• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

If your book was banned...

Dragonie

Scribe
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?
 
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.
 

Ghost

Inkling
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.
 

Hans

Sage
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".
 

Amanita

Maester
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. ;)
 
Last edited:

Hans

Sage
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 - Bücher 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
 
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.
 

Emeria

Scribe
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.
 
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
 

JCFarnham

Auror
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
 

Gryffin

Scribe
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.
 
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.
($)($)
\__/
 

Hans

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

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
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.
 

Agran Velion

Minstrel
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.
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
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.
 
Top