WRITING AND EROTICA

As I get ready to move across the country with the carnk up of a tour -- details will come out later, I've been struck by the tremendous diligence and efforts that the publishing world -- particularly the smaller independents have to make. So many of the larger publishing houses having formed have a conglomerate have almost total takeover not just of Barnes and Nobles and Borders (yes they do buy a token amount of alternative fiction but even when it sells out they're loath to buy more because they're already committed to the next big unloading from a mega-organization like Random House-Knopf-Viking so they just don't have the room to do something based on sales and vision. "Third spacing" has proven to be an interesting possibility and as I anticipate the tour promoting The Dolphin Smiles I've been encouraged by how many alternative stores, particularly those that promote and sell erotica, those tools that expand our sexual selves -- have been really open not just to stocking the novel but also to having events/readings/a real sense of celebration. Similarly, the cyber community has been an extremely receptive place where so much has happened. Clearly despite a major regression in our political system we're a reading nation -- books are as important as they've ever been. So many people are not only reading but joining groups in which to do it. THe question is how can we use the power of our democracy to break out of the consumer frenzy and let writing and other art forms find their audience on their own terms? Let's keep talking about this!