Publisher's Weekly's Front Page article on the New E-rotica

The New E- in Erotica
Digital delivery helps boost the readership and sales.
by Sarah J. Robbins -- Publishers Weekly, 6/23/2008
Sex sells—and always has—so why, in the realm of erotica, has sex sold surprisingly more during the past few years? Is it the ho-hum economy? The war on terror? It's the Internet, stupid: empowering readers, writers and publishers of erotica, and offering instant access to a lively, diverse and ever-growing community. Only in the past few years have major romance publishers taken notice.

The consumers were far ahead of me,” says Kate Duffy, editorial director at Kensington, which launched its erotica imprint, Aphrodisia, in 2006. “For years I thought of e-publishing as something people did because they couldn't publish with us. But then we started seeing all of these stellar talents that had first been e-published. It wasn't that the books were in any way inferior—that was my prejudice. It was a different way of accessing consumers, and it would behoove me to investigate.”

One e-publisher who offers a variety of romance says the racier the story, the better the sales: “It can be difficult to describe the line between regular romance and erotica—it's often a tone or a feeling, or something specific that makes it more raw,” says Rhonda Peters, editor-in-chief of the Wild Rose Press, which publishes 14 different genres of romance in all lengths and in both electronic and print formats. “But whenever we have a new erotica release, it's 10 times more successful than anything else we put out.”

“The be-all and end-all” of online erotica, says Peters, is Ellora's Cave. EC publisher Raelene Gorlinsky says the company saw a 20% growth in e-book sales from 2006 to 2007, the year Kensington and other romance publishing heavyweights like Avon and Harlequin started new erotica imprints. Says Gorlinsky: “Once it was in front of their faces on bookstore shelves, people said, oh! I'll try this.” A large percentage of the original readership is still buying online—for immediacy, convenience and anonymity.

Pocket Books began publishing print versions of Ellora's Cave short stories and novellas in 2006, beginning with founder Jaid Black's Deep, Dark and Dangerous. The company recently optioned 39 more Ellora's Cave e-books, which are now being released in a series of anthologies that will appear, one a month, through February 2009. August brings a cheating-themed A Hot Man Is the Best Revenge; On Santa's Naughty List appears in time for the holidays. “We've had such fun creating these themed sets,” says Pocket editor Micki Nuding. Arguably the most anticipated Pocket/Ellora's Cave collaboration to date is this October's release of their first hardcover anthology, Forbidden Fantasies—featuring some of Ellora's Cave's premiere writers, including Black and Cheyenne McCray. “Unlike our other anthologies, this work is brand-new and has never been released before,” says Nuding.

Harlequin's erotic imprint, Spice, published its first print anthology, What Happens in Vegas, in May. Last August the company launched Spice Briefs—short erotic stories (5,000 to 15,000 words) published as e-book originals. “We knew there was a strong appetite for erotic online reads,” says editor Susan Swinwood. “We've been publishing two to three titles per month and have been thrilled at the response we've had from readers.” Spice will publish an anthology of the best briefs, Size Matters, in March '09.

“The bonus of having three or more short stories in a collection is that there's less time with setup and more time with the fun, juicy parts,” says May Chen, an editor at Avon's Red imprint. In December, Red will offer the Rachel Kramer Bussel–edited Bedding Down anthology; a month later comes A Red Hot Valentine's Day.

Readers also enjoy the variety within a given collection, says Alexandria Kendall, founder and owner of Red Sage Publishing, which has since 1995 published anthologies that combine a variety of genres, including historical, paranormal and contemporary. “They'll often pick up one of our titles because they're interested in one kind of story,” says Kendall, “but they'll end up discovering something entirely new.” Secrets Volume 23: Secret Desires and Secrets Volume 24: Surrender to Seduction will both be available in July.

Some publishers have suggested that the era of the anthology has passed, and that big name authors are what spur book sales. Popular romance writers have crossed into erotica with a good deal of success. Eric Jerome Dickey, a 12-time New York Times bestselling author, released his first erotic novel, Pleasure, in April. It's become a national bestseller. “I think his readers know to expect the unexpected when they come to his books,” says Julie Doughty, Dickey's editor at Dutton. “He turned his focus a little, exploring what happens when a woman leaves a relationship and asking, how realistic is it for one person to fulfill your every need?”

Something for Everybody

Women want erotica—but what, specifically, are they looking for? Every type of encounter within the realm of imagination. This October, Trafalgar Square will bring to the U.S. a diverse collection from Neon, an imprint of the British publisher, Orion. Part of its publicity campaign will include a giveaway with Playgirl magazine. “There's a smart packaging to these titles,” says publishing director Brooke O'Donnell. “They're hip and play to a readership really well.” Trafalgar Square will bring another British export stateside in November: the contemporary Intimate Company series (which includes The Confessional Diaries of a Girl Abroad and The Confessional Diaries of a Girl in the Country).

Some women gravitate toward sexy versions of real life; more and more seem to want something outside their realm of experience. “It's been very obvious to us and our authors that as erotic romance has become popular, readers have gotten acclimated to it,” says Gorlinsky at Ellora's Cave. “And they've become jaded. Things that were shocking five years ago—anal sex, ménage à trois—have now become vanilla.” Since, as Gorlinsky says, the human body can only do so many things, many writers have experimented with different types of adventure and fantasy—or a combination of the two. And readers have responded.

According to Ballantine senior editor Melody Guy, one reason for the category's success is the authors' promotional savvy. At Ballantine's One World imprint, the biggest erotica author, says Guy, is “far and away Noire,” whose 2005 debut novel, G-Spot, continues to backlist strongly. Coming next month is a story collection, From the Streets to the Sheets: Urban Erotic Quickies¸which will be followed next spring by Hittin' the Bricks, based on a screenplay by Noire. Noire's popularity, says Guy, “stems from the fact that she combined two genres in a way that no one else had—street lit and erotica—and appealed to fans of both genres.” She also, Guy adds, has a team of fans across the country that helps to promote her books, and she has a significant online presence.

One emerging category is erotic suspense—a technique St. Martin's bestselling writer Lora Leigh uses in her navy SEAL series to create heart-pounding moments, says SMP senior editor Monique Patterson. Last month, the publisher released her Wicked Pleasure; the second book in her Bound Hearts series, the third entry, Only Pleasure, will be out in January.

A writer's unique sensibility—and the way he or she creates the world in which her characters live—is key to a book's vitality, says Berkley senior editor Kate Seaver. “Each author brings a fresh take to erotica,” she says, “and that's what's so important—a really great story and compelling characters.” She cites new Berkley author Robin Schone's portrayal of Victorian London as an example; the USA Today bestselling author will headline the historical erotica anthology, Private Places, in August.

New American Library's executive editor, Claire Zion, says high-concept historicals, such as Colette Gale's Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo (the follow-up to last year's Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera), have been very successful. “It's erotic and frank and a great retelling,” says Zion. In March 2009, NAL will release Madame Bliss: The Erotic Adventures of a Lady by Charlotte Lovejoy. “It's written in the tradition of Tom Jones and Fanny Hill, about a young innocent released in London,” says Zion. “It's a wink and a nod to the literary tradition of the 18th century that readers up and down can enjoy.”

Kensington editorial director Audrey LaFehr calls historical erotic romance “such a fun genre, because it's still so new we can try just about anything.” One Aphrodisia author, Kate Pearce, writes Regency England erotica, including March's Simply Sexual and the upcoming November title, Simply Sinful. But the imprint's front-runner remains paranormal erotica. “An alternate world really allows the writer the freedom to break all the rules and social taboos they face when writing a contemporary novel set in the 'real' world,” says LaFehr. “The sex tends to be hotter, wilder and much more inventive in paranormals, and the fans seem to be ready and willing to follow the writers' imaginations wherever they want to take them.” Kate Douglas's Wolf Tales novels, which have repeatedly gone back to press, are one Kensington success story. Her latest, Wolf Tales VI, will be published next month.

Bantam Dell senior editor Shauna Summers sees no sign of paranormal erotica slowing down. “The question for a while was, when is paranormal going to implode?” she says. “Now we know it's here to stay. We see it as a niche that has a very solid, loyal readership and is growing from there.” Coming in August as a Delta trade paperback is Seduced by the Storm, the latest installment of Sydney Croft's ACRO (Agency for Covert Rare Operatives) series—which includes sexy, superhuman encounters. Croft also contributes to Bantam's Hot Nights, Dark Desires anthology, released last month.

These genres are so hot, in fact, that there's some serious cross-pollination going on—especially among historicals and paranormal. Kensington author Elizabeth Amber's Lords of Satyr trilogy (including the final installment, Lyon: The Lords of Satyr, due in August) combines these subgenres—and has gone back to press three times. Another steamy example of this unlikely marriage can be seen in Avon's take on traditional fairy tales. In October, they'll release Ravish: The Awakening of Sleeping Beauty by Cathy Yardley.

The newest frontier in erotica, say some publishers, is male/male erotic romance aimed at heterosexual female readers. “Ménage à trois, specifically two men and a women, first became hot a couple of years ago,” says Ellora's Cave's Gorlinsky. “Now people are very fascinated by it.” The e-publisher has a variety of male-male story lines online; a few have been included in recent print anthologies.

“Interest in gay erotica among heterosexual female readers was once a bit of an industry secret,” says Kara Wuest, assistant to the publishers at Cleis Press. “Perhaps now it's becoming more generally known that many women read gay erotica because they enjoy the eroticization of the masculine form, regardless of orientation.” Their newest gay titles have themes featuring masculine archetypes—Truckers, Cowboys, Country Boys, Hot Cops and Hard Hats—and each, says Wuest, sells better than the last. Next up? July's Backdraft: Firemen Erotica.

“Gay men are feeling freer to say they like romance—a fully fleshed-out story with great characters and plots, and there's a huge number of straight women who want to read gay erotic romance,” says Laura Baumbach, writer and founder of ManLoveRomance Press. “Why not? They like men. One man is good, two are exciting together.” She started the company two years ago, frustrated that, as a writer, she lacked publication options through more traditional channels. Today, her titles rank third, fifth, and eighth among Barnes & Noble's gay erotica bestsellers. “It may take years before New York publishers catch on to the trend, but people are asking for it, so we dove in,” she says. “After all, you can write the best book in the world, but there's no point if readers don't know it's out there.”


Travel Guides Redux
Philadelphia-born travel writer Heather Stimmler-Hall began curating tours of Paris in the late '90s, a few years after moving there as a student. “People who came on the tours often took me aside and asked where they could find sex clubs,” says Stimmler-Hall. “It's quite funny—each one always thought they were the first one to ask.” She did her research but found few guides to serve the sophisticated woman traveler, empowered by films like Heading South and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and bedazzled by Stimmler-Hall's new home: “Paris has always inspired women as a place of sexual liberation,” she says. That's why she'll publish Naughty Paris: A Lady's Guide to the Sexy City, through Austin, Texas–based Greenleaf Book Group in September. (The book will be available on naughtyparisguide.com in mid-July.) “This guide shows women exactly how to choose their own erotic adventure,” says Stimmler-Hall, “from erotic cabarets and art galleries to where to find the right lingerie and shoes in order to get the Frenchwoman attitude.” Up next? Berlin and London. “People don't want to stick erotica in one corner of their lives,” she says. “Whether it's in cooking or travel, they want a little sexiness throughout.”

On the other end of the spectrum is a male travelogue of sorts: Joe Diamond, currently a writer for Playboy TV's new travel series, Sexy Things to Do Before You Die has penned Around the World in 80 Lays, which Skyhorse Publishing will release in October. The book takes readers to brothels and other sex destinations around the globe, including Brazil, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic. “For a publisher in any category, the goal is to publish something different from what's out there. This book also happens to have one of the greatest titles of all time and a Larry Flynt blurb,” says Bill Wolfstahl, associate publisher and director of sales and marketing. Some people have raised eyebrows, concerned about the exploitation in the sex business, says Wolfstahl, who notes that there's nothing in the book about sex with underage girls. “It's not our job to tell what's right or wrong,” he says. “This is his story, and our feeling is that a little controversy can be very good for a book.”

A One-Woman Name Brand
Zane, a New York Times bestselling author of erotica, writes her sex scenes last. “People who think readers want to pick up a book and see sex sex sex miss the mark,” she says. “Even with the anthologies I edit, I select a story based on whether or not I really care about the people having sex.”

And as this singularly named master of invention expands her brand, she's consistently finding new ways to get the word out about her characters. This summer she's launched a viral marketing campaign for her own Atria imprint, Strebor Books, while serving as executive producer for a television adaptation of one of her bestsellers: Zane's Sex Chronicles is scheduled to premiere on Cinemax in September. (Atria will publish the companion short-story collection in August.)

Zane's editor at Atria, Malaika Adero, says the African-American female voice was long absent in American erotic literature. “Zane's filled that gap,” says Adero, who began working with the writer about six years ago. “It's the opposite of flowery—it's edgy and unvarnished. And hers are real characters and real settings that everyone can identify with, from riders on the subway to residents of suburbia.”

Zane's Sex Chronicles features the intertwining stories of five urban women and the men in their lives; when filming wraps, Zane will switch sets—she's next slated to film a telenovela series for BET, based on her novel Afterburn. The shooting of Addicted, her feature film for Lion's Gate, will begin in the fall.

Still Zane insists she hasn't lost traction with the printed word, whether she's pushing the boundaries of her own craft (last month Strebor released the lesbian erotica anthology Purple Panties, and Atria published Honey Flava, a Zane-edited anthology featuring a mix of African-American and Asian characters) or championing other writers. Strebor will release 32 books this year, among them Street Judge by former Detroit district court judge Greg Mathis, and Diary of a 12-inch Brotha by Dante Feenix.

And while she most often deals with fiction, Zane is equally attentive to the real-world needs of her readers, maintaining a blog on her Web site that addresses their questions and concerns. Some of these letters were collected in the writer's first nonfiction title, Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love, which was released last summer. “Women today don't wait for a man to define them—they define themselves,” says Zane. “If you read my blog, it really shows—as they read these fantasies, they start to become more liberated in their own lives.”

Taschen Gets Cocky
In September 2006, Taschen bravely thrust forth The Big Book of Breasts—a 420-page ode to what its author, Dian Hanson, calls “America's premiere body part of interest.” Indeed. The $50 art book has sold 65,000 copies to date and has been bought by an equal number of men and women. How could they top it?

“People of course started asking what body part is next?” says Hanson, a 25-year veteran of men's magazine publishing and Taschen's sexy-book editor. “I said, look, there's only one thing that's going to approach that level of fascination.” Now, after much anticipation, The Big Penis Book will finally debut on June 26.

It features more than 400 photos of phenomenal phalluses—including some of the legendary John Holmes—most of them taken in the U.S. in the 1970s. Hanson spent more than a year researching the book, seeking out and interviewing the photographers and, when necessary, their archivists. “That I was very happy to do—especially to find the photographers people thought were dead,” she says. “Now they're all communicating with one another.”

The fruit of her labors is already selling out in Europe; Taschen's Beverly Hills and Hollywood stores get daily requests for the title. “The amazing thing to me is that no one else has thought of this,” says Hanson. So what, then, is next? Why, legs, of course. Oglers, look out: the book is slated to hit shelves in early '09.

What's the Difference between Erotic Romance and Erotica?

So, I've been selling in this erotic marketplace for the past three years and someone just asked me why one thing worked and another didn't. I blithely said, well that's because the largest number of readers are in Erotic Romance, and they asked me to explain the difference.

I thought everyone knew - but realized that there are some writers who aren't even familiar with the term "romantica," so here goes.

I believe that Romantica is a term coined by the Ellora's Cave gals for their brand of erotic romance novels. They feature the happy monogamous endings and wish fulfillment of your average romance novel, but with many explicit sex scenes. The main character is always a woman, even though the story can be told from alternating points of view.

Erotica is sexually charged fiction, but it's payoff is not the traditional romance novel happy ending - anything goes with anyone.

So my interrogator asked me to give some examples of good Erotic Romance (because she wasn't taken with anything she'd read in this category so far) and I wanted to say, "all my client's work," but many of the books I've sold haven't been published yet.

The only one that is is PARIS HANGOVER by Kristen Lobe.

So can you guys recommend some really good Romantica, and Erotic Romance?

Good erotica too?

More BEA and Return from Vacation

BEA in LA is almost as grueling as when it's in New York, because the convention center is so big and I have so many clients in the city. That means I walk miles up and down the trade show aisles during the day, and run around for breakfast lunch, dinner and drinks with clients in between. I am so wiped out by 7:00, that I never have energy to attend all the parties, which as a veteran agent I am finally invited to (when I was young and had the energy, they didn't know who I was).

A lot of people who have never been to this trade show think I sell books while there. That's the last thing agents do. We go to check on our big books and how they are being presented to the book selling industry (who the convention is aimed at), to see an overview of the industry in a snapshot, and to get inspired. We also get free books and goodies (although I have learned to only take what I can comfortably carry, because I can always ask an editor to send something to me).

My meetings are never with editors I can see in New York. They're with non-New York book editors, my foreign agents who come in for the show, and film contacts.

I also got to show my two agents-in-training the business ropes. It's really exciting to see the book world from fresh eyes, even in a recession.

Since BEA was in LA, I stayed over my brother's house, but since I worked all day, I hardly saw the family. So I finished business Saturday and we planned to go to Universal with the kids, but it caught fire and we went to Knotts Berry Farm instead. Monday I hit the beach and Tuesday I went to Hollywood, which I remembered as reminding me of New York. However, New York (or 42nd Street) has been cleaned up and Disney-ized, and Hollywood still reminds me of the 42nd Street of the 70's. which I am glad to be rid of. We also drove around Laurel Canyon, gawking at the beautiful homes of the rich and famous (too many of which were for sale).

We drove to San Francisco the next day in our rented white Mustang convertible with a black top. It's a great drive of beaches and small California towns, and roadside farmland of everything we love to eat - avocados, artichokes, lettuce, cherries, strawberries and garlic. Passed through Steinbeck country.

In Northern California, we visited Napa, SF itself and did the 17 Mile drive. Also caught a dual concert with Chicago and Doobie Brothers, which was wonderful. We ate like royalty and slept well, and hung out with friends. It was delightful, and made me realise that I am always working.

I got back midnight on Monday and have been working double time since I got in. I am convinced that when I leave home for long periods of time, my cats have frat cat parties and shed every hair they have ever grown. There's so much cleaning and shopping and sorting to do when I get back.

But it was worth it.

BEA

It's the annual book trade show. This year it's in LA, which is nice for me because I get to visit my brother's family - but difficult because there's so much to do and so much traffic, and no one lives in downtown LA, where the convention is held.

Today I took pitches as part of the Writer's Digest Writer's Conference. Although I have more than enough to read, I am always curious to see what is out there. And there was one author who looked up the kind of books I have sold, and came specifically to see me. I know I will take on that book, so it's already a win-win situation for me.

My two other agents were also to attend, but one of them got so sick we insisted she stay home. So our intern, who is just learning the ropes, took pitches in her stead. I think it was an inspiring learning experience for him.

We also sat in on the agent panel at the conference, where I learned that the best-seller YOU'LL NEVER NANNY IN THIS TOWN AGAIN was a self-published book that sold in auction to a major house.

I also learned that the crossover market between young adult and adult fiction (which would be characters in college) was recently tried by a number of publishers and failed dismally. So the publishing belief that college students have no time to read books besides those in their assigned reading list appears to be true.

The trade show officially opens on Friday, where I will walk the floor and try to share the trends I see (which will be based on books that were bought 6 months to a year ago, before the recession).

Some Answers for Beginners

Writer's Digest asked me to answer some questions for an upcoming article, but I missed the deadline (it was less than a week and I just had too much to do for you), so I'm posting my answers here. But do look for the articles when they run (and let me know when they do).

Article No. 1: SELF-PUBLISHING

Q. Do you review queries where a writer wants you to take on their self-published book?
If yes, what are you hoping/looking for?
If not, you can be candid about why not.



We get many queries for self-published books. I have taken on a few. I have one I'm selling right now, but they are never easy to sell.


Q. Is there a "magic number" - number of sales you need to see before you will consider the book?

No. I've had books with fabulous quotes or sales of over 10,000 that haven't resold. It's depends on the market.


Q. Have you ever taken on a self-pub book before? Were you successful in finding a traditional publisher? How did that work?



I have a self-published cook book that I am selling now. I read about it in an article about self-published titles. I have not sold it yet.



I have found it really hard to place self-published bocks, both fiction and nonfiction, but I know other agents who thrive on this practice.


Article No. 2: CHAPTER ONE PET PEEVES

Dennis Lehane once said that the sign of an amateur writer is that they start a story with the cliché of the protagonist waking up from a dream, then staring out the window, then staring in the mirror, then finally leaving the apartment on page 4.

Q. What do you hate seeing in chapter 1? What are your pet peeves

This can be anything:
It can be something the protagonist does
It can be some aspect of writing or storytelling
It can be that the chapter is too long, too short or too unfocused
Prologues?
Anything....

What will immediately turn you off in chapter 1?



It's not so much the first chapter, as book length. More than half the queries are rejected because the books are too long or too short.

A publishable novel today needs to be about 80,000 words - 120,000 if it is epic fantasy. Anything longer, and/or shorter is unsellable in today's market. When I write to new authors and inform them of this they argue with me citing Jonathan Livingston Segal or some tome by Stephen King, both of which were products of the 70's. Today's market cannot support first novels that are less than 300 pages (who wants to pay $24.95 for a 180 page book?) or much over 350 pages.



Of course, with the faster paced movies we are watching, books really have to start off with a rush. Dean Koontz wrote in the classic, but out-of-print Writer's Digest book, How to Write Best-Selling fiction, that your novel should open with your main character in terrible trouble and then be in even more grave danger within 5 pages. This always works.

So your novel has to grab me by the first page, which is why we can reject you on one page.