic has been self-published using Amazon.com’s Digital Text Platform and landed in their Kindle Store. A Twitterstorm has erupted over the latest #AmazonFail, accompanied by the calls for boycott and demands for the removal of the book from the Kindle Store.

From all appearances, the material in this book violates Amazon’s own Content Guidelines for digital publishing in a a couple of areas (and possibly a third, regarding pornography):

Offensive Material
What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of Titles sold on our site.

Illegal Items
Titles sold through the Digital Text Platform Program must adhere to all applicable laws. Some Titles that may not be sold include any Titles which may lead to the production of an illegal item or illegal activity.

Pedophile activities are illegal (although they may be hushed up if they occur within the Catholic Church), and if Amazon’s actually going to enforce their own guidelines, it seems to me they should have exercised their “right to determine the appropriateness of Titles sold on (their) site” and stopped this e-book from making an appearance in the first place. But now that it has, should they respond to public outcry by pulling it down? 


This is where it gets awkward.        
                    
I struggled with this one, but ultimately it comes down to this for me: I think it’s inconsistent and hypocritical to call out censorship on one hand, and call for a book to be pulled from the public on the other. Therefore, while this book offends me on multiple levels, I can’t join in the demands for its removal from Amazon’s site. While I haven’t yet decided how this issue will affect my own shopping habits, I understand that people may choose to take their business away from Amazon if they keep this book in their Kindle Store, and I’m sure Amazon’s well aware of that potential consequence. But it’’s their call either way.


Amanda summed it up well:

“I’ve heard all sorts of people on Twitter calling for this book to be banned and removed from Amazon, and that makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t believe book banning can be used for some books and not for others. If you’re going to ask that books not be banned, you have to include the ones you’d rather not see around yourself.”

Michelle struggled with this too:

“Today I found myself defending a How-To guide for pedophiles. Yep. Didn’t see that one coming...I watched the call to arms go out through twitter. Call Amazon! Make them pull the book from their “shelves!” My first instinct was to do the same. And then I found myself pausing.
The same people reacting this way are the people who celebrate Banned Books Week every year and generally despise censorship. They praise the First Amendment.
And then something happens that makes them question this stance. Because this is a Bad Book. No question about it.
I started out the day just playing devil’s advocate. But then I realized that I really I do think that it is hypocritical to be anti-censorship and then ask bookstores to pull this book from their shelves.”

While there’s been a lot of excited talk about the evolution of publishing and the new opportunities it presents, I think we’re seeing the dark side of this “anyone can be a published author” world we’re living in – some pretty unsavory stuff will see the light of day, unfortunately. I can only hope that if this thing remains available that there’s not much of a market for it. (And I won’t help by providing a link to or screenshot of its Kindle Store page.)

UPDATED TO ADD: Commenter @TopherGL says that Amazon's made their decision and pulled down the book. Looks like the power of market forces won this round, but I hope they'll start enforcing their own content policies better from now on.

FURTHER UPDATE: After the book was removed from the Kindle Store, this was cross-posted with revisions and updates on BlogHer.com.