As Pussy Riot are sentenced in Russia, where are the protest ebooks?

The history of publishing is rich with examples of books that protest against the mainstream. Obvious examples include the 17th century publication of The World Turned Upside Down, and Thomas Paine’s 18th century pamphlet The Rights of Man. But in the 21st century, with ebooks finally taking hold as a valid and wide-reaching medium, it’s worth asking whether ebooks can become a form of protest.

Today, members of the band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail for their music. Galleycat has collected together a list of the literature that has inspired Pussy Riot, which shows the extent to which traditional Russian protest literature has inspired current protests. But while old printing presses couldn’t be easily censored (once access was gained, that is), in the modern era there’s a very different problem. Anyone can publish via Amazon, Smashwords etc., but could protest ebooks really make a splash?

I searched on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble for various protest-related keywords, and I found a few scattered examples. But in general, I felt that the power of the ebook was not being harnessed by those on either the right or the left of the political spectrum (not to mention those who dispense with such simple definitions altogether). I’m sure that there are people who are publishing ebooks that protest against the status quo, but that old problem of discoverability rears its head again.

One big problem is that automated complaints systems are liable to be manipulated. If someone publishes something truly controversial, you can bet that opponents of that worldview would bombard the distributing site (e.g. Amazon) with complaints. Amazon has famously proclaimed itself to be against censorship, most notably when it briefly defended the publication of The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct, but one wonders where the line would be drawn in terms of political discourse.

Are people publishing protest ebooks already? Yes, but not in a way that’s gaining much traction. Take a look at the top-selling books in the Politics category on Amazon and you’ll find a bunch of middle-of-the-road books. Similarly, the Politics and Current Affairs section section on Smashwords isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with revolutionary invective. While I was looking for extreme example in order to support my argument, I’m not arguing that we need extreme political viewpoints in ebooks. I simply mean that ebooks aren’t being used as a forum for genuine protest, despite the fact that we live in violent times.

It will be interesting to see how things develop. Could a modern-day Thomas Paine emerge from the ranks of ebook authors? It’s certainly possible, though one wonders whether such a figure would run into trouble with the likes of Paypal. At least there’s the possibility. Personally, I’m not a very decisive political individual; I like to hear multiple viewpoints, but I’ve never been able to decide where I stand. I’m in no way radical. But I wonder how radical voices can use the prominence of ebooks to gain an audience. Perhaps the members of Pussy Riot have left behind a manifesto that will be published via KDP and Smashwords?