How does the Lit organization make money?

[AG31]

I assume it has something to do with the photos displayed when you log on or go to the story side. I drilled down a bit, hoping to hit a point where they asked for money, but I chickened out on getting a membership. How much does this stuff cost? What does "easy access to sex content" mean? Are there other ways that Lit makes money? The totally free forums must be a lot of work just on their own.

 

[StillStunned]

I've always assumed that Laurel and Manu host events where they read stories aloud to a paying audience.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

Same as every non-subscription website. Ads.

 

[AG31]

Same as every non-subscription website. Ads.

Are the only ads those pictures we see on the Story side?

 

[PennyThompson]

Assuming that Lit truly is just two people making it their full time jobs; running on bespoke database software; serving mostly just text (especially now that they've discontinued illustrations); their operating costs are probably pretty modest, and ad revenue is enough for them to keep at it.

I think most people don't realize just how much value and revenue big social media corporations extract from their users and deliver to their shareholders.

When your goal is just to maintain positive net profit and not endless revenue growth every quarter forever, you can actually maintain a quality service over time!

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

Are the only ads those pictures we see on the Story side?

I think so - between that and the sex toys, I think that’s the main revenue.

 

[lovecraft68]

We post stories here for free to get people to read them. Lit charges people to place ads on those story pages. Meaning they make money from work we don't get paid for. However, we can make something indirectly through advertising e-books here and they started the support links a couple of years ago, so they've done something to incentivize those of us who are interested

They also have their toy store and the cams, but I imagine the store is a drop ship percentage deal and the cams same thing, if someone clicks from here, they get a cut.

Know what's funny? Many posters in the GB and PB don't even know there's stories on here and think the forums are the focal point of the site. The self-importance is hilarious.

 

[NotWise]

The toy store and the webcams. I don't know what advertising people see on Lit other than the webcams. I look at that as something they're selling rather than something they're advertising.

The monetization on Lit is pretty limited, and that's one of the site's charms. You can expect that, if Laurel and Manu ever sell the site, the new operators will make it more intrusive.

 

[TheLobster]

Many posters in the GB and PB don't even know there's stories on here and think the forums are the focal point of the site.

There have been several posters in AH that barely seemed to know there's stories on here, but I think they were all banned eventually.

 

[lovecraft68]

There have been several posters in AH that barely seemed to know there's stories on here, but I think they were all banned eventually.

Must be GB moles damn them.

There's also the type here who thinks their stories are the only stories on the site.

 

[lovecraft68]

Gather round for some lit lore from one of the AH's resident old farts.

Many of you may have heard of Scouries, a troll of legendary status. He did some nasty things here, but some of his schtick was so stupid it was amusing in the sense some people believed them.

He insisted he received royalties from lit. That Laurel paid him for every view on his stories.

A couple of people here used to get on the site for not shooting that down because it was misleading.

After years of this Laurel finally replied-it was to Keith D under his former name-and basically said "Why should I have to come out and say something that is so obviously a lie, is a lie?"

He also claimed to runa fake contest called "Air" and I can't recall what it stood for. But he would post the stats of the regular contest but say they were part of his contest and insisted he sent the winners prizes. This got interesting when a couple of author decided to play along and claim they received said prizes.

This place used to be a lot more interesting in a crazy kind of way.

 

[NotWise]

This place used to be a lot more interesting in a crazy kind of way.

Or annoying kind of way?

Scouries was still around when I first signed on. He stopped posting to AH not long after. I was delighted to see him go because he had the most annoying signature on the AH. He did continue on the GB for a while.

 

[lovecraft68]

Or annoying kind of way?

Scouries was still around when I first signed on. He stopped posting to AH not long after. I was delighted to see him go because he had the most annoying signature on the AH. He did continue on the GB for a while.

Wasn't it that statue of "Manu" in his sig?

As time went on I realized Scouries was more than a troll but part of the site. He was always blamed for everything by the defenders of the site, he was the boogeyman in the way Satan was the best thing to happen for the Church. People were united in their annoyance of him which led to more serious issues being ignored. There are serious rumors as to who he really was, but I won't say it on the forum.

The last I heard of him he returned here briefly to say someone had stolen one of his stories and posted it for sale on Smashwords (which was legit, I followed the link)

The crazy thing was, he wasn't a bad writer for the type of stories he wrote, but under his alleged female alt, actually very good and I think had a green E. He also had his amusing moments, something his accomplice Freddie never had, they were just a flat out unmitigated POS

Some of us should start a "tales from literotica" thread.

 

[TheLobster]

Some of us should start a "tales from literotica" thread.

Please do! We the young whippersnappers would appreciate the tales of all you wizened sages

 

[NotWise]

Wasn't it that statue of "Manu" in his sig?

I don't remember that. I remember two variations on the theme, using fairly large photos of young models, and surrounding them with multi-colored text.

Also fairly glad to see Freddie gone, though they were both pretty good writers. Scouries still has a story on the I/T toplist.

Do kinda miss James B Johnson, but I guess he finally got banned enough times.

 

[lovecraft68]

Please do! We the young whippersnappers would appreciate the tales of all you wizened sages

 

[RejectReality]

Freddie's never been gone. Just apparently realized that coming here and showing his ass was shooting himself in the sack. Finally getting a fair shake on his stories absent the retaliatory trolling. Last story came out in January. And no, I won't link him, because he's no longer here trolling and his stories deserve to stand on their own merits despite the despicable shit he did in the past.

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't remember that. I remember two variations on the theme, using fairly large photos of young models, and surrounding them with multi-colored text.

Also fairly glad to see Freddie gone, though they were both pretty good writers. Scouries still has a story on the I/T toplist.

Do kinda miss James B Johnson, but I guess he finally got banned enough times.

JBJ was great and he did have good writing advice. His issue was he was totally not PC, he was the Archie Bunker of the forum, but easy to see he was putting on an act. Unfortunately, a couple of long time members hated him and always pushed to have him banned.

But he also had serious vision issues near the end of his time here and that was the real end of him here. Judging by his age I imagine he may no longer be with us.

But @ChloeTzang and some others can tell you that if you had potential in his eyes he would reach out to you and be happy to help and he did a lot for me back in the day. He used to call me Elsie for some reason, and I'd know it was him in anon comments because he didn't want his trolls to attack me if he liked one of my stories.

He also received a green E under an alt and when people here said show it or you're lying, he refused to do it. He got a kick out of knowing it was real more than feeling the need to prove anything to the herd. I admire him for that. Some of us did see the story but were told to never tell anyone where it was.

 

[SimonDoom]

Please do! We the young whippersnappers would appreciate the tales of all you wizened sages

I arrived at this forum in December 2016, around the tail end of the Freddie and Scouries stuff, and my sense is you didn't miss much. Lots of pointless melodrama and acrimony.

 

[lovecraft68]

Freddie's never been gone. Just apparently realized that coming here and showing his ass was shooting himself in the sack. Finally getting a fair shake on his stories absent the retaliatory trolling. Last story came out in January. And no, I won't link him, because he's no longer here trolling and his stories deserve to stand on their own merits despite the despicable shit he did in the past.

I meant gone from here. They're still writing and I think under SJP.

That alt was the worst with the pretending to be a woman and going on about being raped and abused. Its hard enough for a woman to get anyone to believe that for real without fuckwits like that playing games.

Not sure if you remember they used to claim to live in the Northend of Boston and had mafia ties, until I posted I went to dinner with my wife's family on Hanover street all the time so why don't we meet up. Then suddenly it was "Oh, I moved to Philly some time ago."

 

[lovecraft68]

I arrived at this forum in December 2016, around the tail end of the Freddie and Scouries stuff, and my sense is you didn't miss much. Lots of pointless melodrama and acrimony.

I suppose, but it had its charm as opposed to

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Hah, fools! You have no idea, do you?!

Literotica makes most of its income by selling out information about all of you perverts here to the government.

 

[lovecraft68]

Hah, fools! You have no idea, do you?!

Literotica makes most of its income by selling out information about all of you perverts here to the government.

My search history revolves around Porn, fight scenes, guns, comic books, horror, the occult and let's just say if you saw the movie Se7en every book on John Doe's list I own and I've done a lot of research along those lines. I also enjoy Hieronymus Basch art. What I'm getting at it....Trust me, they already know me.

 

[Actingup]

Hah, fools! You have no idea, do you?!

Literotica makes most of its income by selling out information about all of you perverts here to the government.

I thought they used all the extra ‘emissions’ generated by the stories for weather modification programmes.

 

[lovecraft68]

I thought they used all the extra ‘emissions’ generated by the stories for weather modification programmes.

New meaning to the "heat index'