The Triumph Of Self-Publishing
So-called “professional” writers tend to look down on self-published authors, thinking that they’re just clods writing “DICK ENTERS THE ROOM AND SAYS HI LINDA LINDA BE MAD AT DICK” novels on butcher paper in crayon. But though the perception of self-publishing is that of a bunch of Harry Potter fanfic writers wanking it to Hermione’s freshly-grown wand, the truth is that self-publishing offers a freedom that no one else can offer. Freed from the restraints of having to actually, you know, make money, self-publishers can offer titles that no traditional publisher would touch with a ten-foot pole.
Or, in this case, a ten-foot pole covered in a condom.
That’s right; if you’ve been thinking, “I love it when my partner jizzes all over my face – now, how can I combine that subtle aroma with pancetta and a nice rosė?” thankfully, the fine folks at Lulu have, er, come through for you. Fotie Photenhauer’s Natural Harvest – A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes is now available for a mere $24.95.
Notes the book: ” Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food.”
One finds it hard to imagine why semen hasn’t caught on in restaurants. I think we all would like to gulp down the potentially STD-laden load of our waiter, mixed with some asparagus and perhaps a dusting of saffron, so when someone asks, “Why are your lips so covered in sores you can’t speak without bits of your philtrum flaking off?” you can say with pride, “I, madam, am a gourmet.”
After all, as Fotie says: “Some tend to dismiss semen as food and describe it as bitter or salty. This is similar to a person who tastes wine for the first time [and] says it tastes sour. Like all other foods, the tastes and aromas of semen open up and are better appreciated when you are able to compare and discuss the different tastes with other connoisseurs.”
If that’s not the classiest blowbang I’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.
As it turns out, this book of squirty enjoyment has sold over 25,000 copies, so my hat is off to Fotie! She found a need and, er, filled it. This truly is an example of what people can do when they set their heads to it. I think this is just proof that traditional publishing is going down.
It says something that despite having seen this book dozens of times now, it still creates the exact same level of bowel-clenching, wince-inducing disgust every time. I can’t even see the words ‘harvest’ and ‘natural’ in print near one another anymore without feeling my gag reflex trigger. This sounds decidedly un-delicious.
That said, what a brilliant concept to self-publish, eh?