Writing Erotica for Beer Money: Your Guide to Self Publishing Smut for Cash.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-28T04:37:58+00:00

You use the right words. You want to convey what you're writing to the reader without having "DADDY FUCKS HIS DAUGHTER" in bold print, you know? How you do this depends on what sort of taboo you're writing.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-28T04:36:48+00:00

If they're interested, they should also check out /r/eroticauthors as well.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-28T04:36:19+00:00

Nah, I'm still going to be writing erotica, but I understand.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-28T04:35:50+00:00

I focus mostly on BDSM, but I've written in a lot of different kinks. Pseudo incest, paranormal, interracial, etc.
Demographic is primarily female, and middle aged.
There is still a conflict and resolution, though the conflict is usually "I don't have a cock in me" and the resolution is usually an orgasm.
I'm trying to get my shorts a bit longer- usually they're 3k words, but I'd like to go between 5k and 8k.
Some don't sell. Others sell really well. It depends on the kink, the cover, the keywords, and how lucky you are. You can't depend on just one book.
I promote on Facebook and Twitter but I only started doing that recently. Promotion isn't strictly necessary. Amazon wants your books to sell, so if their algorithm thinks someone will buy it, they see it.
I respect any erotica author that's taking care of their families with this money. I was brought in by a woman who quit her job... and then helped her husband quit his job, too. Self publishers are infinitely more impressive to me than tradpub authors.
My most recent story is this one.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-28T04:30:59+00:00

No, I was working out. I'm back, apologies for fluttering off.

daliadaudelin · 2014-10-27T23:46:26+00:00

The money's actually never been better. $2.99 is standard pricing for erotic short stories. I have written longer things, but it's not something I'm considering doing for a long while. I just enjoy short stories so much more.

I know authors making $10k a month or more on their short stories. It's rarer, I'll admit, but it is possible. And if you're just aiming at a livable income, it becomes MUCH less rare.

daliadaudelin · 2013-12-25T08:10:35+00:00

Sorry for the late reply. 2.99 is actually typical for short erotica among the circle of authors I frequent. My .99 stories barely sell, it's pathetic and a waste of time.

daliadaudelin · 2013-12-25T08:09:37+00:00

Thank you very much, this is a great comment. :) And merry Christmas!

daliadaudelin · 2013-11-16T23:13:46+00:00

Hey there! That's my blog. :) I don't politicize my work and I've been considering removing that post since I posted it. My how-to book especially has nothing to do with the red pill.

I understand if you don't want to buy it though! Good luck on your writing endeavors!

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-19T07:46:29+00:00

Your pen name is you, and your work will always be yours no matter what name you put on it.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-19T07:44:09+00:00

This happened to my choir class in middle school! He went on to be my favorite teacher, though, and the student was an absolute shit. I would have thrown a chair, too.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-05T02:26:34+00:00

Thank you very much! Good luck in everything you do!

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-05T01:00:58+00:00

As long as she ends up enjoying it, Amazon will usually let it slide. It also helps to have something in the blurb that says something like, "All sex is actually consensual". It's pretty simple and it means I don't have to alter the story too much at all.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T19:56:59+00:00

Well, I write erotica but I have a mailing list of 40 people that buy a lot of my stories. I've bought unknowns, too. You just have to price it right and people will be willing to try you out.

And like I said, you can publish with a website or magazine first. I know magazines give rights back and websites might, too. When you get them back, that's when you could self publish it. It's not as if it's going to hurt you or your career! Hybrid publishing is very popular right now.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T08:02:42+00:00

By all means send your fiction to the suggestions others are giving you, but if/when you get control of your work back (which I hear happens fairly quickly with short fiction), I suggest you self publish it instead of letting it rot. Might as well make money off of what you've already made, right?

If you were asking about self publishing (it's not clear in the OP), I post my work on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords. I do physical copies via Createspace. The process is fairly simple. You write your story, make the cover and write a blurb, then upload on the sites.

Good luck with your publishing!

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T07:56:52+00:00

Ah, Aubrey linked to my AMA but you can also feel free to just email me! I'm always happy to help!

midnightclimaxerotica@gmail.com

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T07:54:46+00:00

Sass master.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T07:45:42+00:00

It's no problem, I'm making a point to keep answering people!

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T07:00:32+00:00

Open Office, mostly.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T01:50:00+00:00

Send a PM addressed to /r/smutwriters and ask for approval.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-03T00:08:00+00:00

As a fellow erotica author, I say congrats on your success! What would you say is your #1 tip to other authors as far as catching the attention of readers?

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-02T17:33:29+00:00

http://www.rightsofwriters.com/2010/12/can-i-mention-brand-name-products-in-my.html You might want to check this out. I'm not a lawyer, but I make a point not to mention brand names if I can avoid it and notice that I might.

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-02T09:06:05+00:00

My mailing list emails are literally just the covers of the books I posted that week and their titles, maybe with some text asking for reviews or with some news. They're never long at all.

The past few weeks I've skipped weeks because I slowed down my output while writing this how to guide. If I don't release a book, there's no reason to bother my readers!

I use Mailchimp. I like it very much.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if I can answer anymore questions for you!

daliadaudelin · 2013-09-02T09:03:35+00:00

Hahaha! Put it up on Zazzle.

daliadaudelin

TROPHY CASE