In the 2nd edition of The Global Indie Author I warn about the rush of many indie authors to publish worldwide without any thought given to possible consequences of content that may be illegal in other jurisdictions. Many countries have laws against obscenity, blasphemy, hate propaganda, gay literature, and so on; and, with regards to publishing, the crime takes place not where the book is published but where it is sold. Americans in particular, lured into a false sense of security by very liberal First Amendment laws, are often unaware that these laws do not protect them outside the United States.

In the most recent case to come to my attention, a U.S. blogger spent six months in a Thai jail after linking to a book critical of the Thai king then foolishly travelling to Thailand for a holiday. And if Thailand will jail a blogger just for linking to a book that criticizes the king, how much more will they do to the writer?

Consider also these examples:

• In September 2012, in India, in what was an obvious attempt to silence criticism, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested and charged with sedition (sedition!?) for publishing cartoons that lampooned political corruption.
• Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, recently had to cancel an appearance at an Indian writers’ festival after death threats were raised; and Iran has revived the 1989 fatwa against Rushdie that was previously lifted.
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali has paid a dear price for her courage to write about the oppression of women in Islam, and now requires protection from the Dutch Secret Service.
• Russian author and journalist Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated in 2006, likely for her anti-Putin books (she was assassinated on his birthday, and the symbolism did not go unnoticed).

Indie writers need to be aware that these dangers exist and to consider whether clicking the “worldwide rights” button is always a good idea. If not, then you can use geographical rights distribution to restrict sales to those countries where you fear controversy and backlash. This does not provide total protection, but it does limit your exposure in these markets.

As I say in my book, I am not for a moment suggesting you censor yourself out of fear of offending some nutbar with too much time (or power) on his hands, but rather to be aware of the risks and to act with thoughtfulness and courage, not reckless ignorance.