getting erotica published (in a book)

[spelbynder]

Hi, I'm new here, and like most new posters, I'm going to start off with bothersome questions.
I've been writing for years but it never occurred to me to have any of my work published till recently.
The problem is, I haven't (so far) found any publishers, articles, books etc. that will even mention erotica, let alone erotic short stories (my thang).
On line, all I encounter is sleazy porn sites, not serious writers or publishers talking about how to get erotic short stories published or get help with technique or editing (until now, that is--I hope).
Is this board just for people who post their stories on line, or do some of you get published in print?
Can anyone steer me in the right direction?
Thanks so much for any help you can give.

[Edited by spelbynder on 04-27-2001 at 10:29 AM]

 

[Mickie]

Every library has a writer's guide to publishers and agents. Yes, erotica is listed, and it's possible to find a publisher that way. Or you could cruise the net searching under 'publishing erotic literature'. You'll have to wade through a bit of real porn, but there are a few print publishers that put guidelines on the net.
Hope this helps,

Mickie

 

[p_p_man]

I Don't Know What It's Like Where You Are...

...but in the UK most booksellers have an erotica section in the general public areas (ie not hidden away in some sleazy basement).

It makes the buying of this type of literature very easy and most paperbacks have a couple of promotional pages where they list forthcoming Titles, the publishers name address etc, and USUALLY A REQUEST FOR AUTHORS TO SUBMIT THEIR WORK.

Sorry about caps but I didn't want you to miss the main point of this post. I've submitted to them in the past and been paid quite handsomely as well.

If there's no problem in your area about having erotica on display try checking out the promotional pages - usually at the back of the book.

 

[Ulyssa]

Re: I Don't Know What It's Like Where You Are...

If there's no problem in your area about having erotica on display try checking out the promotional pages - usually at the back of the book.

The United States has a long standing double-speak tradition which it likes to call Freedom of Religion. This catch phrase actually stands for freedom to persecute anything which does not agree with MY religion. In some of the large urban centers of the US there may be bookstores which actually promote erotica, but the average "Church Lady" (famous satirical characature on television) cannot see the difference between erotica and pornography. Indeed the old joke about the underwear/lingerie section of the store catalogue beig considered porn is very true in vast spaces of countryside in the Midwest, the South and West.

It sounds to me as if some of us over here would be far better off submitting in England and on the continent then trying to bust into a non-existant genre here in the US.

I live in an area where the Dutch Reformed Church has a stranglehold on everything moralistic. This church fled Holland because they did not have the Freedom to Persecute as they wished in their homeland. As John Melloncamp sang: "Ain't that America."

[Edited by Ulyssa on 04-27-2001 at 05:02 AM]

 

[spelbynder]

thanks and another question

Mickie and PPman, thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know about the publisher's guide (I actually know nothing about getting published).
I looked in the back of some of my erotica anthologies and while they aren't soliciting submissions, they do give info on the various pubs that the stories came from. That should be helpful.
Ulyssa, you are right on the money. I think this idiotic double standard (you can sell toothpaste with a pic of a mostly naked woman, but you can't talk about sex as though you like it) is what makes it so hard for writers of erotica to break into print.
Another question: From the posts I've read, It seems like a great majority of posters simply put their work on line for any passersby to read. Do you write just for the joy of it with no expectation of being published, or are some of you trying to get into print?
PPman, I see that you've been published. Do you still post your work on line and if so, why?

 

[Closet Desire]

Actually...

...it's a lot easier to get published in the US. Sort of those contradictions again. Although you may get picketers from the local Baptist church the freedom to publish what you want is pretty liberal. The US is also a much larger market with a public that is far more willing to order online (where much erotica is actually purchased through B&N.com, Amazon.com, borders.com, etc.). The market here is a fraction of the size and the publishers we are working with here are sucking air. I recently received notice from the court that my first publisher is now in liquidation and our other publisher (a major house) is six months late on the royalty cheques. My US publisher has been fast, pays on time, and ships the books on time. As an added beni they make my books available on Amazon.co.uk so people here can buy them too.

There are some major houses in the US that publish erotica including Carroll and Graf and Penguin. You might also contact Susie Bright on her web site. She edits an enthology of erotica every year. Sadly, the story for erotica writers is pretty much like that for any fiction writers...an overabundance of material. Publishers like to go for those who have published before. Susie Bright publishes previously published stories in her anthology. Still, there are lots of houses that publish erotica with widely varying reputations and reliability. You might also check out some books by Shar Rednour including one about how to earn a living writing erotica. She's rather elusive, but when you find her she's gots lots to tell.

If you really want to get the first one published you might check our our web site. We do publish stories in our anthologies with full attribution, but we don't pay...yet...just give you a free copy of the book. Might not be your cup of tea.

Good luck with it...oh...BTW...I have a folder with 77 rejections letters for my first novel. It's okay, I have a stack of the novel in published form behind me. Perseverence pays off in the long run...sometimes.

 

[p_p_man]

Spelbynder

For a variety of reasons I still post on line.

At Lit I like the site and there's a competition going on at the moment which I'm enjoying.

I sometimes experiment with style and different genres and if a site has a voting system installed or an easy feedback facility it gives me an idea of how my work's received.

I like writing erotica and to get it appoved quickly there's probably no place faster than the net.

As often happen with writers, no matter how much you check it beforehand, once a story is posted large flaws become obvious (a mistake in a name, a clumsy piece of writing...). This gives me a chance to tweak the work before submitting it for publication in the real world.

Although I've been published, writing is still only a hobby -I do have a real job. It's just that I find writing relaxing.

Anyway best of luck in your quest and as Closet Desire says don't be disheartened by rejection slips - most authors collect masses of them.