Okay, who comes up with the title Big Spankable Asses and thinks omg this will be a best seller! I know it is aphrodisia so it is erotica labeled erotic romance (which it sometimes is and sometimes isn’t unless this has changed??)
But, Big Spankable Asses? Really? How many of you have put this down on your to be bought list? No really, we are all friends here you can tell me. Is it just me or does that cover scream male porn. Poor authors, seems so not far there could be a really good book hidden under that title and that ass.
You can hit over to amazon and spank it now if you want to pre-order it and have it come to your home in a nice box inside of taking of taking it up to buy at your local B&N. Hell I have no shame and don’t know if I could buy this without giggling.
Umm. . .uh. . .wow? Are they even allowed to have Asses on the cover? Isn’t that against some sort of MPAA of the publishing world code?
Rachel Kramer Bussel edited an antho called Naughty Spanking Stories, and there’s even Volume two.
Gotta say, I think the covers of the Bussel anthos are more tasteful than this one.
You know it isn’t even the ass that bothers me on the cover as much as the woman looks like a barbie. This falls under my…
shouldn’t they be marketing to women not men question
But hey maybe I don’t know and there is an asstastic market out there for spankable fiction. Who knows.
You’re right, Sybil.
They should have a nice hunk of male ass on the cover instead.
ugh, you know I would feel the need to mock that as well… but at least it would make sense and no doubt sell.
I don’t know, how does one tastefully do a cover for big spankable asses?
Maybe the answer is you don’t. So you go to the other extreme of NOT-tasteful and pornify (pornogrify?) it?
At least with Spanking stories, you could have a paddle or something on the cover.
Words fail. Seriously. I wouldn’t be caught dead reading this even in the privacy of my own home. Nothing against the authors, I’m sure the stories are fantastic – but that title! That cover art! I’m just not that secure in my sexuality.
If sales are low, maybe they should consider that next time. I wouldn’t get a book with that title . . .
“You know it isn’t even the ass that bothers me on the cover as much as the woman looks like a barbie. This falls under my…
shouldn’t they be marketing to women not men question”
That is exactly what I thought when I saw this cover! Who do they think is going to be browsing the section where this will be shelved?? Although, to be fair, most bookstores will have it spine out and not cover out. But will most readers be attracted by the title? I think not…too sensitive an issue for too many ladies (the issue of bigness, I mean). 😉
I think this is one book that will never make it onto my shelves – that’s for sure. The title – the picture – not for me.
I ponder the wisdom of this title. Many women don’t appreciate the words “big” and “ass” together in reference to their junk in the trunk, even if it is meant in a most complimentary and spankalicious way.
At least it’s not…
Big Spankable Tushies
Big Spankable Heinies
Big Spankable Booties
Big Spankable Dupas
or
Big Spankable Badonkadonk…
Curses! Spammed again?
Badonkadonk!?!?
I should move that video. LOL
What an “ass”inine thing to do. “Butt” I don’t think they were thinking when they did this. It’s obvious that they meant to shock with the tittillating title. Too bad they’ll miss their target market that way.
Well, I wouldn’t buy this book based on the cover and title alone, good freaking book or not.
What were they thinking? And Syb, you’re totally right, this would be better targeted at men, or lesbians of course.
Big Spankable Badonkadonk…
Totally love it. and yes, never buying this book. Sorry. Not even in e-form because the title is the stupidest EVER.
Uh….just because a man might find something appealing doesn’t mean a lesbian would.
*laughing too hard to comment*
I’m glad you’re laughing first, Meljean. I didn’t quite know if I should laugh, snigger, or guffaw. Thanks for setting the tone. 😉
;o) Well, I could say I’m speechless…(although I rarely am) or I could just giggle like Meljean did.
The book could be fantastic, but it’s one I’d have to pass on. I keep books on bookshelves. In my home. Where my kids live with me. Like most moms.
And I don’t want the bratlet seeing that title on the spine and asking… Mom, what’s a big spankable ass?
If I can’t keep it with the rest of my books, then I don’t buy it. Plain and simple. I’ve got enough to do without trying to keep track of which books can go on bookshelves and which ones have to be put ‘up’. I’d never remember where up was anyway.
The title is like erotic romance by…The Onion! What would T. Herman Zweibel think?
Huh…are these authors black? I’m guessing that they are and I feel a bit offended by the title and cover in that it promotes the stereotype that all black women have big asses and that’s all that is attractive about them.
You know I took it more as a fetish thing (spanking) than a race thing. But you could be right Camilla.
would not go on my shelf. Hubby would probably like it for the cover anyways. But he’s not the one in our house that buys the books lol
I don’t want to spread rumors, but I was looking at eharlequin.com this morning, and was reading an excerpt of an Angie Daniels book (I think, I should check), and yes, I would second Camilla’s suggestion that these authors are all AA. Although I would imagine that these stories do involve spanking. So not only do we have a potentially offensive title, but we also have a very light skinned cover drawing. I would imagine the marketing idea is that an ethnically vague character might give a wider appeal, but the idea of a lighter skinned woman being more physically attractive, is one that has been hurtful to women of color for years.
Or the authors and their characters may be ethnically diverse and I could be talking out of my ass. I’m willing to admit that, and will now go double check and see what I can find.
I checked out the author’s websites, and yes I believe all three are AA. Kimberly Kaye Terry came up with the title and the concept. Hmmm…I just feel like there’s so much in the title and cover that people will find off putting, if not downright offensive.
OTOH all three authors had at least one title that looked interesting so they’ve been added to the endless TBR list.
Kimberly’s most recent contract is with Kensington Publishing’s Aphrodisia imprint for the delightfully entitled, Big Spankable Asses, a contemporary erotic romance anthology. The work was Kim’s conception, as was the title and she brought two other authors to Kensington to complete the work which will be released in September 2007.
Hey, I am pretty sure I met her at the last booksinging I went to. She wasn’t signing there to sign. But one of the six or so authors was her writing partner (no clue on what project) Delilah Devlin. I think she was doing the supportive author-friend thing.
I only heard about five mins of the signing thing as I was late, I know shocking! I will drop her a note and see what ‘concept’ she had in mind. Cuz you are right that title was her idea.
I love the title, I think the cover rocks, but I love Kimberly Kaye Terry and Angie Daniels…but I liked the cover before I met the at RT in Houston last month.
I think it rocks that Kensington kept her title, but I wish the girl’s ass was bigger. She has a Barbie butt, not a big round spankable tush. They should have my ass on there, and I’m not black.
And I’m really surprised at the shock and horror about this title and cover on this blog. Threw me for a loop when I heard about it. But hey, stranger things have happened…
Karen said: “What were they thinking? And Syb, you’re totally right, this would be better targeted at men, or lesbians of course.”
*cough*
Um. I lean far more towards lesbian than straight, and I’d be steering far, far away in the bookstore. I’m not exactly looking for cheap porn geared towards males here, thanks.
Yep, I gotta go with Vivi on this one… I love the title. Playful and cute. So okay, maybe spanky books aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for one, you certainly know you found it here!
And I showed the cover to the men in my life…I liked it a lot better than they did. Which just goes to show how hard it is to find the right man to do the spanking!
That was tongue in cheek, of course.
Weellll vivi anna it isn’t like I am saying it is bad or wrong or whatever. I am very live and let live. Although personally the only time a guy ever tryed to spank me I laughed.
soooo not the correct response in case anyone is taking notes.
But for a book, a romance even an erotic romance, I don’t like the cover. And the title isn’t one I find funny, even if I get the joke.
I just don’t see that for sell between Lori Foster and Sylvia Day on the shelves. And I think shi has a point regarding kids. le sigh… I had this to post and lost it :(.
The thing is I don’t have kids. I don’t want kids. But from a marketing stand point and as one who comes home to find books turned over because my mother and 13 year old sister were there – I ‘get’ people caring. We are talking B&N not Adult Megaplex.
LOL nonny.. I tend to agree with you. I admit I know a hella lot more gay men than women but I just can’t see them buying this. Then again I have yet to find a gay man who has ever read m/m romance. But THAT is another post for another day…
And I’m really surprised at the shock and horror about this title and cover on this blog. Threw me for a loop when I heard about it. But hey, stranger things have happened…
Maybe I’m just too conservative for this title or lack the requisite humor but nothing in the title or cover says that this is a book about romance and nothing in the packaging encourages me to buy it which I always find sad because some really great books have had bad covers. There’s that Suzanne Brockmann, Get Lucky, that had the pudgy guy on the cover and she sent everyone smiley face stickers to put on his face. LOL.
I love the title. (But then, I HAVE a big Spankable Ass) I’d love to have seen a bigger woman on the cover, but hey, we don’t have any say in that. One point is, in the bookstore, that cover would definitely make me stop and check out the book! LOL
Another, men do read erotic romances – there is no doubt in my mind of that because I get reader eamils from men.
Also, as for covers being able to be shelved in a house with kids…let me say I don’t have kids, and I know nothing about them so I could be wrong. But if this is a concern, I think it would also be a concern for my own covers…look at Bound, and LUSH.
Kensington is ground breaking with a lot of their Aphrodisia covers (and stories), and I love their no fear attitude. They seem to be working at making erotic stories and sexuality a less ‘taboo’ thing, and I’m all for that.
Shock and horror, no, uncontrollable giggles, yes. I do think that some people will object to the title and cover for a number of reasons. And others will be pleased to find that book they’ve been looking for about big spankable asses so easily. It’s that Harlequin Presents approach, I guess: Let ’em know exactly what they’ll find inside on the cover, be it greek tycoon’s virgin mistresses or big bottoms.
I don’t find this appealling, but spanking doesn’t do it for me. I like my dirty stuff to be more BDSM-y if that’s the mood I’m in.
I thought of an even better theme song for this book though. A personal favorite, Big Bottom by Spinal Tap:
Big Bottom, Big Bottom
Talk about mudflaps my girl’s got ’em.
Big Bottom drives me out of my mind,
How can I leave this behind?
She (cover cartoon) should be curvier, in my opinion.
Oh, and maybe the difference is having seen the bookmark and promo materials while at RT. They were done in a very pretty and classy way.
That said, maybe Happy Face stickers to place over the butt might be an idea for some. *grin* I think that would be fun! *grin*
Devon, for me it brings to mind “Fat Bottom Girls” (was it Kiss?) *grin*
Oh I just heard that song that other day…can’t remember the artist.
How about instead of smiley face stickers, a pair of granny underpants stickers?
Unfortunately it is an issue, at least for me. I leave books laying all over the place and while I have to monitor and make sure the kids know they can’t read my books, I’m not going to hide away my reads either. I’ve bypassed books I’m interested in for just this very reason. If I can get it in ebook, I might buy it that format, otherwise, I just don’t buy it.
If I had a great big huge bedroom with a sitting area where I could shelve books, maybe it wouldn’t be an issue. But I dunno. If I can’t read it while I’m watching the kids at the Y or outside, then I’m probably not going to read it. That’s my reading time.
As to the “BIG” part…. that butt on that cover is definitely not what I’d call big. I wish I had a butt like that. :O|
you know it would be sasha…
at least I could see it for some, me if I want I get
When the lil sis was little my books were completely fucked up. Because they are double stacked and in two rows. So instead of having them in any order, they were grouped by author and then anything with a spine I thought would make my mom blush infront of my 8 year old sister I ‘tried’ to cover.
Complete pain in the arse so I can understand why shi just says fuck it and doesn’t buy them in print. The thing is with Lush or Bound at least spine out they are ok to walk your kid by and not worry – no matter who you are or your ‘prude’ level.
RT was a complete fuck up if the alley was in public because if so… I could imagine half of what was up shouldn’t have been at least if they were posters of covers.
btw my post that I have to now redo… I invoked your name sasha…
funny how it didn’t post and poof here you are..
you knew I was thinking about cha didn’t you 🙂
I’m a big lurker. LOL I only comment when either really inspired, or procrastinating. LOL Guess which it is today?
LOL
Shiloh, I understand not wanting Kids to see risque covers, but I’ll be honest, hearing you say that would stop you from buying a book is really not something I like to hear. Not because of Big Spankable Asses, but because I do think some of my own are very risque, and I hate to hear a reader would walk right past them without even checking the blurb oout because of that. I need all the readers I can get!
Unfortunately, Sasha, it happens. Not just with me, either. I have a number of friends who’ve had to modify their book buying choices because we had kids.
The only way i can be certain a kid won’t see a risque cover is if I can buy it in ebook. So if the ebook option isn’t there, I don’t buy it.
My kids are in that very nosy stage right now and by the time the older two are past the nosy stage, the baby will be moving into it. Beyond the nosy stage comes the curious preteen stage and overly sexualized covers with a preteen boy? Or girl, even… not a good idea.
As much as I love to read, protecting my kids from material they are too young to see is my priority and likewise will be priority with a lot of parents who have young kids.
Hmmm…My mother back in the day used brown paper bags to bring her Harlequins into the house. If your kids are being “protected” from seeing nudity, then maybe you could consider that old-fashioned remedy. My kids were raised in Europe and went nude at the Schwimbad until they were ten, so flesh is just flesh to them–no big shocker.
As to the title–I wish like hell I’d thought of it first! It’s outrageous and I love it!
Delilah, it isn’t the nudity. Nudity isn’t my concern. I’ve got nude art prints. I breastfeed the baby and I don’t feel the need to cover myself in front of them. It’s not about the nudity.
It’s the overt sexuality of some covers. And I’m sorry but I’m not going to go out of my way to cover books that I read. I’m not ashamed of my reading choices and I don’t hide them.
But I also don’t watch Sex in the City, Red Shoe Diaries or that sort of thing in front of them either. Eight and six isn’t mature enough for exposure to sexual material, particularly if it’s the kind of material that seems to glamorize sex.
So if it’s not something I want my kids seeing, I don’t buy it. If it’s something I feel like I’ll have to wait until the kids go to bed to read…I don’t buy it. I’ve got better things to do after they go to bed.
I understand your not wanting it around your kids, or where they could find it. I think raising kids, especially these days, is a very tricky thing and you’re right to stick with what works fro you and your family. I’m just sad to think you’ll never read one of my books. Mind you, the Aphrodisia’s are in e_book. even if the Berkley ones aren’t. *grin*
I’m a mother too, and if my son asked what a spankable ass was, I’d tell him. I’d guess he already knows that an ass is the part of the body you sit on. And spanking is self-explanatory. Frankly I don’t find it overtly sexual at all, but maybe I’m just deviant.
I agree Devon, I think the booty should be bigger, but I guess they did the best they could. Presumably Beyonce wasn’t available.
One thing most of us agree on… that butt is too little to call it a big spankable ass.
Sasha, for what it’s worth, the cover for LUSH isn’t one I’d have issues with buying. It’s sensual, yes, but it’s not overtly sexual. Like I mentioned, I’m still breastfeeding a baby. My kids know what boobs are. KINK …eh, dunno about that one in print. She’s clothed, but I’m not ready to discuss what king is with the bratlet. And she would ask….sigh…. But hey, if they are available in ebook, though, that’s all good.
The cover for BSA isn’t so much overtly sexual, especially not compared to some ebook covers, but the title, yeah, I’d have issues with it on my shelves.
There can be a fine line between protecting your child and overprotecting, but I’d rather err on the side of caution and I’m not ready to discuss spankable butts with my kids.
So these are the choices I make. They are mine and nobody has to agree with them, or even like them. It won’t change my mind, though.
well now as a mother of four children two boys ages 8 & 7 and two younger ones daughter 3 and youngest son 1, i have to say that i dont hide any of my books from my kids and for the most part they know what naked is. but at the same time i aslo laid down the law about mommies books, touch them and your hands will fall off, and suffice to say they dont bother them at all. i keep my books all over the house, in closets underchairs, in the bathroom on the porch, damn it everywhere with my hubby constantly talking about stacking them in the back yard burning them (so if yall see a woman on the news who killed her dh for burning the book then yall know its me) im pretty up front with my kids and nakedness isnt a issue at all, but then again im on the up side of over sheltering my kids, so for them to look at the cover of a book and say that is sex or whatever is not something i would do, i used to see my own mother with her romance novels and some of them were almost naked, but i thought nothing of it… and so ive raised my kids the same way… i think its all about the life you live sometimes, and with all these hip shakin, twat twitchin videos and overt sexauailty on every street corner its HARD to keep your kids from getting the wrong impression about sex….
now that being said..
i cant stand the SBS (skinny bitch syndrome) if you was going to title a book bsa and the show some ass, YOU SHOULD REALLY SHOW SOME DAMNED ASS! and some curves too for that matter, i mean really!! and while its true that not all sistas have huges asses and crazy hips and big breasts, a lot of us are well defined, and its no shame in that. but if a company is going to represent a culture and the women therein, then they need to do it right and stop the game. i mean why couldnt the girl have two afro puffs with a skimpy blue nighty with holding a paddle with gold ribbions tied around the handle, with a nice sized ass and some hips and thighs. after all word big was in there so why not put somemore meat on the fucking woman!!!
whats really going on…..