Most sex-writers realize pretty early in the game that out-and-out porn pays better than "literary erotica." But that doesn't mean that you should hang up your aspirations if you truly prefer writing for the erotica market. There are a number of erotica writers who are making a living writing erotica. What is their secret? Here are a few pointers to help you break into the market.

1 - Don't be afraid to write outside your chosen genre. For example, I write erotica, "essayrotica" (a term coined by Hanne Blank to describe Erotic Literary Non-Fiction essays), and non-fiction/how-to on topics of a sexual nature. Writing in each of these genres has boosted my sales in the others. Anything you write will get your name out there. As an aspiring erotica writer, you want name recognition.

2 - Don't be afraid to give your work away. There was a point when I felt bitter about giving so much work away. That was before I realized that most professional erotica writers list the publications where they've been published and, in most cases, half or more of those publications were non-paying. You want to be able to cite a long list of publications and you want your writing to spread far and wide - name recognition gets your foot in the door.

Many of the non-paying markets have high-quality editors. I submitted a piece to a non-paying market and was told that I should make drastic changes. I balked, figuring a non-paying market couldn't possibly understand the high-quality I had produced. I took the piece to a well-known, professional, paying market. The first thing the editor told me? To make the exact same changes!

3 - On a related note, if an editor, even an editor of a non-paying publication, asks you to change your work, you should strongly consider changing it. I know, I know: your words are your babies and changing them for an editor feels like you are adulterating your art. But the editor is the door between being non-published and being published. You can't expect to open that door by stubbornly shoving. You have to learn how to turn the doorknob. Learning to listen to and work with editors will only improve your professional image and your chances of getting published.

4 - Find an established writer or editor who is willing to take you under their wing. This doesn't mean that you should harass published writers, but it does mean that you shouldn't be afraid to use their e-mail address if it's listed with their story, column or article. Write some fan mail to let your favorite writers know what you liked about their writing. Feel free to mention your own writing in the mail. Don't sweat composition too much - be natural here - but don't forget that every piece of e-mail you write is a writing sample. I got my regular column as a result of a well-crafted post on a non-writing related e-mail list. An editor saw my post and liked what I had to say. She recruited me, took me under her wing and helped nurture my talent.

5 - Hone your people skills. Try not to piss anyone off unduly because you never know when today's jerk will be tomorrow's anthology editor. Moreover, there are times when you will need to work closely with another writer or an editor on a project. If you are irascible and stubborn, no one will want to work with you. If you are easy to get along with, networking will be a breeze.

6 - Hit the anthology circuit. Find the spots where editors routinely place calls for submissions (The Erotica Reader's Association is a great resource for this) and look at all the calls. Keep a personal list, organized by deadline dates, of all the anthologies you would like to submit to. Anthologies can be a great boon to your burgeoning career - prestige, money and name recognition. Granted, the money is usually not much - the standard is around $50/story - but anthologies are still a great stepping stone to future work. Make sure you keep an index list of just deadline dates and anthology titles so that you can prioritize your work.

7 - Keep a copy of everything you've written, whether it was accepted or rejected. You can often re-sell stories, making money several times off one piece of work. Pay close attention to what rights you are giving away when you sign a contract. Learn the difference between all rights, first American anthology rights, first electronic rights etc.

8 - Record your own stories if you haven't sold the audio book rights to them. With about $1000 worth of equipment (in addition to the computer you already have), you can record your stories, encode them digitally and press your own CDs. Alternatively, consider using mp3.com's adult section. You can upload your stories as mp3 files and the site will produce your albums for you. You can even adjust your settings so that people can only listen to a couple of your tracks for free but have to buy your album to get the whole collection.

9 - Market yourself! Build a web page writing resume. Add the URL to your e-mail .sig file. Don't spam people, of course, but always keep your eye out for ways to let people know about your writing.

These are just a few pointers. Of course there is more to learn and know than could be included in one short article, but I hope this has got you inspired and ready to jump in. The biggest secrets to becoming a published and paid writer are, of course, write, write, write and submit, submit, submit. Without these two crucial steps, you'll never get where you're going.

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Magdalene Meretrix has turned a career as a sex worker into a career as a sex writer. Her work appears in various publications including Scarlet Letters (http://www.scarletletters.com) where she writes a quarterly column, "Sexwork/Sexplay," that explores various aspects of sexwork. Her first book, "Turning Pro: A Guide to Sexwork for the Ambitious and the Intrigued," will be released in Spring, 2001 by Greenery Press. Check out her website at http://www.magdalenemeretrix.com