Which category would you put this kind of story in?

[OddLove]

Hey, sorry. I know it's another 'What category do I use' post. But I just was hoping people could help me make the wisest choice.

I'm not sure if I should put my next story in 'BDSM' or 'Novels and Novellas'.

About the story.

It's about 60-70k words. Possibly a lot more.
It's about 5 or 10 percent sex scenes.
The single main character is only into puppy play and watching.
The married couple main characters are into D/s, but only in the sheets.
None of the sex is vanilla.
Plot is, young guy hits rock bottom, then married couple changes his life and encourages him to be strangely authentic.

Reasons to put the story in BDSM
Almost all the sex activities are BDSM related. And the puppy play stuff between the couple and the young dude is almost constant through out the story even when it's not overtly sexual activities. And also my understanding is that most people consider puppy play to be in the spectrum of BDSM/Kink.

Reasons to put the story in Novels and Novellas
There's tons of non sexual dialog and activities. And most of the story is about the young guy becoming friends with the married couple as the wife and the young guys developing a fun 'puppy' and 'human companion' friendship. Since the story is pretty long and the sex scenes are seldom, it could also be really disappointing to people searching for stories in the BDSM category.

Based on that information, what category would you all use?

 

[Ssbbw4u1974]

BDSM, because it has elements you said

 

[OddLove]

BDSM, because it has elements you said

Yeah, that's what I been leaning towards. Mainly because I'm not sure if Novels and Novellas are supposed to feature non-vanilla romance/sex/relationships. The kink stuff might make those readers uncomfortable. My only hang up with using the BDSM category is that the story is very 'novel-like' because it's pretty long, and it's main focus is on plot, story arche, and character development, so it might frustrate readers who are looking for non stop BDSM action.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

You can put anything that's allowed on Lit in N&N, but it'll probably have lower views than BDSM.

If there's a bit of BDSM in every chapter, I'd put it there.

 

[ElectricBlue]

While it is Novella length, even a short novel, ask yourself, what's the key erotic theme? If it's BDSM, there's the answer, and don't bother about readers who want wall to wall sex.

You could put a note saying, "This story features plot, a story arc, and character development. If that's not your thing, back click now." Or you could say, "Fuck 'em," and not bother.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

It's about 60-70k words. Possibly a lot more.

NN

 

[Bamagan]

Hey, sorry. I know it's another 'What category do I use' post. But I just was hoping people could help me make the wisest choice.

I'm not sure if I should put my next story in 'BDSM' or 'Novels and Novellas'.

About the story.

It's about 60-70k words. Possibly a lot more.
It's about 5 or 10 percent sex scenes.
The single main character is only into puppy play and watching.
The married couple main characters are into D/s, but only in the sheets.
None of the sex is vanilla.
Plot is, young guy hits rock bottom, then married couple changes his life and encourages him to be strangely authentic.

Reasons to put the story in BDSM
Almost all the sex activities are BDSM related. And the puppy play stuff between the couple and the young dude is almost constant through out the story even when it's not overtly sexual activities. And also my understanding is that most people consider puppy play to be in the spectrum of BDSM/Kink.

Reasons to put the story in Novels and Novellas
There's tons of non sexual dialog and activities. And most of the story is about the young guy becoming friends with the married couple as the wife and the young guys developing a fun 'puppy' and 'human companion' friendship. Since the story is pretty long and the sex scenes are seldom, it could also be really disappointing to people searching for stories in the BDSM category.

Based on that information, what category would you all use?

Thematically, BDSM would seem to be the best fit. The main thing I've noticed about the readers there is that a vocal subset react in a strongly negative fashion to depictions of BDSM lifestyles that run contrary to 'mainstream' BDSM. It's hard to say from your brief summary, but it doesn't look like that should be a huge worry.

I'd change my vote to N/N if the "possibly a lot more" prediction becomes true. Your story looks like it may be 15-20 Lit pages at the moment, which is kind of a lot, but it's not that hard to find works of similar length in the non-N/N categories (and semi-common in some, like SF/F). If it continues to swell, though, and you care about wanting readers to finish it, you may find the folks specifically looking for long reads to be your core audience.

 

[Innocent302]

Hi,

Considering your story's core, BDSM is the most fitting erotica category. While explicit sex scenes are infrequent, the pervasive nature of puppy play and the D/s dynamics within the main couple firmly root the narrative in this genre, even when not overtly sexual.

To manage expectations about the plot's breadth, use your synopsis and tags to highlight the significant non-sexual development, friendship, and character-driven aspects, ensuring readers know they're getting a rich narrative alongside the specific kink.

HTH

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I've found success in the N/N category with stories of all types. Just be clear with your tags and in the description of the story.

Readers' patience with longer tales is the major advantage of N/N. In the BDSM category, you may get more views, but you won't know how many readers stuck with your story to the end. While the same is true for the N/N category, you go into it knowing what readers' expectations are relative to story length.

If it were me, and I wanted to publish it in the BDSM category, I would consider submitting it in smaller pieces, possibly by chapter.

 

[lovecraft68]

BDSM, but it could also work in fetish due to the puppy play which not all BDSM readers are into.

But if I had to choose it would be BDSM

At 70k and with some stretches of non sex I would break into more than one chapter, but try to do so in a way there's some action in each installment. Four lit pages is just under 15k so maybe 4-5 chapters would work.

 

[alohadave]

Yeah, that's what I been leaning towards. Mainly because I'm not sure if Novels and Novellas are supposed to feature non-vanilla romance/sex/relationships. The kink stuff might make those readers uncomfortable. My only hang up with using the BDSM category is that the story is very 'novel-like' because it's pretty long, and it's main focus is on plot, story arche, and character development, so it might frustrate readers who are looking for non stop BDSM action.

There is also Fetish.

 

[TheLobster]

I’d say topical category (either BDSM or Fetish) but as a series of digestible chunks with actual sex in every chapter.

You could also alternate BDSM and Fetish. If there are long stretches of narration that’d be awkward to ties to a sex scene and make a complete chapter, then leaving the sex out and carrying the chapter on puppy play alone would probably still work if put into Fetish.