Making a Living Writing Erotica

Renee Rose's getting-started story (and what she's learned) is highly instructive:

When I fell into writing spanking romance, I got lucky. It just so happened that the thing I wanted to write most in the world also happened to be a niche in which it’s easy to make a solid living. Within six months I was making enough each month to pay the mortgage and in a year I was making what I consider a full-time living. I read a figure (which I’m sorry, I can’t seem to dig up the reference now) that only seven percent of authors make it to five figures a year.  Really? I’m in the top seven percent?  Am I that good?  Nope. Not at all.
I cringe over some of my earlier works–overly wordy with too much passive voice, overused words like “that” and beating the reader over the head with the character’s emotions. But I always think how lucky I was to be able to hone my craft while still making money. I didn’t spend the last two years working on one perfect novel. I wrote 20 novellas, which provide a passive income stream while I work on the new books.

Be a Big Fish in a Small Sea – Find your Niche
The trick, I think to making a living writing erotica, is to find that targeted niche. Spanking romance is one of them. We learned at Eroticon 2014 from Josephine Myles and Anna Martin that M/M Erotic Romance is another highly lucrative niche.  I’m quite certain there are a great deal of other ones, and I’d love it if you’d add them to the comments to help other writers.  It’s easier to make a name for yourself amongst a smaller pool of books. There are many ready-made markets out there to small, targeted niches.  Spanking romance is far smaller a pool than BDSM. I think it was quite easy for me to get noticed and gather a following in this smaller pool.

Read the full article here: http://writesexright.com/blog/renee-rose-making-living-writing-erotica/
photo credit: Top Floor Painting via photopin (license)

Make $10k a Month Writing Erotica

You'll definitely want to listen to this podcast interview with a successful erotica writer.

Listen here: http://authormarketingclub.com/blog/podcast-how-to-make-10000-a-month-writing-erotica-books/

The highlights

• Pure smut can command higher prices at lower word counts.
• Deviating from erotica and erotic romance causes a decrease in my sales
• Follow the top 100 best selling titles and the top 100 best selling authors and you can't go wrong.
• I need to stick to writing 3 part series because I have a bad tendency of ditching a series if it's not performing.
• I will no longer be turning non-performing titles into paperback books, regardless of length. My time is better spent elsewhere.

1.) How long are my titles?
My shortest story is 2,500 words long. My longest title is 50,462 words long (my novel). Though I do have combined serials that are much longer. On average, I strive for at least 10,000 words, which usually gets cut down to a little over 8,000 after editing.

2.) What is my pricing strategy?
I follow a modified version of the Selena Kitt pricing strategy. My current pricing strategy is as follows:

$0.99 > Short Shorts: Under 3k
$2.99 > Stories: 3-15k
$3.99 > Stories: 15-35k
$4.99 > Stories: 35-50k
$5.99 > Novels: 50-70k
$6.99 > Novels: 70-90k
$7.99> Novels: 90-110k
$8.99> Novels: 110-130k
$9.99> Novels: 130k-150k

Points above from the author's original Kboard post here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,162157.0.html photo credit: Bridal Boudoir via photopin (license)

How to Write a Good Sex Scene

There's a certain sense in which a sex scene is like any other scene: the plot has to advance or we have to learn something important about the characters, something has to shift or change between the beginning and the end of the scene. But, refreshingly, G. Doucette also says this:

2. Sex scenes are not like anything else. The relationship between the reader and the writer is slightly different in a sex scene. The writer is trying to convey a mood and a feeling that... well, there's no easy way to say this: The writer is trying to turn the reader on. This means figuring out how to use words to establish a mood and a rhythm and a feeling that I can't really describe accurately in polite company. It's a skill that is just not really applicable to any other kind of fiction writing. A novel also has to have the kind of authorial voice that allows for the sort of tone necessary to establish that rhythm and mood. And this means...

 Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/g-doucette/how-to-write-a-good-sex-s_b_4957087.html

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Erotica Writing Tips from K.D. Grace

4) Always remember the same rules apply for good erotica that apply for any other story. Sex should never be gratuitous. It should always serve a purpose. Sex should move the story forward. Sex should give us insight into the characters we didn’t have before. Sex is a fabulous tool to create the chaos or the bliss needed to shape the plot.

Source: http://howtowriteeroticfiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/five-tips-from-k-d-grace.html


photo credit: Blue Monday via photopin (license)

Erotica Writing Tips from Justine Elyot

1) Start by writing about what turns you on. Don't worry about catering for every taste – you can't.

2) Don't be coy. Don’t fret about what people will think of you, or your writing will feel watered down and lacking in force.

3) A lot of the eroticism of a story will come from the characters, the predicaments, the settings or other details. Don't invest everything in the acts themselves.

4) Hmm, a lot of 'don'ts' here. Don't take any notice of a list full of don'ts.

5) Do enjoy it, or it won't work.
Almost everything wrong with an early draft can be fixed with thorough revisions.

Source: http://howtowriteeroticfiction.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-tips-from-justine-elyot.html

Getting Started on Good Reads for Erotica Writers

Renee Rose tells how to deal with that necessary evil, GoodReads. Here's an excerpt from the middle of her article so you can see she knows her shit:

IMPORTANT:  This should go without saying, but I was overly critical at first and a friend of mine just posted about this.  If you are an author and have an author account, it does not behoove you to leave negative reviews of other author’s books using that account. You’re just asking for bad karma.

2)  If your books are not already in Goodreads (search first), you can add them by hitting “Manually add a book”.  Enter the ISBN or Amazon number and upload your cover pic and you’re good to go.  You can also add a book in advance of your book release this way and get people to add it to their TBR list.

3).  Mark your own books as read (but don’t add any star ratings or reviews!) and then add categories for your book (e.g., paranormal MM, BBW, domestic discipline, Net Galley Read, cheap smut– whatever you want listed for your book)

4) Add them to any Listopia lists. For my friends in my genre, I just set up the “Best Domestic Discipline Books of 2015.”  Please add yours and any favorites you have so far.

If there isn’t a good Listopia list for you book, create one (e.g., Best Lesbian BDSM of 2015).  Obviously add some other books to that list, so it doesn’t just include your book, and invite others to add to it.

Renee instructs you step by step, with screenshots, on how to set up your GoodReads author account the right way.

Read the whole article here: http://writesexright.com/columnists/renee-rose/goodreads-and-the-rated-review/



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Erotica Writing Tips from George Storey

1. Writing a story is like seducing a lover. You want to intrigue, delight and ultimately move your reader so that she or he will want to come back to your imaginary world over and over again. It’s a tall order, but the easiest way I’ve found to connect with my ideal reader is to write about what intrigues, fascinates and turns me on. It doesn’t always have to be based on real experience. I’ve discovered many new varieties of sexual pleasure in fantasy, and later in the flesh, through my explorations for a story. However, unlike a lover, a reader can always tell when you’re faking it, so make sure you want to be there and enjoy.

2. When planning a seduction, you dress to look your best, turn on the charm, and give your partner your full attention. How does this translate into a story? Don’t stint on the planning phase. Let the ideas simmer, play around with the plot and characters, let them take on a life of their own. The “charm” is your willingness to make the scenes and all the senses come alive. Paint a picture for your reader, but also write a symphony of language and cook up deliciously naughty scents and tastes. Finally, a strong first line that grabs ‘em by the nose, quick and clever transitions, and a satisfying final line are the literary equivalents of courtesy to your “date.”

Source: http://howtowriteeroticfiction.blogspot.com/2014/11/five-tips-from-donna-george-storey.html