I really only intended to put together the EPUB file, but got a little carried away. I took some time to make sure the upload was working and … well why not?
Let’s put it on sale.
Run, Little Leather Boy is Larry Townsend’s premier novel of a coming-of-age in BDSM (or just “SM,” as he calls it).
After being caught with a man, Wayne Hoffsteder—spoiled and handsome, lusty and insightful—is sent by his parents to live with his Uncle Bert in a stately London townhome.
Through Uncle Bert, Wayne learns the meaning of SM and seeks his own place within the Leather hierarchy. From the dark formal London leather clubs to the cold stone torture chamber of a Bavarian castle, Wayne follows his obsessive lust to learn—and experience—more. And in the end, he learns to master the most difficult submissive of all—himself.
The novel was originally published in 1972, so a lot of what we recognize as good practices (aftercare, full and active consent, not suspending people by chains around the throat, etc.) were not always common. Given Townsend’s other efforts, the novel was probably more intended to be fantasy material than a depiction of reality.
Townsend was also in conversation with the other books of his time. It does not seem like a coincidence that the primary relationship in the book is between an uncle well-steeped in the Leather community and his novitiate nephew—just like William Carney’s epistolary novel The Real Thing, published in 1968 (which Uncle Bert references and gives Wayne to read in Chapter 4). Townsend even alludes to “the Exemplar” as the highest manifestation of “the Work” involved with Leathersex, terms used by Carney.
For as much as Wayne Hoffsteder is just a horny guy, he does have introspective turns that show the two sides to becoming a Leatherman. He has to sort out his identity, both on its own and in relation to others, but is doing so through the vehicle of power-soaked sex. This is the Work, a deeper calling reminiscent of Renaissance alchemy or a religious calling.
This book set Wayne off on his adventure, and it will also serve as a beginning for Safeword Press. Right now it is only available as an e-book (EPUB) through the press’s website—we’re starting relatively small so we can make sure the behind-the-scenes stuff works as seamlessly as possible. Shortly, however, we will:
put the e-book on Amazon and other platforms
publish a print edition as a print-on-demand book
determine whether a short run of a nice print edition would be worthwhile
We will also be working up the next book, The Leatherman’s Handbook, and lining up the next titles.
There is a lot more to come.
P.S.: If you want 10% off and to be notified when the press is releasing something new, just sign up here and you’ll get a coupon you can use right away.