[JennyJ]

Delilah, I just wanted to say *woot* *woot* you go girl!

Hi MJ nice to see you posting :  )  It's a great genre.

 

[DelilahFawkes]

Thanks, Shiri! :v: Woot back at ya!

 

[MannieC]

this is going to be a bit off topic but i've wrote 8 or 9 or so short erotic stories around 8000ish words long, not for the purpose of selling or publishing i just wrote them because people enjoyed my writing and i enjoyed writing them, i haven't shown them to many people just a select few but more than a couple mentioned to me that i should publish, now i dont think my storys are anywhere near good enough that anyone would want to buy them but just to shut these biased people (i think) up could i send one to someone on here who has published to give me an honest opinion

 

[Al Dente]

Hey Delilah. I just wanted to say that you're a huge inspiration to me as a writer. My wife and I read several threads of yours that gave us the the extra kick in the butt that we needed to be more prolific.

Anyway, I just wanted to take a few seconds and say thanks for the advice you've shared in the past. And you're absolutely right. Erotica is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes good writing and the ability to constantly come up with new stories.  I'm releasing my 7th story in a few days, and I'm making some pretty OK money so far. I'm definitely making more money than I am with my "traditional," "non-adult" stories. 

 

[jimkukral]

Can somebody explain why it seems so many erotica authors sell a lot on Smashwords? I guess I just don't understand SW. I would never shop there. I would always goto Amazon. So what is it about SW that makes people who like erotica shop there? I don't get it.

 

[Shelley K]

Can somebody explain why it seems so many erotica authors sell a lot on Smashwords? I guess I just don't understand SW. I would never shop there. I would always goto Amazon. So what is it about SW that makes people who like erotica shop there? I don't get it.

You're not tied to a format with smashwords, and can even read the file online without downloading anything. I've purchased books there and downloaded the pdf to read on my computer. A friend of mine has a Sony ereader but doesn't shop with Sony. It was just the reader she preferred. She buys pdfs where available, and of course they're all genres, not just erotica.

 

[James Snow]

I've put out a fair few short stories so far and they are selling reasonably well. I'm now working on a few longer titles just to give my pen name a little more in the way of options for my readers.

I must admit when I do my market research I'm often shocked by how much money a lot of erotic shorts are sold for.

I agree that so long as you're not just looking for a quick cash in and have interest in the genre then you can make shorts a success.

 

[Allen_Dusk]

Someone has told me there is almost no money in erotic short stories. Is that true? I was advised to try to sell to an anthology or magazine instead, but most seem to pay a one time payment per word. I know far more people who would spend a buck on a story no one else can see on their Kindle than would invest in an anthology or magazine of erotica.
Am I wasting time by writing erotic short stories with the idea of selling them on Amazon?

Whoever told you there is no money in erotic short stories is nuts. Erotica has been one of the hottest selling genres in eBooks for the past few years, mainly because people can do it from the privacy of their own home. Short stories can be a quick way to get your blood boiling or simple foreplay for something else.

BUT - you need to look at the bigger picture...and ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I just looking to make a quick buck?
2. Are my stories professionally edited and formatted?
3. Why stop at Amazon? What about other platforms?
4. Have you submitted your work elsewhere first?

Writing and posting anything on Amazon will lead to a few sales, but if your posted crap then you are going to burn your readers.

My advice is simple. Write a damn good story, if it's erotica it needs to make people hot under the collar. Get your story edited and formatted by somebody who does this regularly. Don't stop at Amazon... get an account with Smashwords so you can easily distribute your work to all the platforms (I've sold over 3000 shorts on Barnes and Noble, but less than 100 on Amazon... have no idea why). It's been my experience that if you publish a few good stories then readers will gobble them up one after another.

Writers usually want to make a name for themselves. Try using a website like http://duotrope.com/ to research places to submit your work. The more places you have your name and your work, then the more likely people will learn who you are and seek out your other works.

Last but not least... experiment with your prices, but if your just selling short stories under 10,000 words then just use $0.99 across the board. Research has shown readers do not like paying more than that for just a short story.

 

[JennyJ]

yep

 

[Speaker-To-Animals]

I don't know that anyone sells much of anything on Smashwords directly. A few when they're released, but generally not much at all. It's not for Smashwords that you list on Smashwords. They are the gateway to iTunes which is about 10% of our sales and if you're not in the US to B&N, which makes up at least a quarter of our sales. Then Sony or Diesel has the odd sale as well.

if your just selling short stories under 10,000 words then just use $0.99 across the board. Research has shown readers do not like paying more than that for just a short story.

Erotica does pretty at $2.99 for a short.

 

[mrv01d]

Can somebody explain why it seems so many erotica authors sell a lot on Smashwords? I guess I just don't understand SW. I would never shop there. I would always goto Amazon. So what is it about SW that makes people who like erotica shop there? I don't get it.

Most people don't make money on Smashwords...the sales volume is low overall. There are outliers but that's not the norm...most of us don't see large amounts of money. IMO Smashword attracts the freebie crowd because it's the one place an author can offer free content without giving up exclusivity a la KDP Select. That freebie aspect may yield a few additional sales of an author's catalog but not much more than that.

M

 

[Al Dente]

Erotica does pretty at $2.99 for a short.

Yep. Anyone who puts their erotica shorts up for .99 is losing money, unless those shorts are super short at around 2 - 3k words.

 

[kristinleigh]

New here, *waves*
Having a little trouble navigating through everything---where can I find the yellowpages for this thread?

Also, figured I'd introduce myself. Currently close to wrapping up my first erotica novella titled Wicked Peter. I plan to have it published Jan 1 and the rest of the series out in 2013. I also currently edit & proofread at a very afforable per word rate. I am, however, shopping for an afforable editor for my own work. Suggestions? Thanks so much! So happy to have found a safe place to talk about writing erotica! Smut writers unite! 

 

[Sarah Barbour]

New here, *waves*
Having a little trouble navigating through everything---where can I find the yellowpages for this thread?

Also, figured I'd introduce myself. Currently close to wrapping up my first erotica novella titled Wicked Peter. I plan to have it published Jan 1 and the rest of the series out in 2013. I also currently edit & proofread at a very afforable per word rate. I am, however, shopping for an afforable editor for my own work. Suggestions? Thanks so much! So happy to have found a safe place to talk about writing erotica! Smut writers unite!

The yellow pages can be found here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,123703.0.html

And, ahem, I am also an affordable editor who's done a fair amount of erotica, so please get in touch if you're interested

 

[kevin1954]

So, if you don't use KDP select, and do the free thing for a few days, how do you get reviews. Erotica books are not something you want to ask your friends and family to read and review. I'm new to erotic books and new to trying to promote them. I did find a link here to a blog for the genre, but you have to have something like 5 reviews, 4 start average. I do know you don't want to pay for reviews, but that's about all I know.

 

[mrv01d]

So, if you don't use KDP select, and do the free thing for a few days, how do you get reviews. Erotica books are not something you want to ask your friends and family to read and review. I'm new to erotic books and new to trying to promote them. I did find a link here to a blog for the genre, but you have to have something like 5 reviews, 4 start average. I do know you don't want to pay for reviews, but that's about all I know.

Typically you won't get many reviews for erotica. Erotic romance fairs better but most people aren't willing to publicly admit they buy the stuff.

You can start a mailing list and see if any of those folks would read and review. I've done some giveaways on Goodreads...but in general those readers are picky. You'll get dinged for story length and other ridiculousness.

My advice would be to keep writing, make sure there are buy links to your other books in each release. It looks like from your sig that you just have one erotica book? If so, work on getting up to 10 which will give you a better picture of how the sales work in erotica. In the absence of reviews...make sure your covers and blurbs sizzle.

I have about 20 short stories in erotica and, knock on wood, am making a full time income. None of it is really review driven, although I've tried to get reviews when I can.

M

 

[ParisRivera]

I think the key is quality plus quantity! Good books will advertise each other!

 

[kevin1954]

Thanks for the advice, I will have a 2nd in a week or 2 and will try cross selling, sounds like 10 or 20 is the thing to shoot for!

 

[Jake Decker]

I've been wanting to dive into erotica for a while but not just because it sells well; I want to write it well but I'm sure it can be hard (ahem).

Can anyone recommend some good erotica writers and stories to read? I read Sara Fawkes first book in her successful series which was I thought was pretty good and I plan to read the rest. Any others?

 

[Victoria Champion]

I've been wanting to dive into erotica for a while but not just because it sells well; I want to write it well but I'm sure it can be hard (ahem).

Can anyone recommend some good erotica writers and stories to read? I read Sara Fawkes first book in her successful series which was I thought was pretty good and I plan to read the rest. Any others?

Realm of Janos series by our own AndreSanThomas is the best erotica fiction I have read this year. As far as instruction on writing erotic scenes, I recommend Be a Sex-Writing Strumpet by Stacia Kane.