I uploaded a new podcast, open source sex #58 (MP3 link; podcast post link) last week — quietly launching my first audiobook and the start of my own new, indy digital media publishing venture, Digita Publications. The podcast is the book’s introduction, and also comes in the $5, nine-chapter .zip file. I’ve been working on this project for months; researching formats for audiobooks and ebooks, setting up the blog and payment system. And as you all know, I have no problem with creating (and editing) audio and text about sex that people really seem to like. Open the champagne! Inexpensive, high-quality sex ed by me, and erotica by other authors is here — DRM-free, and the good feeling that comes with giving direct payment to the artist(s). It’s all original, unpublished content (unless indicated; ebooks will link to relevant podcasts, etc.) And my ongoing podcast, as erratic as it is, will still always be free and available to anyone.
For my first Digita Pubs product, it’s open source sex ed audio :: pleasure zone basics (and so far the feedback has me giddy: my first customer was Gala Darling, swoon…). The full description is on the product page (and after the jump) — next week I’ll be releasing my first ebook in three DRM-free formats, and as of this writing I have two completed sex ed audiobooks (pleasure basics, next up is how-to’s for couples), and five nearly-finished ebooks: three are sex ed, and two are erotica collections I’ve curated from a variety of authors. I’m planning audio versions of all the ebooks. I’m quite serious about this — I’m sick and tired of the conservative distribution lockdown on ebooks and audiobooks. I think DRM should stand for “Doomed Rights Management”. That’s right — my $5 and $10 audio and ebooks will be totally shareable.
It’s especially fitting that I’m announcing it today, after receiving a standard rejection email from iTunes, where I applied to be an indy artist/publisher — as revealed in the email, iTunes only deals exclusively with Audible.com for audiobooks. How’s that for exclusive distribution channels? Pretty hypocritical of a company that’s been trying to make some “DRM-free” noise, if you ask me. You see, Audible is a subscription-only service for customers, and as a content creator you can either apply with *at least* five items you’re willing to hand the rights over to Audible (and let them lock up with their proprietary DRM) — or, get your book accepted then printed first with a publisher they work with and *then* comes the DRM. Audible is simply “printing” books on a different kind of paper, and screwing dimes out of everyone who comes into contact with the entire process.
To me, this is the truest form of strangling a distribution channel and forcing fresh, creative and new voices to go elsewhere. And Audible — subscriptions, DRM, exclusivity agreements… it’s such a doomed business model. Dinosaurs. I’d never give content I cared about to a system like this because it’s not built to last, and I’d never make anyone looking for my work (especially the nonbiased, all-inclusive, accurate sex information) have to pay to subscribe to an antiquated service. This whole thing shows me that a big shift in e-media is about to happen, and someone is going to make *bank* off competing with iTunes and Audible. Fifty bucks for Harry Potter audio that you can’t move to different players and is a huge giant file (or two)? User unfriendly, indeed.
It’s not like I need to prove my market to iTunes — they’ve provided literally *millions* of downloads of my free (and ad-free) podcast around the world (and it’s a weird feeling to write that, but it’s true). It’s more like they’re the only game in town right now, and their game stinks.
All my digital books are registered with ISBN numbers (and my trademark, yo) — and if you’re a book and tech geek, you’ll love that I’ve just officially registered the first .zip file with an ISBN number (I don’t know of any other, and let’s just say there’s no category for it in the ISBN database). Now, let’s see how Amazon reacts when I contact them. At present, they sell the hell out of 20 of my print books… I wonder what their reaction will be, or if I’ll find out about *their* exclusive distribution deals.
The fun thing about getting the DRM-free MP3 files will be that you can send them to a lover (little hints, suggestions, ideas — it is ‘open source sex’ after all), or you can put the files on shuffle at home or on your trip or commute, and enjoy the surprises.
The book’s description and details are here, and after the jump. Subscribe to the Digita Publications RSS feed for access to new products before they’re officially announced.
Maybe I’ll have that champagne tomorrow night, and raise a glass in your direction — the screen, of course :)
Love,
me
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(Apologies for the third-person sales text — but hey, I wrote it!)
Violet Blues popular Open Source Sex podcast has educated millions. “open source sex ed audio :: pleasure zone basics” is a 9-chapter audiobook that combines select podcasts with exciting new material. Learn all about male and female physiology for pleasure — that’s what the good parts are to touch, and how they like to be touched. You’ll also hear about how they taste, and exactly what to do when you want perform oral sex (cunnilingus or fellatio) on a lucky someone. Learn all about the g-spot, the prostate, male anal penetration with a strap-on for couples, rimming and more; each topic is filled with specific techniques. With her hip, humorous, warm and all-inclusive, non-judgmental (yet explicit) approach to sex ed, it’s no wonder Webnation calls Blue, “the leading sex educator for the Internet generation.”
Chapters include:
* Introduction: What is “open source sex?”
* 1: Female sexual physiology for pleasure
* 2: The G-spot, where it is and how to have fun with it
* 3: Male sexual physiology for pleasure
* 4: The prostate — fun, healthy, sexy techniques
* 5: Strap-on sex for couples
* 6: Oral taste of a man, oral taste of a woman (and how to change it)
* 7: Oral sex — techniques for fellatio and cunnilingus
* 8: Rimming — safe, clean and fun
Availability: Instant Download
File Format: .zip of DRM-free MP3 chapters (111.5 MB)
ISBN: 978-0-9799019-1-1
Price: $5.00 (USD)
