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!

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