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It's A Dirty Job... Writing Porn For Fun and Profit!  Includes Paying Markets! "...The greatest trait of this book is Terrega's enthusiasm for what she does and her conviction that anyone, yes, even you or I, can write porn." Shanna Germain, Review Editor at Clean Sheets Magazine. Click Here to see why this e-book is all you need to learn how to write (and sell!) your work! Or Order Here!
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IT'S A DIRTY JOB...WRITING PORN FOR FUN AND PROFIT! By Katy Terrega - Includes Paying Markets! This e-book has EVERYTHING the aspiring porn writer needs to know! Click on http://www.katyterrega.com/dirtyjob.html for chapter headings and excerpts. Or order here - http://www.KatyTerrega.com/writersorderform.html =========================
First, thanks to all of you who went to Amazon and gave It's a Dirty Job...Writing Porn For Fun And Profit a decent review! I so appreciate it :) As I said in the last newsletter, the negative reviewer had a point in that the print version is a little out of date, but the rest of his or her criticism was totally off the mark. However, one of our subscribers wrote to me and said (although I'm paraphrasing here) that letting the reviewer get to me was like giving him/her free rent in my head, which I thought was an interesting and appropriate way to look at it. Thanks again to all of you who helped out :) You know that new service for writers I was talking about in the last issue? The one that was supposed to be live by now? Well I'm sure it comes as no surprise to any of you familiar with my notoriously slow-starting new projects, but it's not quite ready yet. Very, very, close, but not quite, although I'm sure I'll have it ready for the next issue. I still don't want to jinx it by saying too much about it, but when it debuts, I'd sure love your feedback on it. I'm going to cut right to the chase today and move on to newsletter business. I'm already a day late with this issue and I think, in the interest of timeliness I can skip my usual (often rambling) intro :) We've got a great issue: an excellent column from C. B. Potts on self-publishing, a great article by Lisette Ashton on sex writing as the "Hardest Job In The World," some good markets and market news (check that section out right before Market Listings,) and some reader response as to gay sci-fi markets. Take care and, as usual, I hope you enjoy the newsletter and please keep in touch! Katy
The Quickies Edited by O.C. Levy Cum into the private lives of people who share their spontaneous, erotic and sometimes twisted 'Quickie' experiences! http://www.TheQuickies.com =======================
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Perhaps there are harder jobs than writing erotic fiction. The head of tourism in Iraq must currently be exceeding his prescription for Valium. And I imagine Michael Jackson’s image consultant is accessing www.workthing.com on an hourly basis. But, with the exception of those two vocations, I don’t think there are many other occupations that can be more demanding than the production of erotic literature. Aside from writing erotic fiction I have a regular nine-to-five job, polishing a chair with my backside, along with a team of fellow office drones. Some colleagues know about my writing. Most of them treat it as being a dirty secret that ranks alongside masturbation or the lewdest of fetishes. But this no longer troubles me. ‘I was looking for your novel in the local bookstore last week,’ a colleague recently told me. That was an opening line that caught my interest. I smiled, one of my better ones, fluttered my eyelids and tried to remember what a demure expression looked like. I probably failed. ‘Did they have a copy?’ I enquired with eager nonchalance. ‘I wasn’t embarrassed,’ the colleague continued. ‘I just went up to a male shop assistant and asked if they could point me in the direction of the FILTH section.’ He laughed so we could share the amusement of his raucous humour. If he’d stabbed me with a rusty letter opener I doubt he would have hurt me much more. Another co-worker and I were innocently discussing the forthcoming weekend. She was going to be busy buying conservatory furniture and watching a couple of TV shows, and asked me what I would be doing. I gave a shrug and said I had a couple of deadlines to meet: a short story and an overdue novel. She muttered a shrill giggle and said, ‘I don’t know why you waste your time writing that drivel.’ The comment stung like salt in a paper cut. The criticism would have hurt if it had come from someone who had read my work. But this accusation, that I write drivel, came from someone who has never read a word I’ve written. And they don’t think it’s bad because they believe I can’t write. Or because they’ve seen a couple of poor reviews. Or because they’ve disagreed in the past with reviewers who’ve said positive things about my work. The know it’s drivel because it’s erotic fiction. Perhaps I’m being too sensitive. Other writers in other genres are plagued by this brusque dismissal from the knowledgeably unread. Stephen King struggled to attain respectability, and even today it wouldn’t be that difficult to squeeze a quote from one church leader or another to condemn his horror novels as blasphemy or heresy or sacrilege. The English author and politician Jeffrey Archer, even before his trail and incarceration, was constantly lampooned for his poor story-telling abilities: most notably by people who had never attempted to read any of his books. Start a conversation on popular fiction in general and it won’t be long before someone dismisses the entire output of the Harlequin Mills & Boon publishing house with the most scathing comments. And you can guarantee, if you ask one of these critics how many Mills & Boon titles they’ve read, the more honest ones will shrug and say none. Yet the lack of acclaim for erotic fiction has to be for more reasons other than mere public opinion. Maybe it’s because, as a genre, we don’t have any names of world-wide repute. Mention JK Rowling and everyone knows you’re discussing children’s fiction. Talk about John Grisham or Patricia Cornwell and even the illiterate will know you’re in the territory of fast-paced thrillers. But, unless you’re conversing with the most hard-boiled enthusiasts, you can mention M Christian, Pat Califia, Maxim Jakubowski or Susie Bright and be greeted by the question: who? Admittedly, there are a couple of famous names - Pauline Réage, John Cleland and the Marquis de Sade - but none of them are in a fit condition to appear on a forthcoming episode of Oprah. Could it be that this denigration of the genre has something to do with popular interpretation of porn and erotica? And the hairsbreadth that separates those neighbouring categories? It’s sophisticated, in a bohemian fashion, to admit that you read and enjoy erotica. It’s crass, in the most reprehensible manner, to confess that you’ve ever liked porn. Most likely it’s a combination of all of the above, which means that, as writers of erotica, we have the cards stacked against us before we begin. As well as the usual editorial demands for good copy, we also have to write in a style that’s arousing and tells a cogent story. Juggling plot lines against sexual content is difficult. Trying to balance juxtaposed scenes, so the first act isn’t too slow a build to submission or the finale isn’t an orgiastic anticlimax, can be a migraine-inducing chore. Balancing those taut threads of story and sexual intrigue can be fraught over 2,500 words and nigh on impossible when you’re aiming for the 80,000 word target of a full length novel. It’s a hard job. It’s not particularly lucrative. And it’s virtually bereft of prestige. But, the next time someone asks you why you write erotica, you can smile with confidence, puff out your chest and say, “I don’t just write erotica: I’m involved in one of the hardest jobs in the world.” ---
Lisette Ashton has written around twenty erotic novels for the UK publishing
houses Nexus and Chimera. Numerous short stories have appeared in print
magazines and online, along with a collection of short stories published by
Nexus in 2003: Original Sins. Lisette's most recent release is the first
part of a vampire trilogy, The BloodLust Chronicles: Faith, from Chimera
Publishing. The other two titles in this series will be published during
2004.
www.lisetteashton.co.uk
NEED MORE PAYING MARKETS FOR YOUR WORK? Markets for the Freelance Writer Ebook (400+ paying markets) Publishers on the Web Ebook (100+ ebook publishers) Writers Crossing Markets (15+ new markets in each issue) http://www.WritersCrossing.com =================== One of our readers wrote to let me know that "Literoticaffeine's website has disappeared and there is a notice on their home page that they have suspended publication indefinately." --- I honestly can't remember where I heard this, whether it was a reader or Barbara Pizio herself who told me, so you can't quote me on this, but... Apparently the reason that Penthouse Variations isn't accepting submissions right now is because they didn't publish during the summer and are backlogged with submissions. But it sounds like they're going to get to all of the ones that they've already contracted, and it seems a good bet that in the future they'll be taking new submissions...
COOL STUFF 4 WRITERS! Apparel, Mugs, Resources, Tools, Calendars and More! Cool Stuff 4 Writers is the coolest site around! Well-Fed Writer (TM) and Renegade Writer shirts, mugs and more! www.CoolStuff4Writers.com ===================
BLOWING KISSES ANTHOLOGY UPDATE
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Eternally Erotic: Artwork
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Anacoenesis
*************************************************** If so, please consider making a Order your voluntary subscription Here MORE MARKETS THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT! Subscribe to THE GILA QUEEN'S GUIDE TO MARKETS! Updates! New Markets--All Genres, Fiction and Nonfiction! Informative Articles! Info on Editors! Dead Markets! All this and much much more! 20 E-mail issues for $20. Check or money order in US funds to: Kathryn Ptacek, PO Box 97, Newton NJ 07860. Now Accepting Credit Card Payments Via PayPal! E-mail: katptacek@yahoo.com
================================================== Confess – you’ve done it. There’s not a writer out there who hasn’t picked up a magazine, leafed through the pages, and said, “Good Lord Almighty, I could do a better job myself!” Content, layout, cover design – after all, how tough could it be? Very few people drop out of NASA to start publishing companies. It’s an especially enticing idea to writers of erotica. Many, many times writers have work that is just too hot for mainstream publishers to handle, and there’s a limit to how many books publishers who do handle erotic material can produce in a year. Print on Demand and Self-Publishing outlets abound. You just have to type the words into any search engine, and countless pages of sites appear, ready for the clicking. The companies range from the very reputable to the fly-by-night, but they all operate on the same basic premise. Authors pay the cost of production for their works, and in reputable firms retain the rights to that same book. Additional services are often available, ranging from copy editing to cover design, as well as promotional items writers can use at book signings and the like. There is a common perception that self-published books aren’t very good. After all, the argument goes, if they were decent, wouldn’t a traditional publisher pick them up? Not necessarily. There are countless good books that aren’t printed every year, books that simply didn’t tickle an editor’s fancy or fit into the niche the publisher was trying to fill. Other authors prefer to assume the economic risks and keep a larger portion of a book’s profitability themselves. Remember that standard royalty contracts pay between 7-10%, which means on a book that retails for $14.95, you bring home less than $2.00. After you cover the expenses of producing your own book, all the related income is profit – and yours to keep. But the bad reputation of self-published books didn’t simply materialize out of thin air. I’ve read more purple prose, poor punctuation, and offensive, ignorant garbage between the covers of self-published books than in the works of any traditional publisher, bar none. How do you keep your book, your precious darling, from becoming lumped in with the stinkers? The first step is to write a good book. (Easy enough, right?) The trick to this is remembering that no great writer works in isolation – every single book on the best seller lists today has had the careful attention of a professional editor. Freelance editors may be as close as the staff of your local newspaper. Many advertise their services in writing magazines. Editors do much more than check punctuation and syntax. By providing an objective pair of eyes, they find glaring mistakes that are obvious to everyone but the author besotted with his own story. If a character suddenly changes direction without a good reason, if the theme of the story gets lost for five or six chapters, or if the whole manuscript is one big problem, an editor will tell you. After working with your editor and ensuring that the book is the best you can make it, you need to select a printer. Check references and bulletin boards. Ask to see samples of their work – you want to work with a company that is proud of their products. Make sure you stick to your budget – if you can’t recoup the cost of production and make a profit, you’re in a bad position. As writers of adult material, you have to be up front with the printers. Some companies simply do not handle graphic works. Other companies don’t care one whit about what they print, as long as they get paid. Once you find a willing company, you again want to ensure they are reputable and professional. Print on Demand requires less financial investment from the author, but formatting choices are limited. Greater variety in size, graphics, font, layout and the like are available from traditional printers, but be prepared to spend considerably more money. After you have your books in hand, the next step is selling them. Make sure you are complying with all regulations applicable in your state, which may include acquiring a tax ID number and collecting sales tax. Book distributors collect a percentage of retail, but handle all the nuts and bolts of selling and shipping your books for you. Shop around to ensure you have the best possible distributor for your market – preferably one with experience in the adult markets. If you’ve got enough chutzpah and pull to organize a book signing, good for you! I’m not sure I could pull one off – I have a sneaking suspicion that many readers would be very disappointed by meeting little old me in person – but I’d walk across cut glass if Pat Califia would hold one anywhere vaguely near me. A good website is an invaluable marketing tool. Many internet service providers have obscenity clauses in their service contracts, so you’ll want to be sure you’re in compliance with your service’s rules – or one day you’ll go to find your site, and it won’t be there. This is only the barest tip of the iceberg – enough to give you a quick glimpse of what’s involved in controlling your own destiny. There are many websites out there to give more detailed insight – www.writersweekly.com being my personal favorite – if this is something you’d like to explore further.
==================== From Katy: I did a quick check and it does look like a great resource... ---
Have any thoughts on something you've seen in the newsletter? Send 'em to me at katy@katyterrega.com
EZine Does It! Your FREE eclectic weekly EZine With wordplay, advice, recipes, nostalgia, and MORE Try it--what have you got to lose?! To subscribe, send an email to EZineDoesIt-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com ========================================== --- Goings On --- ========================================= One reader wrote (only I can't find her original email and can't remember her pen name...so sorry!): Hi Katy, Just to let you know, I'm a new subscriber and found my first newsletter very interesting. I'd also like to announce that I sold my first short story this week and I'm very chuffed. Particularly as it was the first SS i'd ever sent to any publisher! Like DL Tash says in his article, I am learning not to be ashamed of my work. If I am going to write homo erotica, then all I can do is make sure it is the best damned homo erotica I can write... ...I've sold it to Torquere press, it's "only" an ebook and a CD anthology, and I have NO idea of the popularity of such things. But I'm banging out (as it were!!!) short stories pretty speedily because if I get my penname known in anthologies, then hopefully someone will publish the novels if they know that they like my writing style. Cheers and keep up the good work From Katy: "Only" an ebook and a CD anthology? No way, that's a great sale :) -- DL Tash writes: By the way, I read about Custom Sex Story in SexWriter.com and contacted Inga Mahn. I sold her two flash fictions (and have more sent off for consideration) so that's another market conquered! Thank you! Boy, is this fun! --- Dear Katy, KinkyGurl just contacted me, accepting a short story called "Saturday Afternoon" for their site. Terri Pray
--- KATY, Thank you so much for your newsletter! I sent a short story to Cowboy Erotica that you advertised about last news letter, and I am being included in the anthology!! I am tickled pink! This is the second time I've been published, by following your advertisments. Your newsletter is the greatest... THANK YOU! Ari Fleming --- Kelly Steed’s essay “Fiber Optic Hamster” has been accepted for the anthology Haunted Encounters: Personal Stories of Departed Pets from Atriad Press. It will be released in April/May 2004. Her first solo novel Camelot’s Revenge an alternative history about JFK’s assassination will be released by JoNa Books in Oct. 2004. Author’s website: http://home.att.net/~s.c.ninlil.c.b --- --- Congrats to all of you and thanx for the kind words! --- If you sent me your Goings On and I missed it, just let me know and I'll get it out asap. Check out my column at http://www.absolutewrite.com/ on - what else?! - writing porn. This week I wrote an essay called "Writing On Assignment" which talks about the differences between sending out unsolicited submissions and writing on assignment. It should be up soon here - http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/porn_101.htm ---
Check out the (now free) Daily Jack-Off Stories...
WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW! The Collected Columns By C.B. Potts 12 Essays (Including 3 Brand New Ones) PLUS Commentary! Click on http://www.katyterrega.com/what.html for chapter headings and excerpts or order here! =========================================== PORN 101 and 102! By Katy Terrega 24 Essays On The Art Of Writing Porn And Erotica! Culled from Katy's popular column at AbsoluteWrite.com Click on http://www.katyterrega.com/porn101.html or http://www.katyterrega.com/porn102.html for chapter headings and excerpts. =========================================== --- Looking For Writers --- =========================================== Send Me Your Articles And Ideas! I'm looking for essays and articles that will inspire and/or instruct other porn and erotica writers. These could include: success stories, how to break into certain markets, unique views on the genre, etc. For full guidelines see Guidelines
Katy Terrega
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