Quick question

[Smokey125]

Hi there all, excuse me, one quick question. I woke up this morning to see the following E-mail (anon. feedback) in my Inbox, and was wondering if anyone (else) here has seen or received this. The generic wording of it (i.e., not actually mentioning me or any of my stories by name) made me suspicious.

Hello, my name is Max Pollard and I'm interested in purchasing the rights to your stories. I manage a newsletter for a BDSM website, among other things and wonder if you would be interested in selling me the rights to all your short stories posted on Literotica for $100 USD. If you're interested, message me at...and I'll send you the (very simple + easy) contract. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments you might have.

Anyone else seen/gotten something like that? Is it bogus? Is it some sort of scam or other ripoff scheme? And if not, can anyone tell me more about this Max Pollard person? Thanks, Smokey.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hi Smokey, I haven't had any such email myself, but I don't write BDSM.

I did once receive an email from a small publishing house offering to advertise my books on their webpages, and although I was suspicious I thought 'what have I got to lose?' (my stories are all up for free anyway) and answered. They are really nice people and we had lots of chats about writing and publishing.

Having said that, $100 is a derisory fee to pay for all your stories in my opinion.

Hopefully some of the BDSM writers will be able to come on shortly and tell you more.

 

[Smokey125]

NaokoSmith

Hi, and thank you for your quick reply.

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought too. That made me a little suspicious as well. $100? That's...it? I may not be the most well-versed in this business, but...

I really thought it was some kind of ploy going on, but then I tried Googling it and him and nothing actually came up to indicate so. So I started wondering if this actually might be legit. Thought this was probably the best way to find out.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hi, and thank you for your quick reply.

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought too. That made me a little suspicious as well. $100? That's...it? I may not be the most well-versed in this business, but...

I really thought it was some kind of ploy going on, but then I tried Googling it and him and nothing actually came up to indicate so. So I started wondering if this actually might be legit. Thought this was probably the best way to find out.

If he was legit, something would come up on Google, surely. That's what I thought about this small publishing house - and indeed there was their website. I found them on Facebook too and they just looked like nice Goth-y people who were into Fantasy, so that stacked up.

I feel sure others will come on in a little while to give you the word from the BDSM corner.

It's good that you posted, others may have the message too and be wondering.

I think $100 for ONE story is mean, never mind for all of them! All the rights? Who is he kidding?

 

[Smokey125]

Ns2

Well, I just tried again, and I'm not really any closer now than I was before. His named popped up in Barnes & Noble (if it is the same person) under a book called Something Borrowed & Something Blue, (by Max Pollard, claims the page) but on the book's cover is the name Emily Victoria. So what the...?

Really; I have 25 stories on the site (so that's a grand total of...$4 per story!), some of them aren't even that good, and I feel lucky enough to just have them here. Imagining them being posted or shared somewhere else and especially being paid (reasonably) for them is laughable.

 

[Serafina1210]

I suppose I can put a URL here since it's an answer, not an ad. Here's his site:

http://desireebooks.com/

Definitely the same guy who has the book on the B&N website. The books are listed with a price of $0.00.

If you want to publish for (almost the same as) free, you're doing it now. If you want money, try a real erotica publisher, or self-publish on Amazon or Smashwords.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Y'know I had a quick look at your list, and you have a string of 4s, a couple of 3s and some Hs. So you must be a good writer. Fair enough, you have a 2 in there but that's on a non-erotic lesbian story, so you prolly got a smacking in the voting for being a boy writing about women who love women. (I have not read it carefully enough yet to see if there was acksherly lots of good stuff in it that lesbians like, e.g. Harley motorcycles and leather jackets and licking melting icecream off fingers and organic decaffeinated tea.)

Anyway, I'm sure your stories must be worth more than $100! and I haven't even read one yet. I am a bit busy just now sorting out tomorrow's teaching in a cafe, and I have to go to get Piglet and her friend Egg and do Piggles's advanced music theory homework and Egg's dyslexic reading homework, but if you flag up a story which is safe sex (penetrative with spillage has covers on it, ie condoms; lesbians are God's chosen people and can do what they wish), then I will read it for you and may even review it on my blog.

 

[Smokey125]

Serafina

Hi Serafina, nice to meet you and thanks for the link. I had a quick look at it, and...that's all I needed. Looks like there are only two books on there. Go figure. This E-mail showed up in my box at 4:39 a.m. my time (USA Eastern standard time), so he's probably on the other side of the planet somewhere...but it just makes me very curious, his name and this feedback just pops up out of nowhere with this...measly offer...and why would he be interested in my stuff, out of all the available material out there which is clearly better?
Thank you again, and by the way, Serafina happens to be the middle name of a character in one of my (hopefully sooner than later) upcoming stories. Not Earth-shattering, but a bit of a coincidence, would you say?

 

[Serafina1210]

Thank you again, and by the way, Serafina happens to be the middle name of a character in one of my (hopefully sooner than later) upcoming stories. Not Earth-shattering, but a bit of a coincidence, would you say?

I'll look for it. I love reading about myself.

 

[Smokey125]

Ns3

Thank you very much NS for the kind words and encouragement. I may have decent scores, but somehow, virtually everyone else's (I mean it, just about EVERYone else's) scores I see are overall higher. Maybe they're just more experienced. Or better. A lot of mine start out that high, then inevitably float down to where they are now.

To be honest, "Credit" (the story with the 2.60) was just a goofy little excuse to write a leb-story that isn't really sexual at all, so...actually, I don't even know why I haven't taken it down. There's a little playful romping in it, but no real sex, it's more just a lesbian romance/humor thing.

Well, I don't mean to shoot down your speculation, but it couldn't possibly be that, 'cause more than half of the stories I have there are girl-girl ones, and a lot of them are the bigger "hits," if you will. And while I may be a guy, it doesn't stop me from reading lesberotica and studying their culture, so I'm a little more well-versed in this area than most other guys (I would like to think).

Anyway, if by "flag up" you mean mention or list which ones I think you might like from that description, sure, I'd be glad to. About half of mine are nice, sweet, tender and lovely, and the other half are evil, sadistic, rough and torturous. So here are the "nice" ones:
• Helping Hand (2 stories) ("Erotic Couplings" as well as the categories listed there)
• Hypnothe-Rapist (4 stories)
• Home For Christmas
• Happy Endings (3 stories, but they all have different titles; 2nd of this is "Won't You Smile Awhile For Me," 3rd is "Drowning In The Sea Of Love")
• Hooked (easily my most popular one)
• Once Upon A Time Warp

Hope you like them if you read them.

 

[NaokoSmith]

That's very helpful. I will come back and let you know what I think.

I am really interested in the men-writing-lesbian-stories thing, so I will definitely be back. Please don't take down the little lesbian non-erotica thing till I've read that too!

BTW, I like a bit of rough , so if any of those fit the criteria, I will do my best to go over them too.

Now I must go and write a presentation on report-writing and phone a couple of lazy students and beat them, no no, I am always kind :angelemoticon:, you have to pay for beatings . Oh, and I better not forget to collect Piglet and Egg from school, especially now I am a School Governor .

 

[TxRad]

You actually only have 13 stories as there are chapters under three of them.

100 dollars does sound low for all rights but then again, what are you making now?

The e-mail address is I assume his personal and not for his website. That makes me suspicious.

From the link I'd say he is just starting up so he probably has little money to pay at at this time.

 

[Smokey125]

TxRad

Yes, but the ones I listed there as I said are only half the ones I've actually written and posted. Actually, less than half. Counting the sequels I do have a total of 25. If you don't count the sequels I have 17.

To be honest, I'd like to learn a little more about the publishing business or nature thereof before I just give everything away to someone like that or accept any compensation. Also to be honest, it's a little bemusing to me why someone wants the rights in the first place. I would have liked a little more elaboration on what he's doing and what he'd like to do with these, etc., but the E-mail said just ask, so I guess I should.

He typed there $100 USD—the "USD" afterwards for some reason also makes me a little wary. For all I know it could be completely legit, it just seems a little fishy.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[slyc_willie]

You'll want to edit your posts, Smokey, and take out the email addresses. That's a no-no.

 

[Smokey125]

willie

Oh. Well, all right, I think I just had the two there...so I've taken them out now.

 

[sr71plt]

Sorry to burst bubbles. But $20 would be good market value for a Literotica-type story--and that's before you've offered it on the Internet for free.

I've sold nonexclusive rights to stories that are on Literotica for about $20 a pop with the understanding they don't come off Literotica. And I agreed to have 100 of my stories start up the then-new GM site Gaydemon for the equivalent of $250--with the understanding they stayed on other sites as well (which is what nonexclusive permissions means).

I think that's where the market is, not $100 for a story that's already been offered for free on the Internet. Stories are renewable resources--you can always write more--and they aren't worth anything if no one offers to buy them.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Hi there all, excuse me, one quick question. I woke up this morning to see the following E-mail (anon. feedback) in my Inbox, and was wondering if anyone (else) here has seen or received this. The generic wording of it (i.e., not actually mentioning me or any of my stories by name) made me suspicious.

Hello, my name is Max Pollard and I'm interested in purchasing the rights to your stories. I manage a newsletter for a BDSM website, among other things and wonder if you would be interested in selling me the rights to all your short stories posted on Literotica for $100 USD. If you're interested, message me at...and I'll send you the (very simple + easy) contract. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments you might have.

Anyone else seen/gotten something like that? Is it bogus? Is it some sort of scam or other ripoff scheme? And if not, can anyone tell me more about this Max Pollard person? Thanks, Smokey.

I'd be surprised if it was an outright scam. If the guy wanted to steal your stories without paying, he could do it without contacting you at all; you might never find out, and even if you did, it wouldn't be any easier for you to do anything about it. That said, on no account should you agree to pay any fees etc.

The generic wording is probably just because you're not the only author he's looking to buy from, so he probably has a form letter to send out.

If you're considering taking up the offer, some questions to consider: would the contract require you to pull your stories from Literotica? Would you be credited as the author? If the deal effectively requires you to give up the readership you've established here, does that seem worth it? It depends a lot on your motivation for posting here in the first place.

 

[NaokoSmith]

$20 would be good market value for a Literotica-type story--and that's before you've offered it on the Internet for free.

Pilot sells a lot of stories, so he has a good understanding of the market value of erotica. Still 'n all, you can put your stories up for $4 on Smashwords or Amazon Kindle, and if you sold 2 of each, you would be quids in.

 

[sr71plt]

Pilot sells a lot of stories, so he has a good understanding of the market value of erotica. Still 'n all, you can put your stories up for $4 on Smashwords or Amazon Kindle, and if you sold 2 of each, you would be quids in.

With nonexclusive permissions contracts you can do both. I do.

 

[PervOtaku]

This turned up in my e-mail a couple months back:

Hello Perv Otaku,

I'd like to talk to you about getting some of your stories published electronically then later in paper and making you some money.
If you're interested and would like more info, you may reply to this email or you may go to http://funsexstories.com to start a live chat with one of our agents.

Thank you.

All the best,

Manfred BLVNP Publishing blvnp.com

The site looked professional enough, when I followed the breadcrumbs they seemed to legitimately have stories published on Kindle at Amazon. A quick google search though revealed that plenty of other writers have gotten similar mails, and it was pretty much universally deemed a scam.

I would say if you follow through with any kind of mail like this, find a lawyer to check things over at every step of the way. I'm not really sure what the worst that could happen is, but sometimes these things are not worth screwing with. If it sounds too good to be true, and all that.

 

[sr71plt]

I would say if you follow through with any kind of mail like this, find a lawyer to check things over at every step of the way. I'm not really sure what the worst that could happen is, but sometimes these things are not worth screwing with. If it sounds too good to be true, and all that.

Reality check: A. There isn't enough money in erotica publishing for a lawyer sucking at the tit, and B. There are very few entertainment lawyers around, which is the specialty you'd need for this.