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Daedalus Publishing Company
2140 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
phone: 323.666.2121 fax:323.913.5976
kari@daedaluspublishing.com
http://www.daedaluspublishing.com/
SENSUOUS SADIE: Daedalus publishing is one of a shrinking pool of
BDSM publishers. What keeps you motivated in an field where fewer and
fewer independent bookstores carry this genre of books?
KARI SVENDSBOE: "I've found it to be the opposite, really. It seems
like more bookstores (including but not limited to the independent
variety) are, in fact, carrying this genre of book. It is much easier to
find this sort of information in bookstores nowadays as opposed to, say,
12 years ago when I first started becoming interested in collecting
information on the subject. One thing that had aided greatly in this,
though it now poses an actual threat to the BDSM book publishers, is the
internet. I think the growing popularity of the internet and the
increase in societal acceptance of kinky sexualities is not a
coincidence.
"The internet made the fact that there were thousands of people
exploring alternative sexual practices all over the world very evident
and made lots of us more comfortable being open about it, thus creating
a greater need and more evident desire for educational materials. A lot
of these BDSM publishers that you mention, including Daedalus, were
spawned from this need back in the early 90's. Unfortunately for us, the
internet that initially helped us to expand the market and allow us to
discreetly peddle our books to customers from here to Timbuktu, is now
putting a serious dent in our business by offering a lot of comparable
information and reading material for free. What keeps me motivated to
continue is the fact that there is a constant flow of new information,
philosophy, opinion and ‘poetry’ being generated on the subject of
kink, sexuality and how it fits into our lives. A lot of these writers
still want to put out actual books, and being a die hard bibliophile
myself, I am pleased to be able to give them a venue for their
writings."
Sadie: What is the most satisfying part of your job as editor? What
are the more difficult parts?
Kari: "One consistency that I have found in talking to other small
publishers and special interest writers is that this sort of business is
undeniably a labor of love. It is easy to get discouraged, as the work
load is large and the monetary pay off… well... it leaves a bit to be
desired for all involved. I feel that, to a certain extent, the Daedalus
authors' hopes and dreams for their books rest on my shoulders, so the
threat of letting them down is often a stress-inducing concern. I
believe in their work, and simple decisions like cutting a paragraph or
rejecting a formatting idea can become a big deal when people are
emotionally invested in a book project. When a project is finally
finished, however - all of the editing done, the cover design finalized,
the initial marketing efforts rolling and you get to hold the first,
fresh-off-the-press copy in your hands - that makes it all
worthwhile."
Sadie: What kind of material do you find is most saleable right now?
Kari: "In general, our sales have always shown that well-written
instructional books on the subject of BDSM tend to sell the best. The
past year, however, has held some interesting best-seller surprises for
us. SlaveCraft, written by a grateful slave with Guy Baldwin,
M.S., is a controversial autobiographical opinion piece that has been
selling like wildfire! Though the philosophies and views of the D/s
relationship discussed in this book are unconventional, people are
certainly reading it and everyone has an opinion about it after they do.
It has been the inspiration for many heated discussions within the
community and I can only see that as a good thing. It is a very
articulate, insightful, well-written book and I think that, even if
people don't always agree with the opinions expressed within its pages,
most of us can relate to or at least respect the author’s point of
view.
Our other big success story for the past year was David Stein's novel, Carried
Away. This was Daedalus' first fiction book - a shift that we were
somewhat nervous about; with a few exceptions, BDSM fiction doesn't
usually sell well. When the manuscript first arrived, we had no
intention of publishing any fiction pieces, but I decided to take a peek
at it - I usually try to do that with anything that arrives on our
doorstep since you never know if you'll be surprised with a real gem.
Well, pleasantly surprised I was - I couldn't put the thing down! This
is one of the best pieces of erotic fiction I have ever read, and that
is saying a lot. It is incredibly hot and detailed, while still managing
to be intelligent, deep and responsible. A lot of other people seem to
appreciate that as well - reviews and sales have been great!"
Sadie: There are numerous BDSM writers groups (including one I
moderate) rife with hopeful authors. What advice do you give to new
authors regarding getting published?
Kari: "I know this it is an old cliché, but one that is not
without merit - write what you know. There also seems to be a bit of a
draw for more niche publications as of late, since this market is pretty
saturated with general-overview books. That, and anything that explores
new philosophies on kink and kinky relationships - people seem very
interested in reading about things of that nature right now. It is
definitely a hot topic."
Sadie: What are the most common problems you see with BDSM writing,
either fiction or non-fiction?
Kari: "There is a lack of freshness, definitely. People seem to be
writing the same things over and over again, and no matter how well
written a book is, people aren't going to want to read about things that
they have already considered or already know. The same thing goes for
fiction: people want fresh perspectives."
Sadie: When you curl up at night with a good scene book, which
authors do you love to read?
Kari: "Well, I have read Carried Away at least five times now on my
own time! Other than that, it is the non-fiction that I am more drawn to
- my mind produces enough tailor made fantasy/fiction to keep me quite
satiated for the duration! But non-fiction authors that I really love
include Patrick Califia (his fiction books are fabulous, too!), Mistress
Lorelei (Charm School for Sissy Maids is one of my faves!), and
Jack Rinella's weekly column Leatherviews (www.leatherviews.com)
is always a great read. Mark Thompson's classic compilation Leatherfolk
is also among my favorites, and Urban Aboriginals, which Daedalus
just reprinted, is in my opinion one of the best scene-related books of
all time. I feel honored to have played a part in reviving it."
Sadie: What do you see the challenges being for Daedalus in the next
five to ten years?
Kari: "With so many kink publishing companies either suffering
financial hardship or falling by the wayside, I fear that just keeping
our heads above water might be a pretty significant challenge! Along
related lines, not only continuing to put out great BDSM books, but also
sticking to our integral guns and take chances on new authors, concepts,
controversies, etc., rather than taking a more ‘safe’ route, will
prove to be a significant challenge as well, I am sure. But I certainly
think that it is one that we are up to."
Sadie: What kind of marketing do you do to reach the broad new
audience of BDSM players?
Kari: "I think that actually getting out there in the scene is the
key for this. We try to get out to events and club meetings as much as
possible. Our presence at the International Mr. Leather competition in
Chicago last year turned out to be one of the best marketing moves we
could have made. We had several of the authors there to talk with people
and do book signings. It really helped to get the word out that Daedalus
was back and that we had some great new material available."
Sadie: For readers who don't know, Daedalus Publishing is owned by
Stockroom.com, which offers a wide variety of fetish toys and gear. I'm
hoping that you get a discount at the Stockroom. What are your favorite
toys?
Kari: "Wow - I think that that is the hardest question so far! I
have so many toys that I love! Right now I am still totally in awe of
the FeelDoe, so that would have to be at the top of the list. I also
love the CB2000 and our other chastity devices. Our latex and leather
departments have some great designs that I love, like the straight
jackets, fist mitts and arm binders. They also have some new products in
the works that I am really excited about, so I would encourage everyone
to keep a look out!"
Sadie: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
Kari: "I would just like to extend gratitude, both my own personal
and on the behalf of Daedalus Publishing Company, to the readers out
there. These books are something that we all believe in deeply, and as
long as this information has an audience we will do our best to continue
providing it for you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sensuous
Sadie is the author of It's Not
About the Whip: Love, Sex, and Spirituality in the BDSM Scene (http://www.trafford.com/robots/03-0551.html).
She is the founder and leader (1999 - 2001) of
Rose
&
Thorn
,
Vermont
's first BDSM group. Comments,
compliments and complaints, as well as requests for reprinting can be
addressed to her at SensuousSadie@aol.com
or visit her website at www.sensuoussadie.com. Sadie believes the universe is abundant, and that sharing information
freely is part of this abundance, so she allows reprints of her writing in
most venues.
Copyright
2003 Sadie Sez Publications
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