A Censorship/ban dilemma?

[Drugsmugglingcartoonist]

Am after feedback on a dilemma.

Have received some media attention lately for my book Smuggling Vacation. The attention has got the book labeled 'controversial' which has done a lot of good to be fair. I've rolled with it and when a reporter contacted me from the Sheffield Star to discuss my attending the Golden Orbit Comic Mart in Sheffield last weekend I was glad enough to talk about the book.
I went to the Mart, sold some books, feedback was good. Later in the day I saw the Star had run an article under a headline 'Controversy as Author visits city to sign Comic Book on Drug-smuggling'. I thought it was an okay article, not the headline I would've chosen, but that's out of my hands and all publicity is good publicity I'm taking the view.
Yesterday I get an e-mail from the organiser saying:

Your visit at Sheffield yesterday caused quite a stir in the local press, (The Star 29/0, and some negative publicity for the fair. I am concerned about this.

I therefore think it Is best that you do not book any more tables at upcoming Golden Orbit events.

He later now suggests that this is 'not a ban' and that he will review later it if he has reassurances that no such thing will happen again. The suggestion that I, like a child, should not participate, co-operate or allow any media attention that brings any attention to one of his events that I'm attending.

Now how reasonable is this? What would you do?

[Bustertheclown]

While "bad" publicity is the type of publicity your comic, in truth, might benefit from, since the controversy lends a bit of street cred to the work and the subject matter it deals in, that same publicity might not be welcomed by certain event organizers. After all, the event organizer likely views the act of packing a hall with all members of a general audience, from kids to grandmas, the wildest success he could achieve. Meanwhile, the publicity your comic is generating is going to appeal to a more specialized niche audience. At the same time, it's publicity that could get an event picketed or boycotted.

Personally, I believe that the organizer is overreacting a bit, and I would hope for organizer support if I were in a similar position. Perhaps you could ask him if the publicity caused a negative reaction to his gate, or whether or not the public backlash in the media extended to backlash toward his event. If so, then perhaps a little understanding of his position is in order. If not, then he's just being a bit too uptight and preemptive about the whole ordeal.

[McDuffies]

What would you do?

I'd be pissed off. Such wimps who can't stand behind their own coices should not be allowed to organize kindergarden games, let alone anything larger than that. If you are spiteful, you could book them intentionally to see what happens.
But for every such case, there'll probably be ten of them who will book you for the very same reason.
Though I do stand by the opinion that in this day and age, anyone who thinks that your book is that controversial, must have not read it. Or alternatively lived under the rock since 60ies.

[Rkolter]

Personally, I believe that the organizer is overreacting a bit, and I would hope for organizer support if I were in a similar position. Perhaps you could ask him if the publicity caused a negative reaction to his gate, or whether or not the public backlash in the media extended to backlash toward his event. If so, then perhaps a little understanding of his position is in order. If not, then he's just being a bit too uptight and preemptive about the whole ordeal.

I like this suggestion - a lot of time people respond with a knee-jerk reaction and when asked to think about it, end up reversing themselves.

[Moder]

Well, I guess they can ban a comic If they want, right?
In this case, just go somewhere else (and tell readers and fellow artists about what happenned, to put things straight - as you did)...

[Paul Escobar]

Now how reasonable is this? What would you do?

I think it's unreasonable, and that the organiser is overreacting. But it's his event and he can run it like he pleases. He has no obligation to stick up for you if he thinks your presence is bad for his event. If I were in your situation, I'd ask him very politely what exactly he means by negative publicity - did anyone, in fact, give him any kind of trouble over your presence? If that's not the case, you might be able to convince him that the newspaper headline was mildly misleading and that it's nothing to worry about. If he sticks to his position that you shouldn't attend in the future unless you can guarantee a no repeat on the press coverage, tell him that's out of your hands. And then milk it for what it's worth: Mention the story on your blog and to other media. Not in a "this guy's a jerk" way, tell it as neutrally as you can to point out how a perfectly innocent book causes controversy due to its subject. That should generate even more publicity, and in my book that's a good thing. Like McDuffies said, there are probably other organisers who'd be happy to have you attend their events, because your book clearly draws attention - and customers.

[Perk_daddy]

I agree. At least talk to him.

As far as bad publicity goes, I always like to remember this:

"Once a man who had been slandered by a newspaper came to Edward Everett asking what to do about it. Said Everett, “Do nothing! Half the people who bought the paper never saw the article. Half of those who saw it, did not read it. Half of those who read it, did not understand it. Half of those who understood it, did not believe it. Half of those who believed it are of no account anyway” -Zig Ziglar

[Deathbringer]

I made a comic with controversial content in it once! i won't attend a Golden Orbit comic mart either. It's what they would want, after all

[Killbert-Robby]

Personally I think this is bullshit. Sure, it's his party, he gets to invite whoever he wants, but negative press or not, I'm sure he can't deny some people showed up just because the new controversial comic was there. Bad press is still press. Plus, I'm also just not for the banning of anyone who hasn't caused trouble themselves. You drew a comic about drugs, you didn't print it with ink made from babies you tore to pieces with a spoon.

[McDuffies]

You drew a comic about drugs, you didn't print it with ink made from babies you tore to pieces with a spoon.

Why? You know someone who did?

[Killbert-Robby]

Well to be fair the guy I knew used a fork

[Rkolter]

If you're going to make baby ink, you need to use a blender or it will be too chunky to write with and it will clog your pen.

So what was the result of all this - did you write back to the organizer, drugsmugglingcartoonist?

[Rhys]

I've often found a juicer works better. Otherwise it can be too thick, especially for use in nib pens (they clog and spatter, and nobody likes baby-ink spatter).

Technically the guy can allow anyone to participate in his events that he wants, but with behavior like that he's only going to end up shooting himself in the foot. Artists aren't the sort of people who'll gladly flock to an event where they think they're going to be chastised for their vision. Hopefully he'll come to his senses, and when he does, if he doesn't offer an apology I think you should demand one. That was just rude...and kind of ridiculous. What sort of event did he think he was having? Because art never attracts controversy of any kind...