The Rocky Road to Publishing [Archive]

Ruby

04-12-2005, 03:06 PM

It's always great to hear about an author on the forums who's published a story, poem or book.

I'd like to hear about the trials along the way.

What worked?
What didn't?
What type of advice can you provide to others?
What are/were your criterias for success?
When did you or will you feel like you've reached them?

So many questions, I'm sure many of you can create a few of your own.

Let's make this thread a place where we can ask each other questions about the publishing market and share the research and experiences we've learned.

Authors wanting to be published: ask away.

Published authors: please share.

alura

04-12-2005, 03:27 PM

I published a poem on an online magazine. I just emailed it in, they liked it and they published it. Weird. Must've been dumb luck at the time. I've found that new writers seem to have a lot more success at online and small press magazines, though, initially, because most of them don't require that you have an agent and also, the majority of them ARE mostly all soliciated manuscripts; some of them are 90% percent (or better) mostly written BY the readers. I've had some published in those as well. My personal opinion is that it doesn't matter so much if you make a lot of money at first; what really matters is getting those Kudos under your belt so that when you go for the big money...big mag....you can pull out your 'refs'.
Also, I highly recommend to EVERY writer to buy (yearly) the new writers digest book that contains all the up to date small press, big press, magazines, periodicals, etc etc with all the new and updated editors, etc. This book is invaluable because not only does it tell you what every single solitary place is LOOKING for, but also their guidelines, their do's and don'ts, how much they pay per word...per article (sometimes this can vary either they pay by word or by article....sometimes they only pay in magazines), etc. Plus it has lots of valuable tips; how to write excellent query letters, etc etc. Another important reason to invest in this book is because quite often the editors of different departments, addresses, emails, etc, may change from year to year. This book is priceless; trust me on this! The new updated ones usually come out in January.
IN ADDITION, I think it's so important to have a group where you can get your work edited, read other people's work, etc etc.....if you haven't found that sort of place anywhere yet, permit me to 'plug' here by saying that 'writing.com (http://www.writing.com)' is the number one creative writing site in america...and it's free! Even Ruby knows about it.......it's where she and I MET for the first time.

It's always great to hear about an author on the forums who's published a story, poem or book.

I'd like to hear about the trials along the way.

What worked?
What didn't?
What type of advice can you provide to others?
What are/were your criterias for success?
When did you or will you feel like you've reached them?

So many questions, I'm sure many of you can create a few of your own.

Let's make this thread a place where we can ask each other questions about the publishing market and share the research and experiences we've learned.

Authors wanting to be published: ask away.

Published authors: please share.

Ruby

04-14-2005, 01:37 PM

... My personal opinion is that it doesn't matter so much if you make a lot of money at first; what really matters is getting those Kudos under your belt so that when you go for the big money...big mag....you can pull out your 'refs'.
...Also, I highly recommend to EVERY writer to buy (yearly) the new writers digest book that contains all the up to date small press, big press, magazines, periodicals, etc etc with all the new and updated editors, etc.
...IN ADDITION, I think it's so important to have a group where you can get your work edited, read other people's work, etc etc.....if you haven't found that sort of place anywhere yet, permit me to 'plug' here by saying that 'writing.com (http://www.writing.com)' is the number one creative writing site in america...and it's free!

Excellent advice, Alura.

If you don't have the money for the yearly Writer's Handbook, that's okay, too. Pick up one at a used book store for a couple of bucks and start planning your strategy. When you've got something to publish, then hit your local library for a new copy.

Joining a writing circle, critique club is a fantastic way to get some good hard feedback.

Ruby

04-14-2005, 01:57 PM

Getting your BDSM books or stories published

Here are some sites that sell BDSM e-books that support self published authors.

Yes, that's right - you, the author - can contact them directly, negotiate a royalty payment, retain your rights and sell your books / short stories:

www.a1adultebooks.com

www.bdsmbooks.com

www.bondagebookshelf.com

www.maidenheadbooks.com

www.fictionwise.com
Note: they only want previously published work at this site.

Here are some sites that sell only work they have published:

http://www.adultbookshops.com/

http://www.chimerabooks.co.uk/

http://www.circlet.com/home.html

http://www.ellorascave.com/index.asp

http://www.olympia-press.co.uk/

http://www.pinkflamingo.com/

http://www.renebooks.com/

http://www.wickedvelvet.com/

Here are some links for writers of erotica:

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/AR/AR-Main.htm

The link below has submission guidelines for a large number of publishers. It also tells you how much you can make with particular magazines, e-zines and anthologies.

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/G/G-Main.htm

Like your erotica on the dark side? Great tips and tricks for writers here:

http://www.darkerotica.net/

Sites to add?
Comments?
Questions?
What type of experiences do you have to share?
What road has been less rocky or the most?

Inquiring minds want to know. Who's next?

sweetlitlwon

04-15-2005, 10:18 AM

Powerone

04-17-2005, 08:13 PM

My first novel was published in the middle of February. Originally I had contracted with Ghede Publishing (an offshoot of Ellorascave.com, the romantic novel publisher) over a year ago. They had problems and after almost a year (I signed contract in July) they decided not to publish erotica because of the difficulties of getting payment processors to take payment for erotica.

I had contacted Renaissnace books on my second novel and signed a contract with them for that (Hollister School for Girls) and will be out soon. When Ghede called it quits, I asked Renaissance to publish Teaching The Au Pair To Submit first, which they did. In fact they published it within a week, since it was already edited, etc. The only thing needed was a cover.

It came out February 18 and has been highly successful. It is on renaissance Books website (renebooks.com) in addition it is on fictionwise.com (It is #2 on erotica and #6 of all e-books), mobipocket.com (#1), ebooksad.com (#5) and amazon.com and borders.com (the best I have got on Amazon is #25,000, but you have to remember, I have one version that is microsoft reader that was #864,000, though it is #164,000 today). This is after two months. It has proved to be quite lucrative.

I was in the top of the list on Renaissance for March and doing quite well for April. I am working on a third novel, Island Lust (about 3/4 finished) and am starting to write a romantic novel (For the Pleasure of Her Husband).

In addition, if you haven't tried it yet, don't forget Jinn's bdsmillustrated.com. It pays writers based on how good their stories do. I have a highly successful series (Mexican Rebels Sex Slaves, 6 chapters) with illustrations by the famous illustrator, Aires. My series has been running since December, with chapter 7 submitted for illustrations today.

Ruby

04-25-2005, 07:25 PM

Congratulations Powerone and thanks for hopping in the thread.

So, how do you define successful?
By sales?
By the ratings?
Do you know how many of your books have sold?

If you were to do this again - would you recommend this publisher to others? What about the contract? Any changes you'd make?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Ruby
XXX 000

Mad Lews

04-27-2005, 12:21 AM

Getting your BDSM books or stories published

Sites to add?
Comments?
Questions?
What type of experiences do you have to share?
What road has been less rocky or the most?

Inquiring minds want to know. Who's next?

Just a question that might be plaguing some of us " Not ready for prime time writers", When we post stories on sites such as this one, Literotica, and similar places are we giving up our " intellectual property" and how would it effect latter use of revised, expanded, and edited copies of such stories. Any insight from the experienced writers would be appreciated

Mad Lews

acissej

04-27-2005, 12:53 PM

I don't work on much erotica, but if anyone wants an editor's perspective on how to prepare a query or on any general publishing questions, feel free to PM me. I'm afraid I won't be very helpful with issues of self-publishing and e-books, but I'd be able to help with questions regarding traditional publishing houses and literary agents.

And here's some more info on other publishers who do erotica:

As of two weeks ago, Ellora's Cave was accepting all erotica romance genres but F/m. The most popular for them are vampire/shapeshifter, futuristic and bondage/M/f. They're also interested in acquiring gay/lesbian romances. Must be a minimum of 20,000 words and they prefer submissions be over 40,000 words. EC only publishes erotic romance, not erotica. But they are starting up some kind of new erotica program that will run under a different name and are actively searching for submissions.

They're keeping pretty quiet about it, but MIRA Books (an imprint of Harlequin) is actively acquiring classy erotica for a new program. You must have an agent to submit. There's no info up on their websites (www.eharlequin.com and/or www.mirabooks.com), but PM me and I can give you the name of the editor heading up the program.

ImaJinn is starting a new paranormal erotica line. From what I understand, they'll accept queries from unagented, unpublished authors, but won't accept unsolicited partials or completes. More info at www.imajinnbooks.com.

Pocket Books is doing erotica, but only accepts agented submissions. If you want the names of the editors interested in erotica, PM me.

Red Sage Publishing is looking for "sensuous, bold, spicy, untamed, hot, and somtimes politically incorrect stories." Their ideal submissions are between 35-40,000 words long, but will take submissions longer and shorter. And they welcome unagented authors. www.redsagepub.com

Ruby

04-27-2005, 05:21 PM

acissej,

Thanks! Great stuff...just what I was looking for when I started this thread.
Am looking forward to checking out your links.

Ruby

04-27-2005, 05:47 PM

Just a question that might be plaguing some of us " Not ready for prime time writers", When we post stories on sites such as this one, Literotica, and similar places are we giving up our " intellectual property" and how would it effect latter use of revised, expanded, and edited copies of such stories. Any insight from the experienced writers would be appreciated

Mad Lews

Mad Lews, excellent questions.

Are you giving up your intellectual property by posting it to sites for "free"?
No. However, please, please, please, put copyright information on your work.

Copyright (c) 2005 Your Name or the Name of your Pub House. All rights reserved.

For example:
Copyright (c) 2005 Spice and Sugar Publications. All rights reserved.
or
Copyright (c) 2005 Ruby Bloodstone. All rights reserved.

This is your claim of ownership and creates a legal trail that can be followed.

How does it effect latter use of revised, expanded, and edited copies of such stories when they are placed on site like Literotica or the BDSM Library?

It affects the potential sales price and ability to publish.

Many publishers will not publish work that has been given away for free.
Many on-line book stores will not sell books that were previously given away for free.

But it's not the same book? Honest!

Okay - great. Then make sure all previous copies have been removed from free sites. Ensure that the work is substantially better, revised, enhanced, etc. from what you placed out there before.

Jaeangel's work Hell to Heaven is a great example of this.
She took down the free story, did a complete editing refresh and
added new chapters. Afterwards, she sent it out for another edit from her publisher. Then the publisher packaged it for sale.
(I know, because we share the same publisher.)

A good rule of thumb is to not post more than 3 chapters of any full length novel that you plan to publish. Many book sellers will decline to sell a book if they find the book on the web for free and more than 3 chapters available. In fact, many prefer to limit you to two chapters.

Who will read and critique my book/story while it's in progress?

Hopefully a group of people that you can trust. Both Alura and I use www.writing.com, but we use it in different ways. She can comment how she gets story feedback.

I post mostly finished work. She posts work in progress. Since you have control of your account, you can lock it so only select people can read what you've posted and you can remove your material at any time.

Other writers, publishers, editors out there - Comments? Suggestions? We'd like to hear from you. Who's next?

Powerone

04-29-2005, 10:12 PM

Ellora's Cave did have plans for publishing erotica under Ghede Publishing. But after a year they changed their mind due to the problems with credit card companies. My first novel Teaching the Au Pair To Submit was originally under contract with Ghede until their demise in February when they finally threw in the sponge. They left a lot of writers still scrambling for a new publisher

But their romantic publishing is one of the largest.

For those that don't know the difference between romance and erotica, romance can only have one partner and they must "live happily ever after".

As of two weeks ago, Ellora's Cave was accepting all erotica romance genres but F/m. The most popular for them are vampire/shapeshifter, futuristic and bondage/M/f. They're also interested in acquiring gay/lesbian romances. Must be a minimum of 20,000 words and they prefer submissions be over 40,000 words. EC only publishes erotic romance, not erotica. But they are starting up some kind of new erotica program that will run under a different name and are actively searching for submissions.

[/url]

Powerone

04-29-2005, 10:25 PM

I am told every month the number of sales of my book. In fact my publisher has also been giving me the major sites sales by week.

I've been writing erotica for about four years, this being my first novel for sale. I am a very prolific writer, having about 100 stories written (all on this site as well as others). Some of my stories on Literotica have over 200,000 views. I guess I always wondered whether anyone would read them if they had to pay. To me, success is that people would pay to read my stories.

I look at all things, ratings, sales and reviews. I guess the most gratifying thing is seeing my novel on the Top 10 lists.

The contract is standard, not much to quibble about one way or another. The one I had for Teaching the Au Pair To Submit for Ghede Publishing was almost the same for Renaissance E-books. Very general, mainly in how you will get paid, how long it will last and what it entails (e-book, print, other types, etc).

I would recommend the publisher to others. That's not to mean that there has not been bumps in the road. I look at how many books have been sold. That is the measure of a good publisher. You can have the greatest book, the best cover art, but if you only sell three copies I don't think the publisher is doing enough.

You also have to promote your own book. The publisher can't be the only one marketing your book. You have to actively take part if you want it to be successful.

P1

Congratulations Powerone and thanks for hopping in the thread.

So, how do you define successful?
By sales?
By the ratings?
Do you know how many of your books have sold?

If you were to do this again - would you recommend this publisher to others? What about the contract? Any changes you'd make?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Ruby
XXX 000

acissej

06-11-2005, 06:33 AM

I spoke yesterday at a writers' conference with a few other editors and agents, and an editor from Kensington announced that they're starting an erotica (not romantica) program in early 2006. They're looking for full-length novels of about 90,000 to 100,000 words and he said they're open to anything, including gay and lesbian. He didn't specifically mention BDSM stories and I wasn't in a position to ask, but it seemed like they'd be allowed. Oh, also, he said these books will be available both electronically and in hard copy. If anyone's interested, PM me and I'll give you the names of the editors to query.

Ruby

06-28-2005, 06:16 PM

acissej,

When they post writer's submission guidelines, perhaps you could please let us know in this thread.

If you want to talk/write about the conference, the name, whether or not you think conferences like that are worth an author's time, please do.

Thank you so much for dropping by and alerting us to this new opportunity.

Ruby

acissej

07-01-2005, 02:42 PM

When they post writer's submission guidelines, perhaps you could please let us know in this thread.

Kensington's website doesn't offer much help to writers. The guidelines aren't listed, but perhaps if one were to call the editorial office or mail an SASE with a request for guidelines, Kensington would provide them.

If you want to talk/write about the conference, the name, whether or not you think conferences like that are worth an author's time, please do.

The conference I went to was rather small and geared primarily towards women's fiction writers, so there was heavy emphasis on chick lit, lady lit, romance, romantic suspense and romantica. African-American, Latina, young adult and erotica were also touched upon. It was sponsored by the Romance Writers of America who do a phenomenal job educating their members (close to 10,000 of them) on the entire publishing process, from writing to submissions to contracts and so on.

As the name suggests, the RWA is extremely romance-focused, but as more and more sub-genres in women's fiction have evolved, the organization has also evolved to accomodate their members. The RWA is broken down into various chapters across the country that periodically have small conferences, but they have a ginormous national meeting every July that is well-attended by women's fiction editors and agents. I'm not sure what the policy is about non-members attending and how much it costs, but the conference lasts four days and has probably at least a hundred various workshops led by editors, agents and published authors on topics such as how to query properly, to editors pet peeves, to how to heighten tension and build character conflicts, with sessions on contracts and copyright law, and doing research and so on. Editors and agents are also available for appointments in which unpublished writers can pitch their stories to them.

I highly, highly recommend the conference for romance writers, but think it is also valuable for writers in other areas of women's fiction. The workshops are very educational and the conference (like many other conferences) provides a rare opportunity to meet face-to-face with editors and agents, especially when many publishers won't normally consider unagented projects.

crimson

08-03-2005, 07:05 AM

i got lucky... i co-authored with Geoff Merrick for the non-illustrated "Tatyana Transcripts" (tatyana - that would be me :).

It is still selling on the dofantasy.com site. It would have had much better sales if it had been illustrated (as all novels are!). i look back on it... read through it... i seem like such an amateur! my writing now is SOOOO much better and i wish i could do it all over again.

Perhaps i will - i intend on emailing Geoff and seeing if we can do a sequel, or perhaps an entirely new piece.

for now... i'll continue to contribute stuff under "crimson". :)

Oh... and before anyone says a word - yes, i'm working on more chapters for Passenger Train, so stop emailing me!!!

Oh ok... please... email me... i admit it... i'm a feedback whore. :)

Ruby

09-15-2005, 06:58 PM

Thinking about signing a contract? You may want to read this first: "Your Rights as an Author" at writing.com

http://www2.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/860454

There's some very interesting tips and things to think about.

To all your success,

Ruby

bearbeast

09-28-2005, 12:37 AM

Thanks Ruby :D

for your information, I have kept it in my folder for future referance :D I may one day need it ........?

bye bye for now

bearbeast. :D

Sean Malone

11-27-2005, 01:41 AM

I started writing my fantasies down in my teens. Later I discovered the Literary and Fantasy Group of the Forum Society, which was a mail based writers' group in the UK. It was a very tough group that gave me a good start in writing for publication. One of my first stories published in the Group Newsletter is here:

Some of the other members became best selling authors of erotic novels.

After that I had a series of short stories published in Pleasure Bound magazine, published by the company which has become Olympia Press. These were erotic science fiction, Mf bondage / slavery oriented stories. I also had a short story published in Secret magazine. However I was not paid for any of this.

These early stories were written before I really learned to write dialogue, and that has been an important step in the development of my writing style. It did not come easily at first, but now I have learned to bring characters to life as well as the scenarios that they are in, in new stories written under a different pen name. I am constantly pestered by readers who want more!

More recently I have been working on a novel about the sexual adventures of a professional woman crew member on a merchant vessel in space. It is about three quarters finished. I decided that this time I wanted to be paid, and I want my book to be on the shelves in high street bookshops. These days it might easily finish up online as well, as electronic publishing is here to stay. As nothing I have offered to a publisher has been turned down yet, I feel quietly confident that I will succeed in having this book published, but I am not in touch with the right people, and I really appreciate the information provided in here.

Dr Mabeuse

12-29-2005, 11:03 AM

I've got 2 books out now, and two more on the way.

Like Powerone (the dog!) I was contacted by an editor from Ghede books about my BDSM "Abigail" novel. (It went through a bunch of title changes and finally emerged as "Overcoming Abigail") Ghede held it for almost a year before going bust, and then Ellora's Cave--Ghede's parent company--picked it up. It came out last June and is doing okay. I won't be retiring to the south of France anytime soon on the royalties, but the checks are nice.

EC also bought my "Helene Blackmailed" and that should be out in a month or two now. They have 2 more manuscripts under consideration.

I sent "The Croft", an erotic vampire story, to Extasy and signed a contract last April, but they're slower than molasses and are terrible about answering mail. I don't know what the status of that is now. They're so backlogged that they've stopped taking new submissions.

And then my private eye spoof, "The Bound Angel" was picked up by Renaissance and came out in September, I think. I found out by accident. Renaissance never informed me. Haven't been paid yet either, but they pay quarterly.

EC is good because they have a big market presence and advertise. In a lot of ways, getting published is the easy part. You've still got to advertise and get your title out there so people know about it. Renaissance and Extasy don't have the weight EC does, but EC doesn't publish everything. They're looking for erotic romance.

My advice is, submit early and often. It can take a publisher up to 6 months to get back to you (although Renaissance claims they'll have a reply in 6 weeks and they were as good as their word) but they will read it and they will let you know. Besides, what good does that book do you sitting on your computer?

Before you submit, though, go to the publisher's site and find out (1) what they're looking for (it's no good trying to sell your heavy S&M stuff to Ellora's Cave, for instance), and (2) how they want it submitted--what format, entire book or just 3 chapters and synopsis, cover letter or what--and follow their instructions to the letter. They won't read it if you don't.

Here's a good place to find publishers as well:

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/G/BestAmerican.htm

--Dr M.

diannavesta.com

01-11-2006, 06:19 AM

This is an excellent thread Ruby. Lots of good information.

I wrote an ongoing column for years in Nugget Magazine. Through the years I pretty much focused on articles to promote my various adult venues. Instead of getting paid most publishers gave me ad space or the ability to plug my products & services.

I’ve been asked to write books and I will, however I will most likely self publish and promote. I am already established and have a pretty good size mailing list. The work I do is very niche so it in itself has its own market. If at all possible I highly recommend focusing on a niche that you’re into and building a following because it guarantees books sales.

The book I am working on now I will actually print because of the type of book and it’s a tad cultish. It all plays in with the concept.

If you’d like to print your books check out www.lulu.com They even have a lady who you can hire to do proof reading. It’s a great service.

DV

General_Dom

05-13-2006, 06:10 PM

I've had good luck with a1adultebooks. Stuart is very easy to deal with and you get to keep 60% of your sales.... beats the heck out of most traditional publishing deals, though you do have to market your work very aggressively to get anywhere without MASSIVE volume......

Rabbit1

05-15-2006, 01:33 AM

Excellent Thread ---and great advice---I started out writing on a free forum much like this one that turned into a pay forum---it was nice to start getting paid for the stories I had submitted ---I got paid by the download.

I now have 5 novels published one from a first chapter of a story I submitted here in a story contest.

This is one reason I volunteer here --is to help new authors get a start---refine their writing skills---and hopefully become better at what they like to do.

Ruby

05-16-2006, 09:46 PM

Rabbit1, please don't be a tease.

Who is your publisher? How's it working out?
Would you recommend them to others?

Ever curious,

Ruby

General_Dom

05-21-2006, 11:42 PM

One thing I would highly recommend to new authors, especially those seeking a publisher, is construction of a "promotional sheet."

This is a small document (generally under 10 pages) that summarizes --- and SELLS --- your novel. It contains detailed character sketches (background, motivations) and a detailed plot synopsis --- something many publishers will require since it demonstrates that your work has something of a "story arc" and isn't just a series of randomly strung together sex/torture scenes. The synopsis also gives the publisher a better idea of the "buttons" you wish to push with your target audience. Helpful, since many publishers market exclusively to niche audiences.

Writing a promo sheet can also be a very effective "workbook" for you, the writer, as well. It forces you to really explore your character's inner workings and their relationships to each other. I will often stop and write a promo sheet mid-novel just to get the creative juices flowing. It's a great method for routing writer's block.

If you are interested in seeing an example of a promo sheet, I would be glad to share the one I constructed for "Loser's Bluff," a novel that I had published by A1AdultEBooks after the first draft was available on BDSM Lib for a short time last spring. Just click on my name to send me email.

Thanks, and best wishes to all the fine writers out in BDSM land....

GD

Slut4U

05-23-2006, 11:57 AM

This has been very helpful for me. Thank you guys so much
:rose: Slut4U:rose:

Slut4U

05-24-2006, 06:24 AM

Has anyone heard of Blue Moon Books INC. a friend told me that they do alot of erotica publishing. Is that true? I cant find a website.
:rose: Slut4U :rose:

Ruby

05-25-2006, 11:25 AM

Blue Moon was purchased by Avalon Publishing Group and while the books are part of their catalog, I couldn't find any calls for submission or writer's guidelines for them.

For the most recent list of calls for submissions & publishing opportunities in the erotica market, visit the
Erotica Readers & Writers Association

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/G/G-Main.htm

If you join their e-newsletter, you'll get up to date submissions in your in-box.

Slut4U

05-26-2006, 07:11 AM

Ruby,
Thank you very much for your help. I didnt know that about Blue Moon. You have been so helpful. I am very greatful that you have started this tread
Slut4U

Ruby

05-26-2006, 03:41 PM

Thank you, Slut4U.

I'm looking forward to hearing about you being published and having you tell your story in this thread.

---

Congrats and thanks to the forum members who been published and contributed to this thread.

I'm sure there's more of you hiding out there. Enquiring minds what to know what's worked for you and what didn't.

her_Joe

05-31-2006, 02:14 PM

I've never published erotic stories/poems except for online sites like the Library, but "back in the day" did have a busy (if not exactly "thriving") career in writing fiction for slick magazines and poetry for "little magazines," even put out a pair of chap books.

It looked like I was about to experience some "real" success when I got a tentative offer for a volume of poetry/fiction from a 'mainline' (i.e., major) publisher. I chose not to pursue the contract, and not to try further to publish that book (or any other), because of the bone-crushing commitment that the contract would have demanded for political support of the book at a time when I had a young family.

I was asked to "hit the road" to do readings, interviews, and so on for a period of three months. I made it for nearly a month before I bailed out.

I think the experience might be informative for some beginners, so I offer it up here ...

Understandably, while publishers may like what they read, they want to be fairly sure there will be a large enough audience for what they publish to justify the costs of editing, printing, distribution, and so on. And it's up to the author to establish that fact beyond their doubt.

So, in my case, the publisher was generous in arranging a road trip of colleges, coffee houses, and so on. They had arranged 3-5 appearances each week. It was up to me to make sure that I filled in, as I could, with 3-5 more, so as to generate some newspaper coverage, reviews, interviews, and so on.

I enjoyed the travel and the chance to talk about the things that interested me (who the heck wouldn't?), even though it kept me from my family, but the part that soured it was the heavy dose of cynicism in "professional" readers -- i.e., critics and student critics, academic audiences and poetry house audiences and people who show up with the primary intention of poking holes in whatever they hear.

Now, so I don't sound too whiney, I'll admit to enjoying it ... for a day or two. I kept good spirits and dealt with the condescension and "rejection" for a couple of weeks (after all, I once papered a room with rejection slips). But after three weeks I was about 'up to here' with it and my grin was more of a grimmace ... even then, I'd have been good to go had it not been that the contract wanted me to do this for six months straight when the book was published, provide another book inside of a year, and a third three years later ... without guarantee of publication.

The point I want to make is that many good writers fall short of success not because of their writing but because they are unwilling or unable to handle the political requirements of self-promotion. I know I wasn't able to handle it ... now that I'm older, I may give it another shot, but this time I'll be aware that it's up to me to sell the dang thing, whether I use a vanity publisher or a mainstream commercial press, no matter whether it's 'literary' or erotica ... unless of course I can find a way to use the name Harry Potter in the title and get away with it! :ty

Write because you love it, because you have no choice but to express yourself in that way. Otherwise, you likely won't make it.

Mad Lews

06-01-2006, 02:30 AM

The point I want to make is that many good writers fall short of success not because of their writing but because they are unwilling or unable to handle the political requirements of self-promotion. I know I wasn't able to handle it ... now that I'm older, I may give it another shot, but this time I'll be aware that it's up to me to sell the dang thing, whether I use a vanity publisher or a mainstream commercial press, no matter whether it's 'literary' or erotica ... unless of course I can find a way to use the name Harry Potter in the title and get away with it! :ty

Write because you love it, because you have no choice but to express yourself in that way. Otherwise, you likely won't make it.

Maybe some good writers turn to porn as a way to avoid the publicity schlepping.
I've never heard of Ann Rice doing a promotional tour for the Beauty series though she did have to for the Vamps. It might be that an agent could negotiate a contract to minimize the amount of appearances you have to make. Then again how do you get an agent without having published? Sounds like catch-22 but I hear tell if you have a contract offer you might want to have a literary agent look it over and see if they can improve upon it. Of course they do take a cut for their trouble but they are supposed to represent the writers best interests
Mad Lews

Rabbit1

06-01-2006, 05:37 AM

Maybe some good writers turn to porn as a way to avoid the publicity schlepping.
I've never heard of Ann Rice doing a promotional tour for the Beauty series though she did have to for the Vamps. It might be that an agent could negotiate a contract to minimize the amount of appearances you have to make. Then again how do you get an agent without having published? Sounds like catch-22 but I hear tell if you have a contract offer you might want to have a literary agent look it over and see if they can improve upon it. Of course they do take a cut for their trouble but they are supposed to represent the writers best interests
Mad Lews

Oh I agree Mad---but most of the time by the time the litary agent is thru ---you would have been better off with the first offer---most are like personal injury lawyers your best intrests are their's only because their cut is bigger if you get more. There are a few good ones out there---but like law ---it also has become a dog eat dog world. So be careful of Litary Agents---

her_Joe

06-01-2006, 01:13 PM

The "good ones" will put in a lot of work on your behalf. In return, they don't want to represent something that won't sell (and make them the $$ which is their reward), so many (don't know about all, y'know) will only represent a novelist, e.g., who has published one and has another nearly done and something to show toward a third cool idea .... what Mad called the Catch-22.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's best to be aware of what the realities are, imo.

HJ

Dr Mabeuse

06-01-2006, 07:49 PM

Agents work on commission - or at least they should. If they don't sell your work, they don't (and shouldn't) get paid a dime.

The fact is, the net has changed the publishing business just as much as it's changed the music business. Anyone can publish their own stuff now, or go with a print-on-demand outfit like PublishAmerica, or, if you prefer, it costs like next to nothing to start your own e-book publishing business. The publishing industry is scrambling to figure out how to function these days.

If you're any good at all, you should be able to get published in e-book format at least. I mean, if I have a publishing company, what does it cost me to publish you? I don't pay you anything up front, you just sign a contract guaranteeing a cut of sales. I don't have to pay to have your book set in type and ptinted and distributed, I just have to rent space on a server to store the text file, which is basically free. My only outlay is the $50 or so I pay some freelance editor to go over your manuscript and correct the more grievous spelling errors, and a couple bucks for some stock cover photo, and for my $50, I take 50-60% of all sales.

In that kind of business, I don't even have to advertise. If they buy your book, great. If not, it's really no skin off my nose.

Mad Lews

11-23-2006, 06:41 PM

Well Ruby has been encouraging me for so long I realy ran out of excuses.
I put together 4 short stories with a great picture from Lochie (with his permission of course) and sent the whole thing off to bdsmbooks.com It took a few months of back and forth but its finally up and for sale. Now all I need to do is figure out how to plot a longer story and I'll be on my way.
Mad Lews

Talia

11-23-2006, 08:54 PM

Widget

11-24-2006, 07:40 PM

wow congrats indeed ... you must be very excited

Mad Lews

01-08-2007, 01:42 PM

Wow and all! after the ehm..Mad Rush, I got my first Royalties check from
(bdsmbooks.com) :)
31 dollars and some change after assorted fees were withdrawn. Now if I could just find a bar that accepts Pay Pal I could invite you all out for a drink to celebrate.
Mad Lews

Ruby

01-08-2007, 03:17 PM

Congratulations, Mad Lews! Excellent news.

orchidsoul

01-08-2007, 03:48 PM

That's great, Mad! Congrats :)

StephVE

02-03-2007, 11:37 AM

Since many of the posts were made a while ago, is there a consensus of which e-book publisher is best for authors? Which one provides the best sales and royalty stream?

Ruby

02-03-2007, 04:35 PM

Since many of the posts were made a while ago, is there a consensus of which e-book publisher is best for authors? Which one provides the best sales and royalty stream?

Hi StephVE,

I don't believe there is one e-book publisher that is best for all authors. E-book publishers, as well as sites that take e-books directly from the author, are often seeking specific genres, formats, etc.

And the personality of the publisher, or the person you'll be working with is also important. If you don't like dealing with that person, it's not going to be a good relationship for either of you.

Most publishers are competitive with sales and the royalty stream. They have to be in order to secure new authors and keep others returning to publish with them again.

Other things to think about:

Are they asking you to pay them for being your publisher?
(A huge warning sign.)

What rights are they asking to your work?
* Exclusive or non-exclusive?
* For how long?
* Do you retain rights to any derivative works?
* Do you retain rights to screen plays, movie/TV/video productions based on your work?

* If you are unhappy with the contract, how quickly can you end it and under what conditions?

How much marketing/promotion does the publisher do and how much is the author expected to do?

Does the e-book publisher have an easy to use web site(s) for sales?

What's there distribution channel?

Will you as an author, have an opportunity to have an affiliate site - for your own works - or for a book store - where you can make money off the sale of other author's works?

The more you research, compare the contracts and author submission guidelines of the various publishers, the more you'll gravitate to a chosen few that meet your needs.

If you want to clarify your questions to a particular genre, like BDSM books, I recommend these sites, which work with publishers and authors directly.

www.a1adultebooks.com

www.bdsmbooks.com

www.bondagebookshelf.com

Here's an example of an affiliate website through A1adultebooks that my publisher uses to promote her authors. After you get through the "I'm old enough to enter" page, you are dropped into a page that leads to the books published by her company.

http://www.a1adultebooks.com/17.htm

Note: Authors or individuals can sign up and promote their own affiliate sites. Each affiliate has a choice of "landing pages" and can promote what they want. It's also easy to track royalty payments online, so an affiliate always knows what's been sold and when.

To your success,

Ruby

Who's next?

Eponine

02-17-2007, 11:59 PM

WOW. This thread is a monstrously super-duper source of information!!!!!!! on publishing.... awesome...
okay... the reason i got into these forums is because of my main concern (paranoia?) about plagiarism... i've been wanting to submit some writing since i joined the site, but first wanted to make sure i wouldn't go to the adult bookstore and find my story there with someone else's name on it (& making money of it too!)
Does no one else have this concern too? Does a simple copyright symbol w/ my name take care of that?
Thanks from a newbie.

Ruby

02-27-2007, 07:16 PM

Hi ThisGirl,

Your concern is very valid.

Protecting your works with a copyright statement does not keep others from copying it and claiming it as their own.

It does help you win your case if you go to court.

Think twice and then again before submitting your work to any website.

What is the purpose of submitting work that you eventually want people to pay for? If it's to get them excited about your writing, then have a plan and determine how much of any story you want to submit. Many publishers don't like to see more than one chapter available online for free.

If you want to share your stories and don't plan to sell them, then that's a different story. Though I'd be pretty ticked to find out someone had copied my work and sold it as their own, you would have a fair amount of legal protection by posting the copyright notice with the story.

The same goes for stories that you just want to share and plan on making other stories available for sale. Look at the success of Powerone.

He has posted over 30 stories on this website in the library and is a top selling author on adult e-book sites.

The policies on this website are different from others. This sites can be found here: http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/stories/story_submit.php

If you want reviewers to read your work, and have more control over it, you might try a site like www.writing.com, where you can password protect your writing, or decide how much of any story is posted at a given time.

To your success,

Ruby

annie

05-30-2007, 08:04 AM

This thread is being closed. Some of the links posted in it are commercial links. Due to the fact they were posted before the rules changed the links will not be removed but the thread will be closed for further comment.

Thanks!

annie

10-06-2007, 05:30 AM

Based on the updated guidelines this thread can be open again! YEAH!

And thanks to ML providing memory support... thanks! :D

:jerry:

Razor7826

10-06-2007, 07:44 AM

Mad Lews

10-06-2007, 12:51 PM

Rejoice,

After months of incarceration we are free to post here once more!!

Let us rejoice as we once again stumble forward on this rocky road and a tip on the hat to the new guidelines that have made this possible.

thanks

Mad &Lews

Torq

10-06-2007, 02:25 PM

Hello Mad Lews,

Your welcome. We need more openness and free flowing adult convo's.

Be Well
T

Mad Lews

10-07-2007, 09:08 AM

This is a great thread, and I'm happy that it is opened again.

Considering that I want to stay anonymous in my writings, is there any way for me to write a copyright statement?

Also, is there a rough amount that e-publishers pay per download, and is it difficult to convince them to put your story up for sale?

Dear Razor 7826,

You need to use a name to make a copyright statement. Pen names are quite common and perfectly acceptable.
Believe it or not my R/l name isn't Mad Lews but something much less mundane. still I get away with copyright Mad Lews 2007, and that will stake my name to the story.

E-publishers payments vary and are usually listed in their notes to authors page. The two I'm familiar with are

http://www.bdsmbooks.com/ which pays 40% of each purchase for first run stories. (not published elsewhere) royalty's are payable monthly and can be payed via p** P*l (which doesn't know its dealing with adult material)

http://www.a1adultebooks.com/ on the other hand pays 60% royalty's but you can only collect payment when they owe you $50.00 or more. If you're a best seller no problem but for more than a few it leaves you high and dry.

Both are looking for adult stories of about 30,000 to 50,000 words. They will take some collections of short stories that are exceptional if the entire collection meets their minimum size requirement. I also suspect it depends on how desperate they are for stories at the time. Try to remember they need to put out 4-8 books a month. You are producing a product for them and they are not doing you a favor. It's a business.

hope that helps

Mad Lews

Razor7826

10-07-2007, 05:11 PM

How genre specific does a story need to be? I am working on an M/f rape/slavery story, but there is some F/f domination and slight generic lesbianism. Should I stick to only M/f bdsm?

Mad Lews

10-07-2007, 08:13 PM

How genre specific does a story need to be? I am working on an M/f rape/slavery story, but there is some F/f domination and slight generic lesbianism. Should I stick to only M/f bdsm?

Tell a good story and the tight genre specifics won't matter. You are in fact writing for the customers so what they find enjoyable they will purchase. side trips into variations are fine if they serve the story. The general theme of BDSM
are important to
http://www.bdsmbooks.com/ but even there imaginative variations are quite acceptable.

Razor7826

10-08-2007, 09:19 PM

Do any of the sites consistently release sales numbers so it can be determined which has more 'traffic', and what sort of fees do they take out of your royalties check? I am really warming up to the idea of producing a longer work for commercial sale.

I'm pretty sure Bondage Book Shelf is not the site it once was...

Ruby

10-09-2007, 02:49 PM

Good point, Razor

Since this thread began, two of the sites are no longer available for our authors:

www.maidenheadbooks.com
www.bondagebookshelf.com

Now about releasing sales numbers:

Most sites have posted their payment policies in great detail. If you submit a book and are accepted, each seller/publisher will provide you current sales for biz tracking purposes. Will they provide you with information about sales of other authors? You have to ask them directly. I'd expect a no.

You might want to contact other authors privately and ask them if they are pleased with sales an specific site or with a particular publisher.

Ruby

10-09-2007, 02:51 PM

How genre specific does a story need to be? I am working on an M/f rape/slavery story, but there is some F/f domination and slight generic lesbianism. Should I stick to only M/f bdsm?

Visit the sites and you can see the types of categories they support and promote.

You might even want to purchase a book or three to determine the quality of what they are seeking.

Mad Lews

10-11-2007, 01:35 PM

Ok, Ok, it's only a short story in an anthology but still it's a first for me.
Here be the scoop. Back in January Carol Queen sent out a call for 1000 word erotic stories for a sequel to the "5 Minute Erotica" anthology.
A friend of mine got one of those e-mails and passed it on to me.

Ms. Queen was looking for what would sell; mostly straight, lightly kinky, hetro erotica of about 1000 words or a five minute read. It sounded a bit like the "Short Take" thread. I stitched together an appropriate story, ran it by Dragon's Muse for obvious blunders, and sent it off with an introduction by mid February.

I heard it was accepted in May and a contract was signed with Running Press (who's publishing the anthology) in Sept. Today I got the Check. a onetime payment of $70.00 not that much but a resume builder when you're trying to sell another manuscript.

The book titled "More 5 Minute Erotica will be published in December if all goes well but at this point I need only cash my check and wish them well.

I put little black squiggles on paper.... Mum would be so proud.

Mad Lews

Ruby

10-11-2007, 02:07 PM

Three cheers for the Mad Lews:

Hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray!

Congratulations!

tessa

10-18-2007, 08:42 PM

My most sincere congratulations.

tessa :wave:

Mad Lews

04-01-2008, 09:03 AM

I’ve another short story accepted, this one is going into the “Mammoth Book of Erotic Confessions” by the British publisher hotspotbooks.co.uk . The book comes out in May of ’09 and the recompense is the princely sum of £10.00 per thousand words, my £22 could well be worth $50.00 by the time it’s paid.

God I feel like a corporate robber baron cutting down them trees.

Mad Lews

Isabella King

04-01-2008, 12:26 PM

I'm pretty damn sure that you put a lot more than £22 worth of effort into writing it.

Euryleia

04-01-2008, 01:24 PM

Mad Lews

04-01-2008, 01:32 PM

I'm pretty damn sure that you put a lot more than £22 worth of effort into writing it.

So true my dear, but it looks good on your resume when you try to pitch a manuscript idea.

Mad Lews

04-01-2008, 01:41 PM

Heck, Mad Lews. It is only the Lorax who speaks for the trees. Keep pimping the volume so you can get even more of 'em sold.

Congratulations on the acceptance.

But, but, Nietzsche swore to me Seuss was dead.
The great thing about this arrangement is I'll get my 22 pounds no matter how many books they sell. Still I suppose you're right I should wish them financial success so they're tempted to do it again.

Mad

underwhere

04-05-2008, 11:50 PM

I didn't really come here looking to publish my work through any other means than self-publishing here on the BDSM Library, but of the one story I have here in the Library so far, of which two chapters are currently posted, I've had over ten thousand readers. I have a third chapter in the works, and I anticipate chapters beyond that but I haven't yet fleshed those out more than a simple outline yet.

One thing I've noticed is that this site seems to count unique visitors to a story, but not unique visitors to parts of stories. My second chapter was published here roughly a month after my first chapter. Its been a bit difficult for me to determine whether I had an audience with the first chapter who came back for the second, or whether I had an audience discovering my second chapter as a story update and wanting to read the first chapter. As a result, its difficult for me to determine how much "staying power" this story has.

Based upon what I've read here, I've made some mistakes already and have some questions:

* I did not explicitly mark my story parts with a copyright, although my name is attached at the top of the text of each section as per suggested guidelines previously posted. (Possible suggestion to the BDSM Library: Would it be possible to have this as a part of the submission process, to add such a copyright notice or at least a date of copyright? i.e., "Attach copyright notice to story" as a field to fill in when submitting stories, probably marked by default) Need I do that with each story part, or just with the story as a whole, for example, on the story's web page here on the BDSM Library?

* If I choose to use a pen name (such as my username here), would/could that effect a publisher's desire to potentially publish my work in paper rather than as an e-book?

* It is my understanding from reading the TOS of this web site that once stories are published here, they will not be removed for any reason. (I can't now find a source for this, but I do remember reading it somewhere. Can somebody clarify if this is still true or if it ever was true?)

I can't think of any other questions or comments right now, but I'm sure I'll be back when I do. :) I hope I don't wind up pestering you all too much.

Isabella King

04-06-2008, 08:10 AM

You automatically hold the copyright to anything you write, but if it's posted anywhere on the internet it will be considered as already published, and so, not worth so much to a publisher.

There's nothing wrong with using a pen name - I've seen some weird ones on e-books - I can't somehow see your user name on the cover of a paperback though :)

Mad Lews

04-06-2008, 09:43 AM

My dearest underwhere,

Did I actually say that?

Each time a reader opens your story (or part of your story) you score a hit! Multi chapter stories posted over time tend to have a larger readership number for that reason.
You can always stick a copyright notice in at the end or even as a revision of previously posted works. Its helpful if you think someone might lift your story word for word and try to pass it off as their own.

Publishers frown on trying to charge people for something that you've given away for free. Even then, say you've posted the first three chapters of a ten chapter saga, they may well give that a thumbs up if they are getting the exclusive on the whole story. e-publishers who invest much less in publishing a story tend to be laxer in these matters.

Paper publishers (the monsters bent on destroying old growth checkered owl habitats) might ask that you withdraw any free e-published versions of the story. That led to a dust up a few years back when ownership changed. the former owner Jinn had no problem pulling an old story pretty much at the authors request. New ownership, not so much. A number of fairly respected writers stopped posting. A direct question to Tiger might help you here, but you're more likely to get a response from Torq.

The best rule of thumb might be, if you hope to sell it, don't give it away. This is especially true if (like me) you hope to desecrate paper when you grow up.

Ms. King is quite right about pen names, sometimes I feel a distinct need to shorten mine to M. Lews, though savvy perverts are not fooled.

Yours
Mad Lews

underwhere

04-06-2008, 08:31 PM

My dearest underwhere,

Did I actually say that?

Each time a reader opens your story (or part of your story) you score a hit!

Okay, that answers one of my questions directly. I was a bit unsure as to how that worked. Thanks for the clarification. If they were to read each of my two chapters separately, that would be two hits. If they were to read the whole thing all at once as it is currently, that would be one hit. I'm not sure that is the most useful way to do it for statistical purposes of determining if my story actually has staying power, but I'm not honestly sure how I would make that better.

You can always stick a copyright notice in at the end or even as a revision of previously posted works. Its helpful if you think someone might lift your story word for word and try to pass it off as their own.

Probably nobody ever thinks that is going to happen, but each of us must be careful with such things and do whatever we can to protect ourselves. I guess I should start adding copyright notices to each of my story parts and my story information page just to be safe.

Publishers frown on trying to charge people for something that you've given away for free. Even then, say you've posted the first three chapters of a ten chapter saga, they may well give that a thumbs up if they are getting the exclusive on the whole story. e-publishers who invest much less in publishing a story tend to be laxer in these matters.

I can understand and definitely appreciate that. What prompted me to write that particular response was the fact that if my story received more than ten thousand hits for two story parts, there would seem to be quite a following for the story, and then I got to thinking, "What if there really is a following for this story?" I guess I've been dreaming a bit about planting a money tree with my writing since then.

Paper publishers (the monsters bent on destroying old growth checkered owl habitats) might ask that you withdraw any free e-published versions of the story. That led to a dust up a few years back when ownership changed. the former owner Jinn had no problem pulling an old story pretty much at the authors request. New ownership, not so much. A number of fairly respected writers stopped posting. A direct question to Tiger might help you here, but you're more likely to get a response from Torq.

At some point, I will be sure to inquire if they do not happen to read this thread first.

Ms. King is quite right about pen names, sometimes I feel a distinct need to shorten mine to M. Lews, though savvy perverts are not fooled.

I had pretty much assumed as much, but you know what they say about assuming.....so its good to get feedback on that too. Thank you for your response. It has been helpful to me.

underwhere

04-11-2008, 06:25 PM

Apparently, the question of whether stories can be removed or not seems top be a "No" based upon my reading from this FAQ page http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/forums/faq.php?faq=main_faq#faq_main_story as follows: "Submitted Story Copyrights
After submitting your story ---you the author still maintain the copyright -all submitting a story to be published on this site does is give the site non-exclusive posting rights---which means you can post or publish your story anywhere else you like ---but the story will not be removed from the site unless it breaks a site policy"

In other words, unless somebody is willing to say something contrary to this and change the appropriate FAQ information, it would seem that removal of stories previously published in the BDSM Library is NOT an option, perhaps something to be considered by people if they should wish to go down this route in light of the previous discussion in this thread.

Mad Lews

04-11-2008, 07:51 PM

Yup underwhere, you're right. Thanks for looking it up.

That's the stated policy that predates Torq and may or may not have changed since Tiger took over. It sort of bears on what exactly a copyright means.

If
'you the author still maintain the copyright -all submitting a story to be published on this site does is give the site non-exclusive posting rights---which means you can post or publish your story anywhere else you like ---but the story will not be removed from the site unless it breaks a site policy'

you've granted e-publishing rights in perpetuity to the site.

The lesson being know what you are giving up when you grant permission for someone to publish your work.
Many places use contracts that spell it out. Non exclusive publishing rights are common in free sites and some e-publishers.

Others want exclusive rights or if you republish want you to acknowledge it was first published in their venue. This is especially true if they shell out cold cash for your piece.

There is also a difference in what you post in the forums as opposed to what is posted in the library. By posting a copyrighted piece on a semiprivate forum, say for advice or critique, I don't believe you've given up any exclusivity, it hasn't been 'published'. The forums are more like a notebook than an official publication. Still and all, please add your copyright notice when you post an original work over in the forums.

talk to the publisher or site administrator if you have questions.

If you have questions ask them before you submit, not after.
Actually thats not a bad rule of thumb in this lifestyle anyway.

Mad Lews

StephVE

05-28-2008, 09:14 AM

I agree with Lewis about copyright. Also if you share a story you wrote with a friend make sure you starte that the sory and the ideas are to remain as confidential. It porvides greater rights. Also place the copyright c on the first page

Clevernick

06-06-2008, 04:35 PM

Now that I'm actually running one of these publishers, I see it from the other side too. If I do publish a book that's available elsewhere for free, I'm sure to hear about it from at least one purchaser, who will generally be annoyed and demand a refund. One or two such experiences is enough to make it a priority to check for that problem.

In fact, it goes further than that. It's not unusual for an author to publish a collection of short stories with more than one publisher. If one comes to me after it's been published elsewhere, and I want to change the title story cuz I think the original title sucked, it's a mistake. I shouldn't.

Because if I do, people will complain that I did it to deceive them into buying a book they already owned.

Tricky, this business.

awriter

07-04-2008, 02:16 PM

Hi, I don’t know if this is the right place to post, if not I hope someone will tell me. I note there seems to be a section for writers, but I don’t seem to have access to it. In any case, the continued erotic adventures of slave kala, is actually a published novel. I of course don’t make much money on it (it’s a niche market) and I don’t expect to, what I don’t want to do, is spend a lot of money to get my work published; and unfortunately, I generally have to arrange my own editing. I recently agreed to pay as much as I’ve made on my first novel, for the editing of the sequel, this is obviously, not ideal. I’m looking for anyone interested in editing my other stuff (preferably at no charge) In addition, I’m also looking for cover art, for an artist interested, I’d be happy to candle you in a thank you page on the novel itself. For anyone interested, let me know. My email address is public information, feel free to contact me. Thanks.

Mad Lews

08-27-2008, 10:09 AM

Well I've done it, along with some help from Clevernick. “Bequeathed” is my first real novel length story. It’s now e-published and selling over at http://www.bdsmbooks.com/listoffers.htm

A rather elaborate tale, which is really two stories, a modern day intrigue intertwined with a tale from the Antebellum South long before the Civil War. As these two stories unfold some interesting parallels and connections become apparent.

Clevernick

11-19-2008, 03:53 PM

I can understand and definitely appreciate that. What prompted me to write that particular response was the fact that if my story received more than ten thousand hits for two story parts, there would seem to be quite a following for the story, and then I got to thinking, "What if there really is a following for this story?" I guess I've been dreaming a bit about planting a money tree with my writing since then.

A belated response to this from my own experience.

I published the first few chapters of my novel "From Zealot to Harlot" on this library (under the title "Obnoxious Housemate" though), and for some time was counting library "hits" and purchases at the same time.

During that time, the library version was right up on the front page, and pointed to the "for money" full version, so people were being directed there.

And now the bad news. People who read bdsm stories free tend to be less enthusiastic about paying for them. Although I had very high ratings (9/10), I sold roughly 1 book for every 1000 reader 'hits' shown on the free site. So 10,000 hits is a following, if you don't mind selling 10 copies of your book.

Sad, but there you go. Of course, your mileage may vary.