# If your book was banned...



## Dragonie (Sep 29, 2011)

So it's Banned Books Week here in the US, and that got me thinking: what would you do if your book were to be banned? Would you fight for it? Would you sit back and do nothing?


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## sashamerideth (Sep 29, 2011)

Banned books sell pretty well actually. There is a curiosity that makes people buy the books to find out why it was banned.  It is just another marketing tool as far as I am concerned.


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## Ghost (Sep 30, 2011)

I can't imagine any of my books being banned. If I wrote one that was banned, it would be a neat marketing opportunity. I'd make a joke of it and start a "secret society" of people who read my profane books. They could join a mailing list on my website and be entered in a drawing to receive a copy of my sin-inspiring novel.


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## Hans (Sep 30, 2011)

If my book was banned in the US I wouldn't care much. I'm extremely lucky if a writing of mine gets translated to English at all. So "banned" is a step up from "ignored".


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## Amanita (Sep 30, 2011)

I'm with Hans on this one. By the way, do you know, if books may be banned in Germany? I'm only aware of restrictions against selling them to minors. As long as they don't contain anything which is against the laws such as child pornography or Holocaust denial. 

As far as I know, to be banned in the US, a book and/or the author must reach a certain level of popularity before someone bothers. People are fretting about the magic in Harry Potter but not about much more serious "evil" magic in lesser known books.
If my book made it into the US and made enough of an impact to have the authorities bother banning it, I'd probably be proud. (And might start seriously doubting the American idea of "freedom" but that's a different matter.) Never going to happen though.


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## Hans (Sep 30, 2011)

Amanita said:


> By the way, do you know, if books may be banned in Germany? I'm only aware of restrictions against selling them to minors. As long as they don't contain anything which is against the laws such as child pornography or Holocaust denial.


The best next to an answer I found is here:  Bibliotheken: Pornos, Nazis, Biller - BÃ¼cher auf dem Index - Nachrichten Kultur - WELT ONLINE

On a completely unrelated note, frequently challenged books in the US: ALA | Frequently challenged books of the 21st century


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## sashamerideth (Sep 30, 2011)

Only banned book on the 2010 list that I endorse is Twilight. I kid, I kid... I think it is true that a popular book is more likely to be banned than an unpopular one, hopefully I can be that popular but I am not controversial enough.


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## Seth son of Tom (Oct 3, 2011)

you can't buy that kind of publicity


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## Emeria (Oct 3, 2011)

Agreed with Seth.  Plus, a lot of banned books are (or used to be) required reading in schools.  Books like Brave New World and Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  If anything, as an author, I might be amused that people see my books as a threat enough to the status quo to be banned, but I probably wouldn't do anything about it.


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## darthbuttchin (Oct 3, 2011)

Hmmm, if faced with a ban, I would do more to make it publicly known. I'd create witty T-shirts etc and go on book signings without books and so on (these sorts of ideas being inspired by The Life of Brian, which upon being banned in Norway, the Pythons created a poster stating 'So funny they banned it in Norway' - or words to that effect). For a laugh outwardly, but inwardly to create that feeling of wonder about what is so bad in the book. Though I imagine to get banned in the UK would be difficult nowadays. 

db


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## JCFarnham (Oct 10, 2011)

Yeah, to get banned in the UK you'd have to be one pretty sick puppy. 

Or just be viewed by the "unwashed masses" as speaking in favour of terrorism... which ever comes first haha


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## Gryffin (Oct 12, 2011)

If my book was banned I would feel like I had done something right. I am sure lots of writers feel that way too. Banning books is silly but for some reason I've found that a lot of my favorite books have been banned.


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## Joe the Gnarled (Oct 16, 2011)

I would love to have my book banned.  I would make as big of a stink about it as possible.  Hopefully the ban would never be lifted, but in the mean time everyone in the country would know about my book and would find some way to get their hands on a copy. 
($)($)
 \__/


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## Hans (Oct 16, 2011)

Joe the Gnarled said:


> Hopefully the ban would never be lifted, but in the mean time everyone in the country would know about my book and would find some way to get their hands on a copy.


A real ban, in contrast to some "good XY should not read" lists, would mean there is no legal way to obtain a copy. So all copys are illegal. And that means no $$ for you.


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## sashamerideth (Oct 16, 2011)

Bans are also regional and with epublishing, virtually useless in most Internet connected countries. If people want it, there is no stopping them.


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## Shockley (Apr 2, 2012)

Considering the books that have been banned, I'd wear it as a badge of honor.


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## Sheilawisz (Apr 2, 2012)

I would absolutely _love it_ if my books were banned everywhere!!!


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## Steerpike (Apr 2, 2012)

Gryffin said:


> If my book was banned I would feel like I had done something right. I am sure lots of writers feel that way too. Banning books is silly but for some reason I've found that a lot of my favorite books have been banned.



This is kind of silly. Why would banning, in and of itself, make you feel like you had done something right? The book either has merit in and of itself or it does not. Although many great books have been banned, the fact that they have been banned is not what makes them great.


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## Agran Velion (Apr 2, 2012)

If my book was banned...

I would go on to the end. I would fight in France (and all other countries), I would fight on the seas and oceans, I would fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, I would defend my private island, whatever the cost may be. I would fight on the beaches, I would fight on the landing grounds, I would fight in the fields and in the streets, I would fight in the hills; I would never surrender.



Yea, basically I'd cash in on the publicity. I'd see if I could have third world countries print the books and smuggle them into the U.S. while I fought the ban every day of my life. 


Of course, I'd probably also see a priest because I'd have written about something REALLY bad to get banned.


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## Telcontar (Apr 2, 2012)

sashamerideth said:


> Banned books sell pretty well actually. There is a curiosity that makes people buy the books to find out why it was banned.  It is just another marketing tool as far as I am concerned.



This. If any of my books were banned I'd sit back and watch my royalties skyrocket.


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## Caged Maiden (Apr 3, 2012)

Emeria said:


> Agreed with Seth.  Plus, a lot of banned books are (or used to be) required reading in schools.  Books like Brave New World and Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  If anything, as an author, I might be amused that people see my books as a threat enough to the status quo to be banned, but I probably wouldn't do anything about it.



Tom Sawyer is a banned book?


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## Steerpike (Apr 3, 2012)

anihow said:


> Tom Sawyer is a banned book?



It has been. I think largely due to objection to some racial terminology in the book.


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## Shockley (Apr 3, 2012)

Both of Twain's bigger works were banned at some point. 

 Of course, 'ban' in the United States isn't really accurate. More like 'A number of libraries and book stores refused to carry it.'


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## Steerpike (Apr 3, 2012)

One banned book that I was just discussing with Rikilamaro, and which everyone should check out, is Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita."

The writing is simply brilliant throughout, and I think English was Nabokov's third language. You'll never find a better illustration of the unreliable narrator. The fact that Nabokov can draw you in with the narrative of a guy who is, at essence, a despicable, monstrous human, and make you chuckle at his wit and appreciate the elaborate word play...well, I don't think many people could pull that off, and certainly not with the same degree of success. Check it out.


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