Category Change

[Phantom300]

So, Up until now, everything I have written was in I/T From what I have read, that seems to be the biggest and easiest to please audience. Just started one that will likely not have any I or any T in it, so It's gotta go somewhere. I figure it will end up in Erotic Couplings, maybe Romance.(I haven't gotten to the first sex scene yet, so we shall see where the muse leads me.) Anyone have any helpful suggestions or recommendations about posting in one of the other categories? Little things to avoid or to make sure to do? Give detailed character descriptions or be just vague enough to let the reader decide? Are details about the location or backgrounds important? Things like that.

 

[RejectReality]

There's nothing universal, even within individual categories, let alone site wide. Write it how you want to write it. I/T isn't any more "easy to please" than any other category, and there's a readership for virtually everything under the sun on Lit.

Even things that are widely considered amateurish such as opening paragraphs of details and measurements and phonetic screams have their fans. If that's what you enjoy writing, you'll undoubtedly find people who will enjoy reading it.

Learning about the readership in different categories shouldn't influence your writing. It should only influence where you place it.

There are some pitfalls in different categories, but they're generally edgier kinks and topics. Erotic Couplings is a grab-bag. Pretty much anything goes there. Romance readers expect romance. Just a sex scene is not what they're looking for. Going into BDSM, anal, fetish, or other edgier kinks may not sit well with romance readers. If you're hitting any of those kinks, you're probably better off going EC even if the story is romantic.

 

[HectorBidon]

I agree with what RejectReality has said. The one thing I might add is the Romance readers also look more favorably on stories that have a happy ending.

 

[PennameWombat]

To add to the above, this is still the best overview of the various Categories that I've ever been able to find.

https://www.literotica.com/s/love-your-readers-categories

It also discusses 'trump' items that are often triggers, to either force a story into a certain category (e.g., incest) or at the least should be highlighted with a tag if it's a minor element.

I don't ignore possible Categories when I write, but I don't try to outguess the readers.

Final point, the site acquisitions editor (Laurel) has the power to assign your story to a different Category than you submit it for, based on her reading of it. It's only happened to me a couple of times (across 43 stories) but as a rule she only seems to do this if there is some overriding factor. One of mine ended up in NonHuman (instead of EC), which initially confused me, because the main female character was human. But when I reread the story with an eye to it being new to me and not knowing the characater, I saw the elements that apparently triggered the change.

 

[Defluer]

My only point to add, I've never successfully submitted anything to Romance before (I tried to do "It's not Always Love at First Sight" but because they were in-laws, her sister was married to his brother, it got thrown into I/T.) so I can't really speak for that category. Most all the other categories I've submitted to though. I'd say just don't expect as big Viewer Counts from the other categories, maybe you'll get it, but don't expect it. My I/T stories land better, but that might be just me.

 

[SimonDoom]

1. Read the article to which Pennamewombat linked. That's the first thing to do.

2. My general view is that you should post your story in the category where it will draw the highest number of readers. What is the erotic essence of the story? Post it to the category that best captures its main appeal. Erotic Couplings is a default category, but it generally does not get high views.

 

[Dearelliot]

I'm new to this...and have no idea what I/t means and have looked around trying to find out ...without success

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm new to this...and have no idea what I/t means and have looked around trying to find out ...without success

Incest/taboo. It's the most popular category of stories at Literotica, by far.

 

[Dearelliot]

Incest/taboo. It's the most popular category of stories at Literotica, by far.

Thanks..