Male literary agent who handles erotica

[AllardChardon]

I am searching for the elusive male literary agent in the wilds of the erotica forest. Has anyone seen a single one? I have searched list after list of female agents who supposedly handle erotica, but it ends up really being erotic romance geared for women. I do not have anything against women or homosexuals. I would like an agent who wants to represent an author who writes for the heterosexual male reader and his sexual preferences. There have been men who read erotica through the ages, surely there are a few descendants left? Is there no market for this kind of erotica in today's world? What happened to the men who use their brains as their largest sex toy? They can't all be on the porn sites with pictures, can they? Help!

 

[impressive]

Why?

The paucity of literary agents (male OR female) for erotica is probably because the major publishing houses don't publish much of it. Erotic romance, yes. Literary erotica? Not so much.

To get into the houses that DO publish erotica, one doesn't NEED an agent. So why give an agent a cut of your proceeds? Keep your money.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'm very intrigued by the idea of erotica geared towards men-- as opposed to the just plain ol' smut that most men (maybe?) read in Hustler and Penthouse...

I'd think there's plenty of quality hetero, male-oriented writing here at lit. I KNOW that a lot of men read women-written erotica as default-- wanting more than just a pussy-fest along with their boner.

Allan, come talk to us!

 

[Emperor_Nero]

The question I have is why he requires a male agent
Why can't a female agent handle the selling and promoting of work oriented toward a male audience? I mean connections and contacts are connections and contacts and a good agent has plenty of both.
Or does he think they won't recognize the quality of his work because they aren't the audience the work is intended for?
Just curious

 

[Stella_Omega]

Nero, it's because the agents in question know the women's erotica market-- and honestly, right now, I don't think there is an official men's erotica market. As I said in Allen's duplicate post, it's a market niche just waiting to be filled.

 

[Emperor_Nero]

Nero, it's because the agents in question know the women's erotica market-- and honestly, right now, I don't think there is an official men's erotica market. As I said in Allen's duplicate post, it's a market niche just waiting to be filled.

OK ... I misunderstood the original post. And I agree, I don't think there's enough of an official men's erotica market that agents are going to waste their time on it yet. They go where the money is and if there isn't much being done, they won't waste their time.

Like Imp said though, most of the publishing houses (print and e-book) that deal with erotica don't require an agent anyway. So I'd say pick a publisher that seems to match the work and submit according to their guidelines.

And good luck Allard, whatever route you choose.

 

[Stella_Omega]

OK ... I misunderstood the original post. And I agree, I don't think there's enough of an official men's erotica market that agents are going to waste their time on it yet. They go where the money is and if there isn't much being done, they won't waste their time.

Like Imp said though, most of the publishing houses (print and e-book) that deal with erotica don't require an agent anyway. So I'd say pick a publisher that seems to match the work and submit according to their guidelines.

And good luck Allard, whatever route you choose.

I've gotten it wrong twice, my apologies....

I have the feeling we are on the cusp of a great new genre!

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I'm very intrigued by the idea of erotica geared towards men-- as opposed to the just plain ol' smut that most men (maybe?) read in Hustler and Penthouse...

I'd think there's plenty of quality hetero, male-oriented writing here at lit. I KNOW that a lot of men read women-written erotica as default-- wanting more than just a pussy-fest along with their boner.

Allan, come talk to us!

I, for one, have long felt that women write better erotica than we do. Most of my "Favorites" are female-authored. I think part of the appeal is that I know how I feel, how they feel intrigues me.

 

[gauchecritic]

I, for one, have long felt that women write better erotica than we do. Most of my "Favorites" are female-authored. I think part of the appeal is that I know how I feel, how they feel intrigues me.

That deserves a thread of its own. Oh wait we already did that about a hundred times 'do men and women write differently'. (I think the answer was yes, but not necessarily)

 

[sr71plt]

Why?

The paucity of literary agents (male OR female) for erotica is probably because the major publishing houses don't publish much of it. Erotic romance, yes. Literary erotica? Not so much.

To get into the houses that DO publish erotica, one doesn't NEED an agent. So why give an agent a cut of your proceeds? Keep your money.

I agree with this. Agents only come into play where there is more than enough profit projected from the book project to cover them as well as the author and publishing house and distributor and retail points. Erotica rarely reaches this level of expectation. Most erotica publishers are operating on a wish and a prayer and a shoestring themselves. When the money is there in that segment of the industry, you won't have to wonder where the agents for it are; they'll be in your face.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I, for one, have long felt that women write better erotica than we do. Most of my "Favorites" are female-authored. I think part of the appeal is that I know how I feel, how they feel intrigues me.

I seem to recall that back in the old days, MEN were so acknowledged the masters of fiction that Dracula and Frankenstein both were published under nom de plumes. Franz Liszt published his sister's music for her-- or was that some other musician, I forget... I betcha men could write excellent erotica if they really tried...

Aside from my being silly, it occurs to me that the 'romance' category of wish-fulfilment reading is matched, for men, by the thriller/spy/war novels. And the ratio of sex in those often parallels that of romances-- the Manly Hero gets laid once.

Now that romances have become more explicit, have thrillers etc. also become more explicit? In fact, there is a new designation in the romance category; "Romantica." Shouldn't there be a corresponding new "Thrillerotica" designation?

 

[THROBBS]

Interesting.
I started a kinda-sorta similar thread in the GB (I know, I know! Stooopid).
It was about the specialty niche of books of erotic illustrations. Not erotic graphic novels per se.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I seem to recall that back in the old days, MEN were so acknowledged the masters of fiction that Dracula and Frankenstein both were published under nom de plumes.

Whoa whoa whoa... I know Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein... but are you telling me that Dracula was written by a woman!?!

Shouldn't there be a corresponding new "Thrillerotica" designation?

You need to copyright this. NOW.

 

[THROBBS]

Whoa whoa whoa... I know Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein... but are you telling me that Dracula was written by a woman!?!

yes.

A rather "handsome" woman.... Bramhilda Stoker.

 

[Stella_Omega]

yes.

A rather "handsome" woman.... Bramhilda Stoker.

Oh look, she wears her beard the same way I do!

 

[THROBBS]

Oh look, she wears her beard the same way I do!

Teehee!
But you wear it so much better than she!

 

[Stella_Omega]

Oh, you say that to all the bearded ladies...

 

[shereads]

That deserves a thread of its own. Oh wait we already did that about a hundred times 'do men and women write differently'. (I think the answer was yes, but not necessarily)

Yes, and no.

 

[Guest]

Yes, and no.

Which one was yes, go ahead and destroy Russia... or number 2?

 

[shereads]

Isn't the "Best of Erotica" anthology series marketed to both men and women?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Isn't the "Best of Erotica" anthology series marketed to both men and women?

To women and men, I think-- a subtle distinction. :

 

[shereads]

To women and men, I think-- a subtle distinction. :

Don't forget their "Little Golden Books" line of illustrated erotica for young readers.

 

[THROBBS]

Oh, you say that to all the bearded ladies...

NEVER!

You are the only bearded lady in my life. The rest are just stubble!

 

[Guest]

yes.

A rather "handsome" woman.... Bramhilda Stoker.

She scares me.

Maharat

 

[Stella_Omega]

She scares me.

Maharat

She should, she's a horror writer!