Greg Swer
asked
Jon Abbott:
Hi Jon, I was a big fan of your Strange New World and I am trying desperately to get hold of a copy of your 50 Shades of Jess and Lina. Do you have a site where I can buy your books from?
Jon Abbott
Hello Greg, thanks for your interest. No, I'm afraid my books (except for Irwin Allen and Stephen Cannell) are only available through Amazon, through which I self-publish, although some titles can be purchased through them wholesale by bookshops. They are sold on a print-on-demand basis (which is why I don't have any spare copies myself, that's the beauty of it, no unsolds in storage), and as Amazon sell all over the world and have about eighty percent of the book market (I'm told) it *mostly* serves me very well.
Unfortunately, a few months ago, after the title in question had been on sale for about two years, they suddenly arbitrarily decided this book was somehow breaking some unspecified rule of theirs, and removed it from sale (without even telling me! I suddenly noticed it had gone from my author's page). The problem is that they are very difficult to talk to, because when they do this, it's completely random and they refuse to specify what the problem is, so it's virtually impossible to put right. They do not entertain any debate or discussion, that's it. I do a lot of reviews on Amazon, and it's the same situation with those. It's a very sinister form of censorship, because I could go through the whole book with a magnifying glass, removing stuff I thought might have broken the rules, and still not find the offending sentence/s or image. In the meantime, they're making you try and think like they do, so I prefer not to play that game. If I thought something was offensive or unlawful, I wouldn't have put it in the book! As you can imagine, with a subject like Jess and Lina, in the current climate it could be absolutely anything.
If they could specifically point to something, and it was a piddling thing that didn't matter to anyone but them, I would happily remove it. On the other hand, if it was something I felt sufficiently strongly about, I could fall on my sword in the name of free speech. But when no-one can, or will, tell me what the problem is, I am powerless. As they print and distribute the book, I'm stuck in some Kafka-esque limbo. Generally, I'm very happy with Amazon. It's a great system, when it works!
I could, and might, try and resubmit the book again as is, sometime in the future and see what happens, but it could still suddenly disappear again next time they have a 'sweep', or even not be accepted at all next time. All I can say is, periodically check my author's page to see if it's listed, and then grab it while you can!
If it's any consolation, like my other 6 x 9 titles Brass Cheek, A-Z of Bad Girls, Great British Sex Film, and Erotic Horror, the text is taken directly from Strange New World, so you are not missing anything except the colour pictures. These books on specific themes were compiled in response to those who complained about the lack of colour pictures in Strange New World. There seemed to be a market, and there was. If I can't get it reinstated, I guess those who bought a copy have quite the collector's item! In the meantime, so glad you enjoyed Strange New World! It's even stranger now, ain't it?!
--Jon Abbott, March 2021
Unfortunately, a few months ago, after the title in question had been on sale for about two years, they suddenly arbitrarily decided this book was somehow breaking some unspecified rule of theirs, and removed it from sale (without even telling me! I suddenly noticed it had gone from my author's page). The problem is that they are very difficult to talk to, because when they do this, it's completely random and they refuse to specify what the problem is, so it's virtually impossible to put right. They do not entertain any debate or discussion, that's it. I do a lot of reviews on Amazon, and it's the same situation with those. It's a very sinister form of censorship, because I could go through the whole book with a magnifying glass, removing stuff I thought might have broken the rules, and still not find the offending sentence/s or image. In the meantime, they're making you try and think like they do, so I prefer not to play that game. If I thought something was offensive or unlawful, I wouldn't have put it in the book! As you can imagine, with a subject like Jess and Lina, in the current climate it could be absolutely anything.
If they could specifically point to something, and it was a piddling thing that didn't matter to anyone but them, I would happily remove it. On the other hand, if it was something I felt sufficiently strongly about, I could fall on my sword in the name of free speech. But when no-one can, or will, tell me what the problem is, I am powerless. As they print and distribute the book, I'm stuck in some Kafka-esque limbo. Generally, I'm very happy with Amazon. It's a great system, when it works!
I could, and might, try and resubmit the book again as is, sometime in the future and see what happens, but it could still suddenly disappear again next time they have a 'sweep', or even not be accepted at all next time. All I can say is, periodically check my author's page to see if it's listed, and then grab it while you can!
If it's any consolation, like my other 6 x 9 titles Brass Cheek, A-Z of Bad Girls, Great British Sex Film, and Erotic Horror, the text is taken directly from Strange New World, so you are not missing anything except the colour pictures. These books on specific themes were compiled in response to those who complained about the lack of colour pictures in Strange New World. There seemed to be a market, and there was. If I can't get it reinstated, I guess those who bought a copy have quite the collector's item! In the meantime, so glad you enjoyed Strange New World! It's even stranger now, ain't it?!
--Jon Abbott, March 2021
More Answered Questions
Richard Ryan
asked
Jon Abbott:
Hi Jon, I'm a long time reader of your various Irwin Allen works and would love an opportunity to discuss these with you sometime. I knew Paul Zastupnevich and spent time with some of the other actors, I also co wrote the booklet of the DVD collection in the UK. Be great to discuss a few details if possible? Really enjoyed your output over the years. Kind regards, Richard Ryan
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