I just read a post on RacyRomanceReviews.com that asks: “Why do publishers of erotica feel a need to “warn” customers about same sex interactions?”
Original post here: http://www.racyromancereviews.com/2009/01/30/epubs-without-balls/
The warnings don’t offend me, and as a publisher myself, I understand why they choose to do it. Some people are offended by what they consider “deviant” sexual practices, such as same-gender and menage scenes, BSDM, etc. Why these people would be going to erotic romance book sites is beyond me, but if they didn’t do this, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when they got offended complaints. At least this way, they can say, “Hey, I warned you.” It’s the same reason lab manuals say, “Caution: fire is hot” and “Caution: scissors are sharp.”
Marketing Jedi Mind Tricks!
But there is another facet of this. In Cialdini’s “Influence: Science and Practice,” he talks about the effects of barriers in the “Scarcity” section. By putting this fence of NC-17 or Rated X around something, it fuels desire in people who are already interested — the in-group.
ER readers definitely have an in-group, especially readers of non-vanilla sexual content. It adds to your self-image in some way, whether you feel like a more adventurous person, or naughty in a good way, or guilty but not enough to stop, etc. In the people who are up-front about reading the non-vanilla stuff, the warnings probably provoke even more interest because they clearly define the in-group — the adventurous, open-minded, and cool readers — and the out-group — the close-minded vanilla readers who are being excluded.
It may be justified, but the warnings that offend some people will strengthen the brand and may be a sound brand-building decision.
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