Where the hell do I put this thing?

[lovecraft68]

No, not that thing, get your minds out of the gutter.

I am almost finished with a fairly long tale (about 110k) that I am going to release in chapters here starting early March.

Problem is, this is not a story that I find easily categorized and have no clue what to do with it.

Erotic horror may work because one of the 2 female leads is a witch. There are no demons and monsters or vamps or weres, but she pulls off a few "tricks" during the story and has a showdown with another witch near the end.

But I do not feel there is enough to satisfy the "true" horror crowd

The two women are a couple, so yes Lesbian could work, but there is also some straight sex as well and honestly I write pretty much "lipstick lesbian porn" so know it will get killed there anyway.

There is a non consent scene in one chapter where one lays into the other a little too hard and can be seen as borderline rape. (the character does have several outs and does not take them though, so not true NC)

another issue is violence. There are a couple of pretty rough fight scenes as the second woman is a former government operative and currently the witch's private body guard and "muscle" for her coven.

another factor is some "psuedo incest" the witch was seduced at a young age(18 of course! silly you!) by her foster mother. There is no "mommy" dialog, but it flirts with the subject. It is also discovered the foster mother was sleeping with her sister, but it is only mentioned never described in any detail.

Last issue is overall darkness. For anyone that has read my dark incest series Siblings with benefits this is just as dark and that could be the biggest issue.

The witch ran away from home ended up with a pimp was whored out and then gang raped and beaten and left for dead at one point.

The ex operative was beaten as a child and was also captured and tortured by a terrorist cell. nothing is described full out, but there are a lot of pretty gruesome flashbacks and some pretty gory examples of the lovely ladies inherent violence.

So...... any suggestions as to where this could fit? Or do I try to jump category per chapter? Even doing that there are some sexless chapters(worth noting I guess) and it is fairly story driven.

also some of the sex scenes are "not enjoyable" for instance at one point one of the women forces herself to have sex with a man to throw people off she is in love with the other woman and even though he's fine with her, her mind is not exactly in a "happy place"

long story short since there is not a "train wreck" category I'm stumped:

 

[glynndah]

Novels and novellas?

 

[lovecraft68]

Novels and novellas?

That would be my last resort, as I have heard(but not yet experienced myself) it is a very low viewed category, then again is I push it on my home page, maybe my "fan base" will check it out.

 

[4glory6]

It does sound like the perfect candidate for Novels, posted in chapters. A fan base would find you there. The explanation could try to reveal the main category of the separate chapters.

 

[lovecraft68]

It does sound like the perfect candidate for Novels, posted in chapters. A fan base would find you there. The explanation could try to reveal the main category of the separate chapters.

2 for N&N so far and yes, I would have to make good use of my tag lines for each chapter and the tags in general as well.

 

[Safe_Bet]

The two women are a couple, so yes Lesbian could work, but there is also some straight sex as well and honestly I write pretty much "lipstick lesbian porn" so know it will get killed there anyway.

It would get killed there, but not because of why you said.

I would get killed not so much because of it being "lipstick lesbian porn", but because it's NOT lesbian. If the women are having sex with each other AND with dudes then they are bisexual. THAT will get you low scores if it's in that category, IMO.

I think most lesfic readers, like me, don't like chocolate in their peanut butter much, if you catch my drift.

There REALLY needs to be a Bisexual Category here.
(^^ GLARING Kitty Mama hint ^^ )

 

[_Lynn_]

I agree with N&N.

 

[lovecraft68]

It would get killed there, but not because of why you said.

I would get killed not so much because of it being "lipstick lesbian porn", but because it's NOT lesbian. If the women are having sex with each other AND with dudes then they are bisexual. THAT will get you low scores if it's in that category, IMO.

I think most lesfic readers, like me, don't like chocolate in their peanut butter much, if you catch my drift.

There REALLY needs to be a Bisexual Category here.
(^^ GLARING Kitty Mama hint ^^ )

well some of the straight sex happens between straight people. There are other characters involved.

This is a-for lack of a better term- "gay for me" story. The operative was always straight, but was seduced by the witch who is the only women she has ever been with

There is a rule in the group that no one can be in love and in order to throw the rumors she "endures" sex with a guy.

So, yes that would get me flamed.

That and my horrendous attempts at describing "tribbing"

 

[lovecraft68]

I agree with N&N.

3 now, this is starting to seem like a no brainer.

 

[_Lynn_]

3 now, this is starting to seem like a no brainer.

Some people will read anything their favorite author posts, regardless of the category.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hey, LC, my Welsh werewolf story is a mix of different chapters with different sexualities in the sex scenes. I deliberately post it in different categories, I think this will increase the fanbase. Readers can see the other chapters lined up by the side of the one they're reading, so they can find those if they want to even though they're posted around the categories. And they all appear in the New Stories list at first too, of course.

I did put a note in explaining to Laurel this was what I would be doing so she wouldn't put them all in Nonhuman.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Some people will read anything their favorite author posts, regardless of the category.

I don't think he has to worry about THAT!

 

[carlieplum]

Erotic horror or N&N. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[SecondCircle]

I can't honestly say where it fits, but I will suggest not to put it in erotic horror if the overall theme isn't "scary" for lack of better term. For me, as I like horror, if it has no scare factor, or it isn't intended to induce fear in the readers, it ain't horror. Not sure I can speak for the other EH readers, but when I come across a story in that category that is only there because it involves demons and supernatural creatures, I wanna puke.

My guess is like others. N&N. Then I suppose you could post the link in the feedback forum and tell a bit about it. Maybe it'll generate more views that way.

The sci-fi fantasy section would be another bet, if that doesn't make you cringe to put it there. I'd have to read the story I guess.

Hope it helps.

 

[LaRascasse]

Why not put different chapters in different categories based on what suits that chapter best?

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't think he has to worry about THAT!

All kidding aside, you have a point.

The incest crowd seems in general, to truly keep it in the family.

Although I can see in the public comments and private e-mails some of my "regulars" follow me to other categories, many do not step outside of my incest stories.

 

[chocolatecookie3]

I would say horror because the overall tone is dark and it has witches, but I have not read a ton in that category.

 

[lovecraft68]

I would say horror because the overall tone is dark and it has witches, but I have not read a ton in that category.

Its iffy because a lot of the "horror" is human horror. Abusive parents, rape, torture, betrayal.....all that fun stuff.

 

[alwayswantedto]

<deleted>

 

[lovecraft68]

Put it in Loving Wives.

Ooooh

nah, they're not married

However, the LW crowd does hate women and these two do hate men

Hmm.......

 

[damppanties]

Its iffy because a lot of the "horror" is human horror. Abusive parents, rape, torture, betrayal.....all that fun stuff.

See, to me, 'dark' does not equal 'horror'. It has to be a churn-your-stomach kind of feeling to be placed in Erotic Horror, either through fear or shock or something so revolting that I could puke. And this feeling needs to be consistently happening in all the chapters or be an overall theme above and beyond the smaller themes you mentioned to be placed in EH.

As I was reading through your description, I kept marking categories off where it wouldn't fit, pretty much like you were doing, so... not horror, not lesbian, not incest. I'm going with Novels and Novellas too since that's what seems to be left.

I somehow don't think the 'different category for each part' kind of solution would work because, imo, that might thin out your readers even further compared to putting it all under the N&N category.

 

[ameliajax]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but this does bring up a question I have. Can you submit the same story to different categories? Or is that ... frowned upon?

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but this does bring up a question I have. Can you submit the same story to different categories? Or is that ... frowned upon?

Yes you can do that, but results may vary. As was just mentioned above sometimes it "dilutes" your audience if you jump around, but I would not say its frowned upon.

 

[PennLady]

I think you could go with sf/f, the witches being considered fantasy. I've noticed a lot of other stuff can go in sf/f and no one seems to mind. After all sf/f is its own genre, and doesn't imply a single type of sexual activity the way Lesbian or GM does. If not that, N&N and if not that, as others have said, post chapters to the category that best fits them. I would think you have enough name recognition that people would start reading it no matter where it is.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think you could go with sf/f, the witches being considered fantasy. I've noticed a lot of other stuff can go in sf/f and no one seems to mind. After all sf/f is its own genre, and doesn't imply a single type of sexual activity the way Lesbian or GM does. If not that, N&N and if not that, as others have said, post chapters to the category that best fits them. I would think you have enough name recognition that people would start reading it no matter where it is.

That's an interesting take. I hadn't given much thought to sci-fi fantasy.

I think that's because for whatever reason my own take on that genre has never been "dark". Personally I think the only dark sci fi series I remember when I was younger was Julian Mays "The Pliocene Saga"

I'll think on it though, because you could be right.

also the part that I have name recognition here is a fantasy in itself