Can you be an Erotica author and normal author too?

[SuperWriter]

My dream is to be an author and am sitting on five novels - fantasy, romance and scf-fi. However, getting them marketed, etc has been a nightmare. I liked erotica too and just wrote an incest story to throw up on here and did way better than I thought.

So, I started publishing and have made some good money without any marketing at all and with only a few books. Doing research, I learned you gotta spit these books out to stay hot and stay visible, but that means devoting all my writing time to erotica. What should I do?


I hide my identity because I don't want to be linked to incest, etc and rather avoid judgment

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

If you're sitting on five novel ideas, and your dream is to have them published, get to cracking on those. If you're enjoying the erotica scene, ride that wave as long as you can. It will be hard to do both without compromising quality, IMHO.

 

[TxRad]

If you want to do both, you have to have a split personality with the erotic one buried deep. I got lucky. I posted a non-erotic story here at Lit that was right up the alley that a publishing house was looking for. A friend of one of the editor in charge of the project passed the story along. We corresponded, I wrote a half dozen chapters along the lines of what i thought they wanted. That led to a three book deal.

The only problem I ran into was with their legal department. My erotic writing had to go completely. That didn't happen. I walked out of the meeting and took my writing with me. Before i reached the lobby, the head of the publishing hose caught up with me and said we could work something out.

So now I have three completely separate identities. The third is with another branch of the same publishing house that specializes in young adult books.

Of course, my output here at Lit has suffered greatly. Now lit is my relaxing fun time. A break from the grind of mainstream writing where you have rules and guidelines you have to stay inside of.

So yes, you can do both but it takes timing and time. Getting a publishers eye is the hard part. Like I said, I got lucky.

 

[SamScribble]

Like Tx, I am three different authors. And I go to considerable lengths to ensure that there is never more that one in the room at any one time.

 

[FaeLissa]

Like Tx, I am three different authors. And I go to considerable lengths to ensure that there is never more that one in the room at any one time.

There is so much naughty thoughts in my head now.

 

[GrandTeton]

I think you are quite evil, and I love you for it.

 

[psiberzerker]

Piers Anthony. John Varley...

 

[someoneyouknow]

Anne Rice has no problem doing so.

 

[psiberzerker]

I actually started as a Science Fiction Writer, and eventually joined ASSTR for free publishing. You see, you can get published, and readers, just by adding sex scenes, and calling it "Erotic." It doesn't even have to be all that erotic, just enough for the readers to be satisfied.

I suggest you start with a Good love-scene. Regardless of Genre, if it's an Erotic site, they came here for teh fucking, so get on with it. Tease in there whatever the plot you want to take away from it. They could be interrupted by gunshots, rush to the window, and see a body lying in the street without it being a "Snuff" story.

BANG! Murder Mystery. This goes for any, and all genres. If you want to write a Novel, break it up into Chapters, throw in some erotic content, or at least a teaser in each one, and rely on your skills as a Novelest to keep their interest in the non-erotic parts. When the publisher/editor says "Is this porn, or ..." Then you can submit another manuscript you wrote, with only the sex scenes taken out.

[He stopped kissing her just long enough to turn out the light...

- - -​

In the morning...]

It's not an either or situation. It doesn't even make it all that difficult, if you're any good at novelization.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Clive Barker made his name in horror with heavy erotic elements (cf. "The Hellbound Heart", among others) but has also written some well-received children's fantasy ("The Thief of Always", "Abarat").

 

[JasonClearwater]

My dream is to be an author and am sitting on five novels - fantasy, romance and scf-fi. However, getting them marketed, etc has been a nightmare. I liked erotica too and just wrote an incest story to throw up on here and did way better than I thought.

So, I started publishing and have made some good money without any marketing at all and with only a few books. Doing research, I learned you gotta spit these books out to stay hot and stay visible, but that means devoting all my writing time to erotica. What should I do?


I hide my identity because I don't want to be linked to incest, etc and rather avoid judgment

Not going to tell you what you should do, because there are two paths you could go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on.

I'll just tell you what I did in a similar situation.

I wrote novels, published a couple, then while others were being beta read and edited, I came here to learn how to write smut. Unfortunately, that became more fun for a bit, and I neglected 'real' writing. Basically, I'm just pissing about with the stuff I write here. Experimenting and having fun.

I will say, I find it nigh on impossible to write both concurrently, not just because of time constraints, but because 'real' novels take a lot more time and effort and headspace, and I can't divide my time like that.

As to success, money - others can speak to that, I write, but I give not two tosses about money, and so haven't done what's necessary to market my work.

Either way, it's going to be hard to make money. For me, I do what makes me happy at that moment.

Good luck.

Edit: Forgot to mention, seems to me those who write here instead of selling books, who have Patreons, make more $$ than 'published' authors, other than the biggies.

 

[psiberzerker]

As to success, money - others can speak to that, I write, but I give not two tosses about money, and so haven't done what's necessary to market my work.

You ever heard about the "Starving artist?" Okay, don't depend on making money, any money at this. None, plan for not making a single cent, and write for you. That's art, that's what makes you an artist.

The moment you start to market your work WHILE writing it, the moment you start making decisions based on whether you think people will buy it if Anastasia does this, or you use that metaphore, it becomes Compromised.

You can sell out, and still never make a single cent. Still never be read to the end by a single reader, especially with Erotica, because even with a compelling story, there's every possibility they will get off partway through the love scene, and never come back to it.

Write for you, if you're lucky, you might get rich and famous. If you're the best novelist on Earth you may still "Fail" to become rich and famous. The exceptions are exceptions. Always, and you're the last person to judge how talented you are.

Don't plan on being the lucky few that become rich and famous, at anything.

 

[katestyle]

I work freelance, mainly writing lifestyle articles for the newspapers weekend supplements. The money is fine but I don't get much artistic satisfaction. I write the occasional erotica for free: in return I get much more satisfaction both artistically and emotionally. Depends what the writer is after, money or pushing out the envelope for personal satisfaction. You can't have both, unless you are a literary genius.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Back up for a second - are you saying Literotica authors aren't normal?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Back up for a second - are you saying Literotica authors aren't normal?

EB takes a moment to look around. "No, it all seems perfectly fine around here. All completely normal. Second and third heads, all present and correct."

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well, I can seperate the two but I love writing long hot sex scenes. Hmmmmm.

 

[JasonClearwater]

You ever heard about the "Starving artist?" Okay, don't depend on making money, any money at this. None, plan for not making a single cent, and write for you. That's art, that's what makes you an artist.

The moment you start to market your work WHILE writing it, the moment you start making decisions based on whether you think people will buy it if Anastasia does this, or you use that metaphore, it becomes Compromised.

You can sell out, and still never make a single cent. Still never be read to the end by a single reader, especially with Erotica, because even with a compelling story, there's every possibility they will get off partway through the love scene, and never come back to it.

Write for you, if you're lucky, you might get rich and famous. If you're the best novelist on Earth you may still "Fail" to become rich and famous. The exceptions are exceptions. Always, and you're the last person to judge how talented you are.

Don't plan on being the lucky few that become rich and famous, at anything.

I love the way you agree with people so aggressively, they need to re-read your posts just to make sure that's what's happening.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

EB takes a moment to look around. "No, it all seems perfectly fine around here. All completely normal. Second and third heads, all present and correct."

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I totally agree with psiberzerker.

But I am comforted by the FACT that a HUGE number of people in the world either have read what I wrote, or have talked about it...

...and that's on account I wrote the 'dodgy dossier;' or at least that part of it (the recent one, not the 'September dossier') which was seen as 'salacious' if not 'dodgy!'

Christopher Steele is a phucken' idiot btw - I fed it to him, and he bit. Fair enough I fed it to him from a 'dead-drop' node in back of the Cosmos Club in Washington DC one time, and then just two days later, from his own share-desk in Whites, St James.

There was a bit of 'art' going on there, let me tell you.