Publishing outside of literotica?

[bratattack]

Hello there! I typically write fantasy, but I wanted to add a bit of dark romance in my current wip. I realized very quickly that I can’t even say penis without blushing, so I decided to try to write something “clean” to see if it can still be erotic. I posted it here in the summer and got some good feedback, which gave me the confidence to keep going and post a few more little chapters. Now I’m kind of thinking about trying to expand the story and write it into a novella and publish it on kindle vella or something.

Does anyone have experience doing this, or any other publishing outside of Literotica? I’ve heard that some publishers/publishing sites won’t allow erotic literature. Do sites like Patreon help at all? What’s your experience?

 

[8letters]

From what I've seen posted to the AH, it's not worth the trouble trying to make money off of one novel. There's so much erotica out there that one more novella is just a drop in the ocean.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Unless you churn out content on a regular basis, and keep feeding the machine, there's little or no money in it. There are some writers who have monetised their erotica content on the back of their following on Lit, and cudos to them, but they've all got paying jobs or other sources of income.

I gave it a go several years ago, made me some nice covers and got some sales, but it simply wasn't worth the effort. There's so much free erotica content around these days, it's naive to think you'll make a buck trying to sell more.

 

[KeithD]

I wouldn't bother for only a few works or for sporadic offering. It can make you a little money if you publish regularly, at least quarterly and reach an audience with it (I've averaged 22 published works per year over the past ten years), but it won't make you a living in erotica. The market has been flooded over that last decade, so there's less and less to make from it.

 

[Wifetheif]

I primarily write and post on Amazon. My fiancee is a wiz at photoshop and supplies my covers for no cost. She gives me a consistent look across the platform and sometimes people purchase the entire series of twenty-something books at one go. No, I don't make a ton of money and I do have a pension and a part-time job. BUT I usually sell enough each month to cover several bills, such as my credit card expenses. True, I found a niche that was wide open and I have built a sizable fan base on forums that cater to my market. This month, I've sold over 100 books. To sell, you have to stand out and find an underserved market. Amazon is a bit cagey with erotica. You will get in trouble with words like "slave" and implied nonconsent in the titles. Your covers also have to be tasteful -- no exposed nipple. I still post from time to time here at L-com, but only for things I don't think I can monetize. I really appreciate L-com for making me a much better writer. Some of my early stories really make me cringe. Proofreading is important too. I had a bit of an advantage going the self-published route because, before I even started writing erotica, I was publishing award-winning nonfiction for an academic press. I knew pretty much what I was doing before I started. I began posting here to work on things like dialogue and story structure and, of course, for the practice which every writer needs. Even if my books don't make a tremendous amount of money ... money is money. Amazon also gives you world markets. I regularly sell not only in English-speaking countries such as Britain, Canada, and Australia but also Germany and Japan!

 

[lovecraft68]

I'll chime in that you're not going to make a full time living out of it. I make a little over a thousand a month, but at this point have 201 published works spread out on different sites and pen names and since 2011.

The argument that you won't get anywhere with one, or even a few books is mostly correct, but...

Go for it anyway, because there have been lightning in a bottle instances. A lit author here(for the life of me I can't remember their name, it was some time ago) published a sci-fi/erotic novel that made bank, sold tens of thousands of copies and he went to writing full time. I know the sequel did just as well, not sure after that.

I know a BDSM author from here who didn't do nearly as well, but came out with a book that grabbed several hundred sales a months.

So, I guess I'm saying even if you only have the one novel, it doesn't cost hardly anything to give it a shot. You never know.

 

[Ada Stuart]

Hello there! I typically write fantasy, but I wanted to add a bit of dark romance in my current wip. I realized very quickly that I can’t even say penis without blushing, so I decided to try to write something “clean” to see if it can still be erotic. I posted it here in the summer and got some good feedback, which gave me the confidence to keep going and post a few more little chapters. Now I’m kind of thinking about trying to expand the story and write it into a novella and publish it on kindle vella or something.

Does anyone have experience doing this, or any other publishing outside of Literotica? I’ve heard that some publishers/publishing sites won’t allow erotic literature. Do sites like Patreon help at all? What’s your experience?

Fantasy does sell and erotica is widely accepted on most sites (Amazon, Apple, Google, B&N, Kobo, etc) as long as you stick to their rules. Well, that basically means to keep it more as a romance with erotic elements instead of just erotica.

That said, in order to earn money from it, you need to publish a lot of titles, and even then, you need a lot of hard work, a bit of luck, the right cover and just writing in a category that actually sells. Right now, polyamory or BDSM outsells everything else so you should get over your fear of writing "penis" if you want to earn money. But you can still make a lot of sales as long you reach enough readers and keep publishing.

So, bottom line, you will never know if it's going to be successful unless you give it a go. That first book will probably not be a big success, but if you learn and improve while writing another 10 books, you will see a steady increase in income.

One more advice though, as a new author, don't limit yourself to only one site. Publish on every site available. The most difficult part is to make the readers aware that your book is out there and worth reading, so you might be better off posting a lot of stories here on Literotica and learning what the readers like/dislike before you expand to other sites. I've got a lot more useful advice from Lit-readers compared to any other sites. People normally don't comment on sites like Amazon so you really have no idea why your book isn't selling.

 

[Voboy]

Unless you churn out content on a regular basis, and keep feeding the machine, there's little or no money in it. There are some writers who have monetised their erotica content on the back of their following on Lit, and cudos to them, but they've all got paying jobs or other sources of income.

I gave it a go several years ago, made me some nice covers and got some sales, but it simply wasn't worth the effort. There's so much free erotica content around these days, it's naive to think you'll make a buck trying to sell more.

I did this for awhile, but the churn got a bit much; it was too much like a job. I stopped many years ago. I still clear about $60/yr after producing about a dozen books, so it pays for about a month's worth of my kids' McDonald's meals.

I still do a bit of commercial stuff here and there, but not really in an effort to "make money."

 

[R. Richard]

I have something like 425 published titles in print in Smashwords, Amazon, Lot's cave and Fiction4All. I do make some income, but not a living. I publish sci fi, erotica, adventure, even fantasy. I am still trying to catch the lightning between the covers.