Warning...I'm getting on my soapbox. Beware!
By now, some of you already know that Lady Jaided magazine has been put on hold. Jaid gives her reasons, among which is: " the grim reality that all the major distributors think we’re too shocking for bookstore shelves...". It is this I intend to rant about. You've been warned. Twice.
I love men. Those who read my books know I respect and adore them. If given the choice between spending an evening with either a group of men I don't know or a group of women I don't know...I'll take the men every time. On an individual basis, men are incredibly fascinating.
So understand I make these statements not out of some man-hating extreme...but out of anger for a male-dominated industry that will allow (and distribute!) porn magazines like Playboy and Hustler (to name two of the tamer ones), but will not distribute a hot, sexy magazine for women. Sure, Playgirl gets distribution...because its porn. Lady Jaided isn't porn...it's down-and-sometimes dirty articles about female sexuality told in what, apparently, is a non-politically correct way.
Maybe that's the core issue here. Women's magazines fall into several categories: the self-help, the decorating, and the bridal. All of them are tasteful and restrained...what ladies are supposed to be. Not one of them is wild and abandoned. Not one of them is frank and sassy. Some of them started out that way, but lost that edge in their need to conform in order to be distributed. Exactly what Jaid says in her letter she won't do. Good for you, Jaid!
In the interest of full disclosure here, I do need to mention I had a story (3-part novella) under consideration for publication with Lady Jaided. I'll find somewhere else to place the story. That's not a concern for me. What is a concern is the attempt to muffle women once again. Heaven forbid we should speak out on topics that interest us using the tone and the words we want to use! THAT's what's ticking me off right now.
What can be done? Raise a stink at your local magazine kiosk. Tell them you want Lady Jaided and tell them to tell their distributors you want it. Call your local distributor, or better yet, put it in writing and let them know where you stand. Blog about it. Raise your voice. Do not go silently into that dim night...where women, apparently, belong.
You were warned. I'm ticked off...and am not going to keep quiet about it.
Play safe,
Diana
The official site of Diana Hunter, author of erotic romances, short stories and historical fiction.
2 comments:
Ok, at the risk of offending you I'm going to offer a different opinion.
I've read a couple of issues of the magazine, and to be honest - I don't want to read it again.
I love erotic romance and I read it to all extremes, but it's FICTION, and it's FANTASY. Some of those articles in Lady Jaided just grossed me out. One put me off my sex life for 24 hours which is VERY hard to do.
It's all about the market. Men go into shops and buy porn.
Women DON'T. They also don't go into shops to buy erotic romance or sex toys. They buy online because they feel safer and less embarrassed. A magazine like Lady Jaided - the majority of women would prefer to buy it online, than in a store.
Therefore if the stores aren't going to sell them, why stock them?
...and I'm talking about the majority of women here - not the ones out and about on the loops who are hightly comfortable with their sexuality.
It's all about the numbers.
No offense, Jayne...the free exchange of ideas is what democracy is all about. (grin)
You're absolutely right that it's all about the numbers. I just think there are more than the distributors think there are. In years past, word-of-mouth was given time to make or break TV shows, books, and magazines. That's not true in today's business world. If you don't make a hit right away, by the time word-of-mouth gets around, you're already gone because of business pressures.
As to the content...not all of it was my cup of tea...but I did like the frankness of many of the articles. Am I most women? LOL Given what I write...probably not! So I will concede you may have a point regarding the taste of American women. I'm not totally convinced, though.
You're right on the buying habits. We have an adult toy store nearby (in a fairly rural area) and a friend of mine was shocked to discover I've been there. She shops online 'cause she has bought into the stereotype of what a porn shop is (dark, with sticky floors and haunted by men looking for sex and hookers willing to sell it to them). When I tried to tell her it doesn't look any different than the local Wal-mart, only the stock is different, she looked at me as if I had two heads. How could it be clean and well-lit, and not staffed by perverts?
Thanks for your comments, Jayne!
Diana
Post a Comment