The Perfect Holiday Gift: Feel Good, Do Good, and Have Great Sex

I’d like to amend my previous gift lists and add something directly to the top of the list: Violet Blue’s new series of audio and digital books available via Digita Publications.

Violet is, of course, the author of dozens of wonderful sex books in print. Now Violet has put her expertise, techy-know-how, time, and money where her web-loving mouth is, creating a system that offers sexual content that’s fair, democratic, and easy to use. It’s also hot, helpful, and guaranteed to spice up your sex life.

Today I downloaded my first one, Erotic Role Play: A Guide for Couples and I’m going to be putting it in the virtual stockings of every lover I can think of. It was my first experience downloading an ebook and I have to say it didn’t hurt a bit. No sign-up fees, no special software, no commitment, just great sex advice in a versatile format. If you're like me and aren't quite sure why you should venture beyond your paper-bound bookstore, here are a few good reasons...

Four Reasons to Love Digita Publications DRM-free sex books

1.
When you buy the books this way almost all the money goes directly to the authors. The publisher doesn’t get half, you don’t have to pay for a marketing department that never helps the author anyway, and the authors retain all the rights to their work. It’s like meeting an author and handing them $10 for their book. It feels good.

2.
All of the books on the site are DRM-free. Violet explains it this way:

“This type of distribution is the most democratic a book can be shared and consumed. DRM is what "locks" a file so your MP3s will only play on one iPod, or keeps an ebook from being shared with a friend (or read on a different device). As an example of the opposite, the DRM-free files at Digita can be played or read as many times as you want, put on as many devices or computers you want, and can be shared easily with friends. there's a bit of trust involved with the buyer, but I think if someone buys a book they should be able to loan it to a friend. And like the days of cassette tapes, if they want to share a song (read: send a chapter form one of my audiobooks) with someone, they should be able to because they bought it and they own it. Plus, sending someone a sexy story is more than half the fun. And no, no spyware, ever.”

3.
The ease of ordering and using makes for perfect sneaky sexy gift giving. You pay a flat fee per book and download a file. The audio books have separate MP3s for each chapter (this lets you do things like you shuffle your fiction or slip one track onto your lover’s iPod at a time). The ebooks can be read on tons of different devices (Palm, Treo, iPhone, PDAs, and of course laptops and desktops). Because it’s DRM-free there are no limits to how you use it or share it between devices.

4.
You can love the medium, but it’s the message that will get you wet. Violet’s writing is playful, sexy, and supportive. She’s like a motivational speaker for kinky sex. But she’s not one of those speakers who teases and makes you buy the whole 16 CD set. She’s with you all the way, offering ideas both general and specific (she even helps you decorate your room to go with your fantasy). The books read like a choose-your-own-adventure, except you actually get to have the adventure once you put the book down. This also exposes a dirty secret about Violet’s e-book; add your imagination and you’ve got ready to use dirty stories. As with many of her printed titles, Violet includes a variety of erotic fiction from her favorite authors.

And you get all this for $7-$10. While these formats will never replace print, and we’ll forever need the help and expertise of editors and publishers, I hope more folks offer content this way (even through Violet’s site if she’s open to it) since it would be a nice way for authors to both financially benefit from their work and connect more directly with their readers. Plus when it comes to sexual content the instant gratification is very nice!

Check out all four titles:

Erotic Role Play: A Guide for Couples

How to Kiss (also available as an audio book)

The Modern Safer Sex Guide (which is offered free of charge!)

Creatures of the Night: Halloween Erotica (also available as an audio book)

Open Source Sex Ed Audio: Pleasure Zone Basics

_{Cover Photo of How to Kiss, courtesy of Violet Blue}