E-book retailers feel heat as WH Smith bans obscene titles - The Times (subscription)

Internet retailers have come under pressure to stop cashing in on sales of e-books that feature scenes of violent rape and incest after W H Smith's online bookstore withdrew its entire catalogue of self-published books.

Kobo, the Canadian group that runs W H Smith's e-book offerings, said it planned to implement "safeguards" to ensure that obscene titles could not appear on its site in future.

The digital books, which can be downloaded to electronic reading devices, feature graphic descriptions of rape and other sexual acts with vulnerable people. The books were often "self-published", which meant they could appear on the