Question for Experienced LE Authors

[OnlyByMoonlight]

I'm a fairly novice author here at LE and recently I wrote a story which I am having a difficult time fitting into a category for submission. So I thought I'd search the How To's to see if there was an article detailing what is generally expected of each category and I couldn't find one. I don't know if there is one and I missed it or if there isn't one. If there isn't I thought it might be a good idea if one of the more experienced writers/editors to maybe throw something together; not so much for the fairly obvious categories like "Lesbian Sex" or "Interracial" but the more vague categories like "Erotic Couplings" "Humor and Satire" the difference between "bsdm" and "Non-Consent/Reluctance" and how far is too far to go in those latter two categories. Like I said though, maybe there is one and I missed it. If I did I'd like to know about it.

Thanks for any help!

[TxRad]

There ain't one that I know of. Read some of the top stories in a cat that puzzles you. That's about the best I can recommend.

And welcome to the madhouse.

[Epmd607]

Originally Posted by OnlyByMoonlight

I'm a fairly novice author here at LE and recently I wrote a story which I am having a difficult time fitting into a category for submission. So I thought I'd search the How To's to see if there was an article detailing what is generally expected of each category and I couldn't find one. I don't know if there is one and I missed it or if there isn't one. If there isn't I thought it might be a good idea if one of the more experienced writers/editors to maybe throw something together; not so much for the fairly obvious categories like "Lesbian Sex" or "Interracial" but the more vague categories like "Erotic Couplings" "Humor and Satire" the difference between "bsdm" and "Non-Consent/Reluctance" and how far is too far to go in those latter two categories. Like I said though, maybe there is one and I missed it. If I did I'd like to know about it.

Thanks for any help!

I figured Erotic Couplings or Group Sex were categories you'd post in when you couldn't fit/justify your story anywhere else.

[Dragonlipz]

Originally Posted by TxRad

There ain't one that I know of. Read some of the top stories in a cat that puzzles you. That's about the best I can recommend.

And welcome to the madhouse.

Amen to that....You can pretty much choose any category that you FEEL fits your story..except loving wives - the rules are strict there and poorly understood....most of mine cross categories.....

and welcome to the monkeyhouse..............

[lance gt]

Originally Posted by OnlyByMoonlight

I'm a fairly novice author here at LE and recently I wrote a story which I am having a difficult time fitting into a category for submission. So I thought I'd search the How To's to see if there was an article detailing what is generally expected of each category and I couldn't find one. I don't know if there is one and I missed it or if there isn't one. If there isn't I thought it might be a good idea if one of the more experienced writers/editors to maybe throw something together; not so much for the fairly obvious categories like "Lesbian Sex" or "Interracial" but the more vague categories like "Erotic Couplings" "Humor and Satire" the difference between "bsdm" and "Non-Consent/Reluctance" and how far is too far to go in those latter two categories. Like I said though, maybe there is one and I missed it. If I did I'd like to know about it.

Thanks for any help!

Hi Only and welcome. I would suggest really looking at the content of your story and seeing which one you feel fits the right category. The editors who read it will change it during the submission process if they feel it's better suited to another category. You can have it changed if you disagree and have it put in the category you choose, but it might not be accepted well there. Most genres are pretty cut and dried if you read the by-line about them.

[dr_mabeuse]

Like Lance says, the Lit readers will reassign your story to a different catalog if they feel you's misdiagnosed it, so getting it right's not that big of a deal.

There are a couple of things to bear in mind that might help, though.

First of all, if your story could fit more than one category--say you did a story about a Loving Couple having Anal Sex while being watched by Voyeurs --judge it by the act that the most readers might find the most extreme or shocking. (I'd put this one under Anal Sex, for instance). One of the purposes the categories serve is to isolate readers from certain acts that might have a high squick factor for them. Putting this story under Anal would insure that people who are turned off by anal won't read it by mistake.

Second: figure out yourself what your story's really about. Is it really about a Loving Couple? Or is it about the experience of anal intercourse? Or is the voyeurism the main focus? Categorize appropriately.

In case of conflicts between these two principles, the first has precedence over the second.

[TheeGoatPig]

I still say categories should be used more like tags. That way your story could be found under each section that it fits in, and you would know up front what kinks can be found inside of it.

[3113]

There really should be an essay on this topic as there are certain categories that cause writers trouble--meaning they don't get readers who appreciate the story, but rather readers who leave complaining feedback because they didn't get what they wanted. That is, what they read stories in that category for.

Here's a quick guide line to some of the catgories:
(1) Loving Wives--avoid it like the plague unless you understand it and really want to write for it. It's a very specialized category that requires the writer have a thick skin, because readers will attack like sharks no matter what kind of story you post there.

(2) Male-on-Male Sex--odd as this may sound, if you have any MM sex in your story, any at all, you might want to put in the gay male category (Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Horror excepting). Yes, even if you're presenting group sex, if there is any MM in it, then off to Gay Male it goes. Call it hypocritical or shameful or whatever, but readers who come to lit looking for heterosexual sex are often instantly turned off by the mention of MM sex in any story and they get very angry when you kill their buzz by bringing it in.

Many feel the same about lesbian sex--but usually less so.

(3) BDSM: most stories there are "real deal" type stories meaning that if your story just has a light spanking or a quick bit of bondage in it, then it's probably too tame for the BDSM category. Readers of those stories want the focus, start to finish, to be BDSM.

(4) Interracial: I've always found this a weird and disturbing category. Essentially, readers there are looking for stories of white men/women having sex with stereotypes. This doesn't mean all the stories contain such, but a lot do. If you happen to have a mixed race couple in your story and it's no big deal, then don't bother putting it in interracial. But if your story is about the white guy finding this girl exotic and exciting because she's of a different race--then it's interracial.

(5) Romance: Romance readers want a heterosexual romance. Anything else (anal, bondage, toys) must be kept light. The focus of romance is a romantic story, and you must get into the emotions and thoughts of the characters. Romance readers actually and usually want a story.

(6) Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Non-Human: Confusing, yes? Sci-fi/Fantasy is usually story oriented and involves another universe, either sci-fi or fantasy universe--if you had a werewolf in this category, it'd be a story about a world where werewolves were common and maybe being hunted down. Horror readers want something creepy and dark--a werewolf in this category has to be dark and scary, and things might end very badly for him and his lover. Non-Human is most often a quiet tale that occurs in the past or present day about an encounter between a person and an angel or ghost or something like that. A supernatural romance if you will--this would be a story about lonely woman who falls for a guy in her office and it turns out his a misunderstood werewolf.

(7) Erotic Couplings is a good place if you have a straight hetero couple doing a lot of the "usual" things--anal, toys, voyeurism, etc. Erotic Couplings is a grab-bag category--all it needs is an erotic couple having sex.

[evanslily]

Originally Posted by 3113

There really should be an essay on this topic as there are certain categories that cause writers trouble--meaning they don't get readers who appreciate the story, but rather readers who leave complaining feedback because they didn't get what they wanted. That is, what they read stories in that category for.

Here's a quick guide line to some of the catgories:
(1) Loving Wives--avoid it like the plague unless you understand it and really want to write for it. It's a very specialized category that requires the writer have a thick skin, because readers will attack like sharks no matter what kind of story you post there.

(2) Male-on-Male Sex--odd as this may sound, if you have any MM sex in your story, any at all, you might want to put in the gay male category (Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Horror excepting). Yes, even if you're presenting group sex, if there is any MM in it, then off to Gay Male it goes. Call it hypocritical or shameful or whatever, but readers who come to lit looking for heterosexual sex are often instantly turned off by the mention of MM sex in any story and they get very angry when you kill their buzz by bringing it in.

Many feel the same about lesbian sex--but usually less so.

(3) BDSM: most stories there are "real deal" type stories meaning that if your story just has a light spanking or a quick bit of bondage in it, then it's probably too tame for the BDSM category. Readers of those stories want the focus, start to finish, to be BDSM.

(4) Interracial: I've always found this a weird and disturbing category. Essentially, readers there are looking for stories of white men/women having sex with stereotypes. This doesn't mean all the stories contain such, but a lot do. If you happen to have a mixed race couple in your story and it's no big deal, then don't bother putting it in interracial. But if your story is about the white guy finding this girl exotic and exciting because she's of a different race--then it's interracial.

(5) Romance: Romance readers want a heterosexual romance. Anything else (anal, bondage, toys) must be kept light. The focus of romance is a romantic story, and you must get into the emotions and thoughts of the characters. Romance readers actually and usually want a story.

(6) Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Non-Human: Confusing, yes? Sci-fi/Fantasy is usually story oriented and involves another universe, either sci-fi or fantasy universe--if you had a werewolf in this category, it'd be a story about a world where werewolves were common and maybe being hunted down. Horror readers want something creepy and dark--a werewolf in this category has to be dark and scary, and things might end very badly for him and his lover. Non-Human is most often a quiet tale that occurs in the past or present day about an encounter between a person and an angel or ghost or something like that. A supernatural romance if you will--this would be a story about lonely woman who falls for a guy in her office and it turns out his a misunderstood werewolf.

(7) Erotic Couplings is a good place if you have a straight hetero couple doing a lot of the "usual" things--anal, toys, voyeurism, etc. Erotic Couplings is a grab-bag category--all it needs is an erotic couple having sex.

3113, I think that might just be the best explanation of what stories should go where on Lit that I've ever seen. Maybe you should write that essay?

[3113]

Originally Posted by evanslily

3113, I think that might just be the best explanation of what stories should go where on Lit that I've ever seen. Maybe you should write that essay?

Hmm. Okay. I'll take a stab at it. But I'll have to do some research first...

[TxRad]

Originally Posted by 3113

Hmm. Okay. I'll take a stab at it. But I'll have to do some research first...

I agree with everything you have there pretty much except the IR cat. Yes, there are a mountain of stereotypical stories but I've found that is not what a lot of the readers want. Loving stories between two people of different races do really well. I wrote around midnight from some people i observed in a small town. An older white man and a middle aged black woman. You would not belive the number of e-mails and comments telling me that this was what IR should be.

Just my two cents

[The_Fool]

The women that I find exotic and exciting are of a different race and from a different planet from me...

[Boxlicker101]

Originally Posted by 3113

There really should be an essay on this topic as there are certain categories that cause writers trouble--meaning they don't get readers who appreciate the story, but rather readers who leave complaining feedback because they didn't get what they wanted. That is, what they read stories in that category for.

Here's a quick guide line to some of the catgories:
(1) Loving Wives--avoid it like the plague unless you understand it and really want to write for it. It's a very specialized category that requires the writer have a thick skin, because readers will attack like sharks no matter what kind of story you post there.

(2) Male-on-Male Sex--odd as this may sound, if you have any MM sex in your story, any at all, you might want to put in the gay male category (Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Horror excepting). Yes, even if you're presenting group sex, if there is any MM in it, then off to Gay Male it goes. Call it hypocritical or shameful or whatever, but readers who come to lit looking for heterosexual sex are often instantly turned off by the mention of MM sex in any story and they get very angry when you kill their buzz by bringing it in.

Many feel the same about lesbian sex--but usually less so.

(3) BDSM: most stories there are "real deal" type stories meaning that if your story just has a light spanking or a quick bit of bondage in it, then it's probably too tame for the BDSM category. Readers of those stories want the focus, start to finish, to be BDSM.

(4) Interracial: I've always found this a weird and disturbing category. Essentially, readers there are looking for stories of white men/women having sex with stereotypes. This doesn't mean all the stories contain such, but a lot do. If you happen to have a mixed race couple in your story and it's no big deal, then don't bother putting it in interracial. But if your story is about the white guy finding this girl exotic and exciting because she's of a different race--then it's interracial.

(5) Romance: Romance readers want a heterosexual romance. Anything else (anal, bondage, toys) must be kept light. The focus of romance is a romantic story, and you must get into the emotions and thoughts of the characters. Romance readers actually and usually want a story.

(6) Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Non-Human: Confusing, yes? Sci-fi/Fantasy is usually story oriented and involves another universe, either sci-fi or fantasy universe--if you had a werewolf in this category, it'd be a story about a world where werewolves were common and maybe being hunted down. Horror readers want something creepy and dark--a werewolf in this category has to be dark and scary, and things might end very badly for him and his lover. Non-Human is most often a quiet tale that occurs in the past or present day about an encounter between a person and an angel or ghost or something like that. A supernatural romance if you will--this would be a story about lonely woman who falls for a guy in her office and it turns out his a misunderstood werewolf.

(7) Erotic Couplings is a good place if you have a straight hetero couple doing a lot of the "usual" things--anal, toys, voyeurism, etc. Erotic Couplings is a grab-bag category--all it needs is an erotic couple having sex.

E/V would be straight P/V or oral sex. There are so many in this category that stories are posted elsewhere if they fit elsewhere. Anal or toys or voyeurism or a fetish would cause it to go to one of those categories.