Sex sells. Already a ten-billion dollar business-and growing-most sex businesses require relatively low start-up costs and minimal equipment. No wonder retired porn stars, homemakers, college students, and entrepreneurs of every stripe are eager to jump on the smut band wagon. Following the money trail, or in this case, the telecom routes, the author reveals how some big phone companies are cashing in too. Obscene Profits offers a startling and entertaining new look at this very old business, and shows why pornography, in all of its variations, (videos, magazines, phone-sex, spy cameras, etc.), is one of the most profitable and popular new careers to come out of the electronic age. Starting with a brief discussion of the varying cultural, religious, and legal definitions of pornography and obscenity Frederick S. Lane examines how cameras, VCRs, and the internet are making it increasingly possible for individuals to become both producers and distributors of pornography.

He examines obscenity laws,and considers the reduced stigma attached to working in the pornography industry. Focusing on the economics, rather than the morality of the business, Lane reveals the growing number of female entrepreneurs, and looks into the phenomena of pornography in the workplace. Drawing from candid interviews with pornographers, sex workers, moral leaders, and legal scholars, Fr Lane challenges the reader with provocative questions about why the industry is so successful, and forces them to think: Why not become the next Hugh Hefner or Larry Flint?.