Category Advice

[pink_silk_glove]

I'm working on a Hallowe'en submission. It's a short expected to come in under 10k. I'm getting to the point where I'm wondering where it will fit. It's a medieval fantasy piece but quite low on the fantasy. It has magic and mysticism but nothing in any sort of epic spectacle. It's a subtle tale. My options seem to be ...

Erotic Horror - Bizarre, shocking, scary, and sometimes sexy.

The magic involved has a dark element but there is nothing that I would consider bizarre nor shocking. There is certainly no overtly macabre events nor images. Would it be too tame for the readers there?

Mind Control - Erotic hypnosis and mind control.

The magic does involve these elements but again I feel that it's likely (far) too subtle for that niche audience. They seem to like their straight up sex slavery don't you think?

NonConsent/Reluctance - Fantasies of control.

The magic involved does blur the lines of consent but again I believe that it's far too subtle and would disappoint.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy - Erotic tales set in futuristic or fantastic worlds.

It's fantasy but it's low. It's not futuristic of course. It probably goes here but again, I think it would underwhelm. How fantastic are the expectations here?

I suppose that there's always EC, the vanilla catch all that no one cares about.

It's the ugly consequence of subtlety in erotica. No one wants it. Hit me over the head with my favorite kink dammit! Bludgeon me with a naughty unicorn! I know I won't win the contest - I'll probably finish last - but at least I'll have written a terrific subtle piece. I appreciate subtlety and plot and there needs to be more of it. That's what matters.

Just where to put it? I don't care about the score, but want to maximize exposure of course.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

You didn't offer that many details, but I believe SciFi&Fantasy is an easy fit. There is a huge variety of stories there, from long, high fantasy or SciFi ones, to short ones like - "I have a magic ring that makes people horny", or simply the stories where one of the characters is a futa without any other true fantasy elements. Readers there will gobble up anything, although there is a slight preference towards longer stories with strong fantasy or SciFi elements.

 

[Altissimus]

I suppose that there's always EC, the vanilla catch all that no one cares about.

Just where to put it? I don't care about the score, but want to maximize exposure of course.

I'm not sure 'no one cares about' is fair to EC, and if 'maximum exposure' is your goal then I believe EC would serve that purpose better than the other categories you've suggested.

It's the ugly consequence of subtlety in erotica. No one wants it.

Yeah, fuck the masses. I happen to be a big fan of subtlety.

 

[Winter_Fare]

Erotic Horror - Bizarre, shocking, scary, and sometimes sexy.

The magic involved has a dark element but there is nothing that I would consider bizarre nor shocking. There is certainly no overtly macabre events nor images. Would it be too tame for the readers there?

Perhaps not too tame, but this category has a tiny readership. It tends to vote high, but you get 1-2k reads in the first month tops.

Mind Control - Erotic hypnosis and mind control.

The magic does involve these elements but again I feel that it's likely (far) too subtle for that niche audience. They seem to like their straight up sex slavery don't you think?

Agreed. It's a specific kink and readers might be disappointed if your story doesn't contain much direct mind control. Readership is a similar volume to NC

NonConsent/Reluctance - Fantasies of control.

The magic involved does blur the lines of consent but again I believe that it's far too subtle and would disappoint.

Not necessarily, and from experience you get a high number of views in NC if that's more important to you. 2-4k.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy - Erotic tales set in futuristic or fantastic worlds.

It's fantasy but it's low. It's not futuristic of course. It probably goes here but again, I think it would underwhelm. How fantastic are the expectations here?

SF stories do better with detailed world building and exotic characters. I had a story moved from SF to EH because it flopped there, it's done better since but as I said before EH is too small tbh. SF is definitely not better than EC for number of readers.

Just where to put it? I don't care about the score, but want to maximize exposure of course.

I'd say EC or Non con on balance.

 

[Bamagan]

For whatever it's worth, there's definitely an appetite in the MC category for stuff other than sex slavery. At any rate, my main story lacks it, and has little overt mind control even, and has been generally well-received there. But lacking those elements does probably put a lower ceiling on it, since the category obviously draws those types of reader in relatively large numbers.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I'd go with fantasy. The audience seems to be tolerant of anything.

My Leinyere stories weren't too fantastical, apart from a humanoid cat and they both did well.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I’m having a similar issue with a Karaoke Event story. My heart says Mind Control, so that’s where I’m putting it.

When in doubt, follow your gut! It sounds like it would fit in Sci-Fi/Fantasy to me, and my experience is that the crowd is welcoming there and they love to read, so you don’t have to sacrifice readership for genre placement. Just give a few cautions on things you feel might upset people and it should do nicely there.

 

[RejectReality]

Sci-Fi & Fantasy readers are open to a wide range. I've even put pseudo-historical pieces that have no magic, fights, etc. there with no pushback.

If there's anything otherworldly going on, it's always an option. It's not usually a question of whether it fits Sci-Fi & Fantasy, but rather whether it would find a larger accepting audience elsewhere.