Genre Choice

[CiaoSteve]

Looking for a steer on genre...

Story Length - 46k words
Synopsis- Wife has a fantasy about another woman being with her husband. She arranges a deception at a masquerade ball to set up her husband with her best friend. As the deception takes hold, she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

Genre - should it be Romance, or Erotic Couplings, or Novel (due to the length)?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Looking for a steer on genre...

Story Length - 46k words
Synopsis- Wife has a fantasy about another woman being with her husband. She arranges a deception at a masquerade ball to set up her husband with her best friend. As the deception takes hold, she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

Genre - should it be Romance, or Erotic Couplings, or Novel (due to the length)?

You've not said where the story is going, whether there's a mystical element about to be introduced. Need more context.

 

[Bramblethorn]

As the deception takes hold, she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

Leaving readers wondering is fine for a back-cover blurb, but if you want informed advice you need to tell us what that "different door" is. How does the story resolve?

 

[dirk2024]

Looking for a steer on genre...

Story Length - 46k words
Synopsis- Wife has a fantasy about another woman being with her husband. She arranges a deception at a masquerade ball to set up her husband with her best friend. As the deception takes hold, she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

Genre - should it be Romance, or Erotic Couplings, or Novel (due to the length)?

One option, depending on ElectricBlue's request for more context, would be Fetish. There is a kink called cuckqueaning, where a wife recruits a woman to service her husband, often "reclaiming" him afterwards. As with all of the kinks, there are shades of gray around this, so perhaps a little research/exploration would be good if you want to go in this direction.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Looking for a steer on genre...

Story Length - 46k words
.

or Novel (due to the length)?

Novel, ONLY.

 

[Britva415]

she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

What is the part you aren't saying, here?

"Different door" means what? What IS that realization?

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Novel, ONLY.

Or maaaaybe just tag it 'Too long for Five_Inch_Heels'

 

[nice90sguy]

Wife has a fantasy about another woman being with her husband

Is this really a thing? I did a slight double-take -- unless it's YAMF (yet another male fantasy).

"Husband has a fantasy about another man being with his wife" is common ofc, but I havent seen it the other way round before

 

[dirk2024]

Is this really a thing? I did a slight double-take -- unless it's YAMF (yet another male fantasy).

"Husband has a fantasy about another man being with his wife" is common ofc, but I havent seen it the other way round before

Yep, it's a thing.

https://blog.kinkly.com/what-is-a-cuckquean-myth-or-reality/

 

[Britva415]

Is this really a thing? I did a slight double-take -- unless it's YAMF (yet another male fantasy).

"Husband has a fantasy about another man being with his wife" is common ofc, but I havent seen it the other way round before

It's common enough that there's a term for it: Cuckquean. Sure, you might still believe that just because of that it doesn't mean it's not a projection, but beware contempt-prior-to-investigation.

 

[anthrodisiac]

That's more a novella than a novel to me, but it is Novels & Novella, so kinda beside the point.

Identify the main theme and who your target audience is with this.

Is the main focus on the cucking (i.e. the couple doing the fucking, then maybe Fetish), is the wife watching (maybe E&V), is it about the strength of the wife/husband relationship (probably Romance), is the cucking a one-time fling or series of flings (maybe Erotic Coupling)?

Who's your target demographic group? Do you think this will appeal more to the Romance crowd (possibly not, due to cucking elements, unless the bond between the wife/husband is strengthed and the story is about that), the Fetish/cuck crowd (who may or may not be turned off by the length* and non-fetish aspects), people who enjoy reading about a series of hookups (EC crowd**), or is it for the crowd**** that enjoys the fact that the wife is watching (E&V)?

* Insert joke here
** That was the fourth time I wrote "crows" instead of "crowd"***
*** DAMN IT!!! Spelled it "crows" again!
**** FINALLY spelled it right!*****
***** Clearly the gods want me to write about crows.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Crowqueens?

 

[anthrodisiac]

Crowqueens?

Damn it, I have enough plot bunnies as it is without a swarm of sexy royal crow ladies showing up and figuring out how to use sticks to unlock my front door.

 

[ADirtyPerv]

Damn it, I have enough plot bunnies as it is without a swarm of sexy royal crow ladies showing up and figuring out how to use sticks to unlock my front door.

Crowqueans. They unlock your door to convince you to fuck their raven* in front of them.

*Cuz why not have a murder of sex-crows hooking up with a single hunky raven guy.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Crowqueans. They unlock your door to convince you to fuck their raven* in front of them.

*Cuz why not have a murder of sex-crows hooking up with a single hunky raven guy.

I know it's supposed to be "quens" (did vaguely know the root, did not know it was as old as the 1500s though ), but my brain is really struggling to see it as anything other than a typo of "queens" And then the only image in my head was crow women in coronation-style crowns, so there we go.

I do already have a very suave raven guy. More exclusive sex club host than hunky, but I think if I tossed him out front he'd be down to get murder-ed.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Looking for a steer on genre...

Story Length - 46k words
Synopsis- Wife has a fantasy about another woman being with her husband. She arranges a deception at a masquerade ball to set up her husband with her best friend. As the deception takes hold, she realises this isn't just about her fantasy, nor is it a game, but it could be an opening to a different door.

Genre - should it be Romance, or Erotic Couplings, or Novel (due to the length)?

Sounds like Loving Wives. Certainly kink-wise it's the only fit. You will get far more views/votes/comments there than any of those other choices. This will bomb in Romance as anything that isn't monogamy gets shit on there (and it will get less views than LW).

If the wife gets in on the sex action it could qualify for group, but while it may score better then than LW it won't nearly get the audience, so if it were up to me, I wouldn't bother.

As for N/N, well again, it won't nearly get the audience but if it does go there it better have some plot. If this is simply "guy wants to sleep around but doesn't want to damage his marriage, but it turns out that his wife is actually into it and hands him his fantasy on a platter!!!" and they just engage in 46k of kinky sex, I wouldn't bother with N/N because it's not a plot, it's a kink porn story. But if it has twists and turns and tests their relationship and there are genuine emotional ups and downs, you could try there. But again you'll get way more views/votes/comments and raise your author profile (gain following) if you post to LW.

I think it's pretty clear that this is an LW story and not much thought should be given to anywhere else.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think I agree with PSG. If it's from the wife's POV, and it's her fantasy, then maybe try Loving Wives. It will have the biggest readership there, by far, and probably the most interactive readership, although you may have to deal with some of the usual nuts.

 

[CiaoSteve]

Sorry, I was way too brief... the better half was pressurising me to go to bed (for sleep not sex )

Let me give a little more context. It's an entry for the April Fools contest (hence the ball and the deception). The story starts with the wife introducing her husband to her best friend and gym buddy (F) at a Christmas party. The two women look remarkably similar which catches the husband's attention. The wife notices and it triggers a couple of fantasies she had always had; one of seeing her husband with her another woman (or in this case her gym buddy), and the other of bringing another woman (the gym buddy) into their relationship, both for her (FF) and for them (MFF).

The story concentrates on the first fantasy and starts with the build up to the deception as the wife hints to the husband about her fantasy and convinces him to go with her to a masked ball (not really his scene and she doesn't ever admit to her plans). At the ball there is a switch (a dress swap) and the gym buddy ends up with the husband, hoping sparks may fly, whilst the wife intends to watch on. As she stars to watch, the wife realises her fantasy is more than simply watching, and leaves them to it. The story ends with the aftermath of whatever shenanigans took place at the ball and with the three of them trying to digest what it means and where it goes next. The open door (sorry that was poor of me) is simply an offer that there could be more, but only if all three of them want the same.

I tend to stay away from LW (for obvious reasons) and I don't really see the story as Cuckqueen, but more about exploration and fantasy (not in the mythical sense... another bad of me). My tendency would be to head towards Romance, but I'm not sure how the deception piece would land. Erotic Couplings is the catch all where it could fit. Don't think it is kinky enough to be Fetish as other than the deception element there isn't anything too untoward. So the other option would be Novels and Novellas, albeit I'm not sure how big an audience this gets.

Not sure why I keep doing this, but I do have a habit of writing across genres at times, hence the question around recommendations on genre.

Hope this makes more sense.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I tend to stay away from LW (for obvious reasons) and I don't really see the story as Cuckqueen, but more about exploration and fantasy (not in the mythical sense... another bad of me). My tendency would be to head towards Romance, but I'm not sure how the deception piece would land.

Like a lead ballon, in Romance. I think that category prefers sweetness and light.

Erotic Couplings is the catch all where it could fit.

Yes, it would fit there okay.

Don't think it is kinky enough to be Fetish as other than the deception element there isn't anything too untoward.

With the clarifications you've now given, agree, there's nothing fetishy about it.

So the other option would be Novels and Novellas, albeit I'm not sure how big an audience this gets.

If you want to go somewhere and die, that's an option

Not sure why I keep doing this, but I do have a habit of writing across genres at times, hence the question around recommendations on genre.

Hope this makes more sense.

My first thought, to be honest (without knowing exactly what the "transformation theme" was really all about) was LW, but I can see why you mightn't want to go there.

So, reading through the range of responses, we've been no help whatsoever. You're going to have to decide for yourself, but you probably knew that anyway.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I tend to stay away from LW (for obvious reasons) and I don't really see the story as Cuckqueen, but more about exploration and fantasy (not in the mythical sense... another bad of me). My tendency would be to head towards Romance, but I'm not sure how the deception piece would land. Erotic Couplings is the catch all where it could fit. Don't think it is kinky enough to be Fetish as other than the deception element there isn't anything too untoward. So the other option would be Novels and Novellas, albeit I'm not sure how big an audience this gets.

All right, you can see it any way that you want but as a kink, it's cuckquean 100% and by far its best fit is LW. Your original post smelled like "how do I keep this out of LW?" and now that is confirmed. So if you're that afraid of LW, don't post there, but what you have to really ask yourself is whether you are writing more from your heart or more from your ego. If you write from your ego, then it's all about people telling you good things and no one telling you bad things. If that's how you truly feel then by all means publish anywhere else but LW (or Romance, you will score just as badly). But if you are writing from your heart and have a story to tell and share with the widest audience that will share the kink, it's LW 100%.

Remember ...

~ if you post in N/N (or whatever) you get 1000 people like you 200 don't like you and the rest ignore you.
~ if you post in LW 10,000 people like you, 5.000 hate you and very few ignore you.

Which category gets more likes for this story? Which category grows more fanbase for you?

So, if you write to reach the most fans (heart), LW is 100% where to go, but if you write to not be hated (ego) then publish it anywhere else.

 

[HordHolm]

Sorry, I was way too brief... the better half was pressurising me to go to bed (for sleep not sex )

Let me give a little more context. It's an entry for the April Fools contest (hence the ball and the deception). The story starts with the wife introducing her husband to her best friend and gym buddy (F) at a Christmas party. The two women look remarkably similar which catches the husband's attention. The wife notices and it triggers a couple of fantasies she had always had; one of seeing her husband with her another woman (or in this case her gym buddy), and the other of bringing another woman (the gym buddy) into their relationship, both for her (FF) and for them (MFF).

The story concentrates on the first fantasy and starts with the build up to the deception as the wife hints to the husband about her fantasy and convinces him to go with her to a masked ball (not really his scene and she doesn't ever admit to her plans). At the ball there is a switch (a dress swap) and the gym buddy ends up with the husband, hoping sparks may fly, whilst the wife intends to watch on. As she stars to watch, the wife realises her fantasy is more than simply watching, and leaves them to it. The story ends with the aftermath of whatever shenanigans took place at the ball and with the three of them trying to digest what it means and where it goes next. The open door (sorry that was poor of me) is simply an offer that there could be more, but only if all three of them want the same.

I tend to stay away from LW (for obvious reasons) and I don't really see the story as Cuckqueen, but more about exploration and fantasy (not in the mythical sense... another bad of me). My tendency would be to head towards Romance, but I'm not sure how the deception piece would land. Erotic Couplings is the catch all where it could fit. Don't think it is kinky enough to be Fetish as other than the deception element there isn't anything too untoward. So the other option would be Novels and Novellas, albeit I'm not sure how big an audience this gets.

Not sure why I keep doing this, but I do have a habit of writing across genres at times, hence the question around recommendations on genre.

Hope this makes more sense.

An option I would suggest is to take the story to the next step many readers would expect - an MFF threesome, whether from a polyamory perspective, or simply some no strings fun. With this as a conclusion, that would then give you the option of Group. I understand why you might want to leave the ending open, but it does make the category more difficult. Another option is to go with the EC catch-all category, of course.

 

[CiaoSteve]

An option I would suggest is to take the story to the next step many readers would expect - an MFF threesome, whether from a polyamory perspective, or simply some no strings fun. With this as a conclusion, that would then give you the option of Group. I understand why you might want to leave the ending open, but it does make the category more difficult. Another option is to go with the EC catch-all category, of course.

That was my thought around a sequel... I was concerned 46k words was already getting a bit long

 

[HordHolm]

That was my thought around a sequel... I was concerned 46k words was already getting a bit long

In which case you do have another option: if the wife finds that the sight of her husband with her BFF does more than trigger a fantasy, if it actually is part of the fantasy, and she finds sexual satisfaction just from the sight, then you can go in the direction of Exhibition/Voyeur.

 

[nice90sguy]

Are cuckquean stories predominantly read by women imagining themselves as the cucked, or by men who fantasize about consensual two-timing?
Ive seen a lot of stories definitely by guys for guys, where being the cuckold is the turn-on. But naively it never occurred to me than women can get turned on at the thought of it too. hm.

 

[CiaoSteve]

So, I am starting to wonder if I should buy a crash helmet and dip my toes back into LW. The last time I did the response was generally positive but the ratings were not, although the rest of that series did pretty well outside of LW. One for me to ponder on, but I do appreciate your input guys.