Any aspiring ebook authors here?

[mangydawg]

Selena Kitt cut her teeth here, then went on to become a very successful author.

I was wondering if other authors here are aspiring to become successful erotica ebook authors, as well. How are you coming along with that? What steps are you taking? You submitting to publishers or going the self publishing route?

I saw the thread where authors can announce their books. I think that's great. How else is Literotica helping ebook authors? Is there a place where authors can post excerpts from their published books?

I've been coming to this site for years to read the stories. I finally joined because, after much inspiration here, I began writing erotica and erotic romance and I wanted to meet some of the authors here. I'm in the South Jersey area, BTW.

 

[lovecraft68]

Hi

welcome to the Ah.

There are quite a few people here who have begun publishing, although I dare say no one with the level of success as Selena.

People here go different routes. Some have publishers some do it themselves.

The advantages of a publisher pretty much depends on how much work you are willing to do. If all you want to do is write then a publisher is the way to go. Just be aware you lose a decent sum of your sales.

The site your book is on gets its cut then the publisher so you may only make half(if that) on a sale.

Self publishing you need to get your book edited, make a cover and learn to format so a lot of extra work, but you are getting your full cut(after site percentage of course)

I was recently approached by a publisher who was interested in my BDSM series The Circle. By the time I was done listening to not only what percentage they wanted, but how many things they wanted me to change I was not impressed. What was equally unimpressive was when they told me all the sites they could put me on.

With the exception of one I'm already on all of them.

Why bother?

But that's my take as I don't like feeling like I need to rely on others and have no issue doing any extra work, which once you get used to doing it is not nearly as hard as publishers would like you to think.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Welcome to the AH.

I also have taken to publishing my works. At Smashwords and Amazon Kindle Store. I am not as prolific as Selena, nor do I so her volume, but I really don't advertise like she does either. It's more of a hobby for me. I don't do great, but I do well.

Everything L.C. has said is true, but I do all that myself. Edit, covers, publish. I like doing my own covers. Editing is a chore, yet it is necessary.

My sig has links to where my website(I did that) which links to where my stuff is sold. Enjoy.

 

[lovecraft68]

The web site is the one thing I am really looking at paying someone to do for me. I have one I did though yahoo, but it sucks and that's my fault because truth be told I have no affinity for that type of thing and hate to spend time on it.

 

[jodiross]

Hi,
I am fairly new here also and I haven't written anything and published it here yet. However, I do have a series of three books on Kindle...they are Awakened, Aroused and Ablaze. I have not done anything yet to promote them, I'm working on that now.

I would not consider using a publisher because they take too darn much of your profits and don't give you much of what your book earns. I know that means I have to do all the work, but I prefer that.

My second huge reason for self-publishing is time. When you publish with a publisher they usually take between 6 months and a year to publish your book. I just don't have the patience to wait that long for a book to come out and start earning some cash. When I write a book, edit it and get the cover ready, format it and so on, I can have it up on Kindle in just a few days after the writing is completed. I love that.

I know that there are folks who love using a publisher but I guess I'm just one of those people who prefer to go out on my own and do what I want.

Good luck with your writing! Let us know how things are going.

Jodi

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Who is Selena Kitt?

I came across a How To article she wrote, and wasn't impressed with the LIT writers who impress her.

Who impresses me is Lawrence Block. He published a shit load of porn in the 50s/60s then cranked out 80? noir novels.

 

[sr71plt]

Who is Selena Kitt?

For starters, she's #12 on the 250 favorite Lit. authors list. Started a publishing house from the ranks of Literotica about 5 years ago, has 99 e-books of her own listed at Allromanceebooks currently, and has won three EPIC awards for erotica in recent years. Self-promoter big time and apparently gets sales results.

Or was this a rhetorical question?

 

[Callicious]

I'm a new author, with a book ready to publish next month. I have been writing a little here to hone some of my skills where I can get feedback on my writing, and can experiment with style to see what works. My book is not erotica, and will be published under a different nom de plume. I find writing here to be fun and relaxing, but am not interested in pursuing erotica as a professional genre.

jc

 

[lovecraft68]

For starters, she's #12 on the 250 favorite Lit. authors list. Started a publishing house from the ranks of Literotica about 5 years ago, has 99 e-books of her own listed at Allromanceebooks currently, and has won three EPIC awards for erotica in recent years. Self-promoter big time and apparently gets sales results.

Or was this a rhetorical question?

Big time is an understatement.

Surprised its only 99. I figured she had a lot more than that. Unless her "library" is bigger on amazon or SW

 

[sr71plt]

I do sometimes wonder who is taking the profit from the 34 titles I still have with eXcessica royalty free--and if those are lumped in with what she claims as income. Her claims seem much higher than ratings with the distributors indicate. But I guess it's good PR to say you are selling that well. The mainstream publishers grossly inflate their publicized profits (but not on their tax forms), so why shouldn't self-publishers? (And unless Selena is being published beyond eXcessica, she's self-publishing her works because she does the selection at eXcessica.) I'll have to remember to go look to see if other houses are publishing her as well. With her awards she should be able to find an e-publisher.

Later: Most in Excessica. Before opening this publishing house she published one with Samhain. She is included in some anthologies published by other houses, mostly Coming Together (which also sprang from Literotica). And one with Fido. I forgot this publisher. It's also her publishing house--and I have one published with Fido as well, so I guess she still has 35 of my titles royalty free. (At the time eXcessica started, I hadn't figured out how to collect profit while remaining anonymous. I since have done so and am with two other publishing houses now.)

 

[lovecraft68]

She is about to take a big hit-along with me and many others-on amazon.

They are further getting on their moral horse and chasing down "pseudo incest"

Which is annoying as this is not incest and not a "crime"

Anyway they will allow it, but you can no longer use mom/dad.mommy/sister or anything like that in a title you can in the description but have to keep it tame.

Now without the use of that word ina title and with the tags already eradicated how can anyone find these books? They cannot.

As you know, incest at one point sold like wildfire there. then it is the "step" stuff that does. Now they are hitting that.

Amazing that amazon-over being too damn stubborn to create and adult kindle store-is costing themselves millions.

But I'm digressing she is about to take a serious hit because most of her best sellers there are those stories.

Time to get creative.

In my last release in the description I said "Father's second wife"

 

[Callicious]

Self-promotion

Nothing wrong with self-promotion. As I was taught years ago when I was doing sales:

He who has a thing to sell
But goes and whispers in the well
Will not make the kind of dollars
As he who climbs a tree and hollars.

if you write it and wait for someone else to promote it you will be waiting a long time, unless of course the profit is there for the promoter.

jc

 

[sr71plt]

No, nothing wrong with self-promotion. Nor has anyone on this thread said it is. If you're self-publishing, it's entirely up to you. Even in mainstream publishing, the author is increasingly expected to work the social network personally.

 

[R. Richard]

The only really effective form of self promotion that has worked for me, is to continue to publish new, quality (I hope) books, mainly in Smashwords or Amazon.

 

[sr71plt]

I get bumps in sales when someone has done a review (favorable or unfavorable) and posted it on B&N and Goodreads, etc.

But I agree that the synergy of continued sales is always to have a fresh one available on order. I've had another one every two weeks for years, although over a range of pen names.

 

[lovecraft68]

That's what seems to work for me. A new book always seems to conjure up some sales on older ones.

I am horrible at social media. Lit is social media I suppose, but I just can't get into blogging, working on a web site is tedious to me and I avoid facebook like the plague, that site is rapidly becoming nothing short of source for cyber bullying, couples ruining their marriage and pedophiles.

I guess I'm one of those stubborn fools who think that old fashioned hard work, and not glory seeking, will get me somewhere.

 

[Fluggs]

The Blanket Hornpipe

This is my book, The Blanket Hornpipe Writing it was easier than marketing it. Can't even give the book away for a review, sometimes...
But then, when someone has read it, 'Oh, I really enjoyed that. Are you writing a sequel?'

'Oh yes, definitely!'

I have made a total of five quid so far... I know, amazing.

There has to be another way! Maybe I'll put it on the shelves of Waterstones; photograph it, pretend to nick it, resist arrest, while screaming at the top of my lungs. Well, that should get me noticed, if not sectioned.

I shall give this some thought, as I say g'night all.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

That's what seems to work for me. A new book always seems to conjure up some sales on older ones.

I am horrible at social media. Lit is social media I suppose, but I just can't get into blogging, working on a web site is tedious to me and I avoid facebook like the plague, that site is rapidly becoming nothing short of source for cyber bullying, couples ruining their marriage and pedophiles.

I guess I'm one of those stubborn fools who think that old fashioned hard work, and not glory seeking, will get me somewhere.

Unless you write a little diddy that those Brits seem to like. For the past year, they have been snapping one of mine up at a 80 - 100 copies a month.

Too bad it's only a short that sells for $.99 and I only get 35% royalties. Maybe I should write a longer version or put a bunch just like it in an anthology and sell it for $9 a hit.

And that's just on Amazon.

 

[sandymonroe]

I use Smashords. to publish my books. The first one is already out:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307658

And I'm writing vol 2. now. I hope it will be published by the end of October.