by Lori Perkins
E. L. James helped BDSM and erotica burst onto the scene, but for a decade, a select few people—almost all of them women—have been working outside of traditional publishing, using their knowledge that women love to read sexy, scandalous books to create erotic digital publishing houses. This is not self-publishing; they support their authors in all the ways that count. These women built websites and published erotic writers, then provided gorgeous covers, amazing online and in-store distribution, wonderful editing, promotion, and high royalties. Today some of these companies are multimillion-dollar businesses. They were ahead of the trend, and now that the rest of the publishing world has caught on, they are leading the way. Older publishing houses are trying to catch up, and one of the ways they are doing that is by buying out books from the digital-first publishers who have already figured out this new market.
Fifty Shades of Grey forced the world to accept that women have always enjoyed erotic romance. The reading public has spoken, even as the media, bloggers, and book world attempt to figure out what it all means. The traditional publishing industry has had to acknowledge that there is a strong market for erotic fiction written, edited, and purchased by women. These aren’t the bodice rippers of old. These aren’t the books you hide in your bedside table or inside a copy of Ulysses. Romance is a multibillion-dollar business and erotic content is a huge part of that market.
My colleague Lori Perkins likes to consider herself (as she mentions in the introduction to this book) a “feminist pornographer,” a phrase that offends some people. Honestly? It makes me cringe, too, but I cringe not because I think the term degrades women, the romance genre, or the industry, but because I actually like the way it sounds and I know that as a publishing professional I’m not supposed to use words like “pornography,” “smut,” “bodice ripper,” or “mommy porn.” I cringe the same way when I add an extra scoop of ice cream to my sundae or sneak chocolate while on a diet—because what I’m doing feels so good, it must mean trouble. Secretly, I want to embrace those terms, wear them on a T-shirt, tattoo them to my body, and whisper them to those who take offense. What The Vagina Monologues did for women and their vaginas, Fifty Shades has done for women and smut. No matter what anyone says or thinks, no matter how they feel about the book or the author, E. L. James has revolutionized publishing. For fans of romance books, and especially for fans who enjoy erotica and a bit—or a lot—of BDSM in their stories, this is the best time ever to be a reader.
It’s an even better time to be an author of erotic romance. E. L. James helped pave the way for these writers, but I can’t wait for new voices to emerge and follow in her formidable, trailblazing footsteps. They might be longtime erotica writers finally being discovered by the public. Or maybe they’ll be writers who have written traditional romances but have always cultivated naughtier ideas in their heart and can now sell those stories to mainstream readers. Maybe they’ll be conservative writers who simply realize this is a viable market for their careers. Perhaps the new face of erotica will be an author who has only written thrillers or horror or nonfiction and was too embarrassed to write the story she’s thought about for years, or a writer who had fantasies of telling the tale about that night her husband put her over his knee for a sexy spanking followed by a night of passionate lovemaking. Inspired by E. L. James’ success—and by the response of readers—she’ll finally be ready to write that book … but only after she makes her husband give her some more firsthand experience. These books sell. Not only can authors make money, they can make a living off books like these. Readers want them.
I want them, too. I want writers to send me their erotica. To paraphrase the poem associated with Lady Liberty—who may have been reading something a tad naughtier than the Declaration of Independence on that tablet of hers all along—give me your spanking tales, your bondage love stories, your fetish fanfiction, your sexy, forbidden fantasies yearning to breathe free.
Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t the first popular BDSM romance, but it’s certainly been the most successful at bringing erotic literature into the mainstream. I can’t wait to sell similar books. And I can’t wait to read what authors in this genre will produce next.
LOUISE FURY is an award-winning literary agent at the L. Perkins Agency and specializes in all forms of romance, children’s books, and young adult material, as well as pop culture nonfiction. She has sold books to both traditional and electronic publishers and encourages authors to have one foot in traditional publishing and the other in the digital-first arena. She believes in staying ahead of the pack by embracing change, not just adapting to it, and is a huge advocate for exploring secondary rights. She’s sold audio and foreign rights for her clients and was awarded the 2012 RWA NYC Golden Apple Award for Agent of the Year. For more information, visit www.louisefury.com or follow her on Twitter @louisefury.
SYLVIA DAY
The Brown Paper Bag
I’VE BEEN TOLD I write “those” books.
The first time someone said that to me I was startled, then slightly offended as I realized she was referencing the erotic content in my stories. Hell, I thought, didn’t anyone tell you the days of brown paper bagging your naughty books are over?
In a way I was right, but I was wrong, too.
I was a new author and an arguably lucky one. I sold my first story to Kensington’s erotic Brava imprint less than a year after I began writing. A few weeks after that sale, the submissions I had out with Black Lace and Ellora’s Cave—both erotic imprints/publishers—were acquired. Writing erotic romance is what I do, and I was very happy to be placing my stories with publishers who knew how to publish it well.
Within the next year, other publishers created erotic imprints, spurred by the stunning success of Ellora’s Cave. Berkley and New American Library had Heat, Harlequin had Spice, HarperCollins had Avon Red, and Kensington added Aphrodisia, which was marketed as leaning more toward erotica than its sensual sister imprint Brava. By 2005, so many members of Romance Writers of America were writing erotic fiction, or wanted to learn how to write it, that I cofounded the Passionate Ink chapter with friend and fellow author Shayla Black. When we applied for affiliation, over four hundred writers’ names were on the application paperwork.
But there was controversy surrounding the subgenre. It was said that erotic romance wasn’t actually romance. Many disdained it. Others swore there was no market for it, despite the proliferation of new erotic writers and imprints. They were certain erotic romance would never sell in large enough quantities to hit national bestseller lists. And still others didn’t believe that writers of erotic stories were “real” authors. After all, we didn’t write “real” books; we wrote “those” books.
In the meantime, many of us writing erotic romance were making very good money. We had avid and dedicated readers. Some of us were selling an impressive quantity of digital copies before the invention of the Kindle or Nook.
But the writing community wasn’t the only place that didn’t embrace erotic romance in the mainstream. Some of the retail outlets that carry books didn’t welcome them either.
Being a published author of erotic romance meant that your books were published as trade paperbacks at a higher price point. The titles were often suggestive (such as Sex Drive and Pure Sex) and the cover art left little to the imagination. As a result, distribution was limited and writers often heard from readers who had difficulty finding the books.
Some publishers, however, chose to publish erotic romance in mass-market paperback format with traditional romance titles and cover art—the new brown paper bag. Long before Fifty Shades disguised the sexual nature of the story through packaging, authors such as Lora Leigh and Cheyenne McCray were being published incognito. And with the expanded distribution the format and packaging enabled, the books were easier to find and therefore easier to buy, and they hit the national bestseller lists—the very ones the naysayers had insisted were beyond reach. Lora Leigh swiftly hit the number-one spot on the New York Times bestse
ller list.
Is that the happily-ever-after to this tale? Not quite …
Distribution was still problematic if the erotic content wasn’t subtly conveyed. The mass-market format remained key, but it was a format in decline in the industry as a whole. Trade paperbacks still held a steady market share, but it was rare to find a trade paperback romance outside of traditional bookstores. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to reach a large audience if your books aren’t conveniently available. Many books are acquired at grocery stores, membership warehouses such as Costco and Sam’s Club, and at general stores such as WalMart and Target. Readers want to one-stop shop, not make an extra trip to a specialized store, where most romance trades are sold at full cover price sans the hefty discounts general retailers and etailers often apply.
The media spotlight on Fifty Shades of Grey changed that. In a tragic economy, retailers couldn’t afford not to stock an in-demand item. They made room on their shelves, and once that room was made and the demand remained, they continued to fill it. My novel Bared to You, which was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller as an e-book but had nonexistent print distribution, was suddenly eagerly welcomed in brick-and-mortar venues where erotic trades had previously never been stocked.
Yes, the covers being used on erotic trades are now uniformly subtle, with flowers, scarves, feathers, pearls, belts, and stilettos, but the latest brown paper bag is an immediately recognizable one, which means it’s not really there at all. We know something sexy is going to be found between those innocent-looking covers and we don’t care who sees us with them. Better yet, we can buy them pretty much everywhere.
Erotic fiction is finally out, proud, and widely available.
SYLVIA DAY is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels. Her stories have been translated into over thirty languages. She’s been honored with many awards, including multiple nominations for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award of Excellence. Find out more at www.SylviaDay.com.
LUCY FELTHOUSE
Labels, Schmabels, I’ll Take the Publicity!
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. It’s been called porn, erotica for women, and, more recently, mommy porn (or mummy porn, as we British would say). It’s also been called a lot worse, but I won’t get into that.
My opinion is that labels don’t matter. The media can give Fifty Shades of Grey whatever nickname they like. What does matter is the huge popularity of the book, and the fallout that is affecting the publishing industry, particularly in the romance and erotica sectors. As a UK writer, I’m going to give my perspective on the Fifty Shades trilogy and how it’s affected things here in author E. L. James’ home country.
Whether you love or hate the book, there’s no doubting that it’s been a game changer. Nielsen BookScan, a company that compiles official UK chart figures, released the information that the book is the fastest selling paperback since records began, outstripping J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown of Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code fame respectively. That’s a huge feat for any book, let alone one belonging to a genre that, up until recently, was pretty much confined to bedrooms and talked about only amongst the most open-minded of friends.
In the UK, certainly, very few bookstores stocked erotic fiction. Now they have tables full of stock of Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed. Even the supermarkets are stocking the trilogy, often as part of special promotions. If you want a copy of the books, then you don’t have to go very far—they’re everywhere. I’m half expecting to spot a copy in my local post office.
Even the UK media, previously so aloof toward erotic fiction, has gone crazy for it. E. L. James has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines and on national television, talking about the books, how they’ve taken off, and where her inspiration to write them came from. She comes across as quite surprised by the flare-up of interest and the resulting worldwide boom, but I’m sure that, despite her surprise, she’s happily counting her money. And I don’t blame her.
So, how has all this affected the other erotic writers out there? In a hugely positive light, in my opinion. E. L. James’ books have taken the erotica and erotic romance genres and thrust them into the limelight, making them more socially acceptable. The power of word of mouth has been colossal, and women are rushing out to buy the Fifty Shades books on the recommendation of their friends, or borrowing them from one another. You can scarcely have an hour pass by where the books aren’t mentioned on the various social media networks. This free publicity is backed up by a huge marketing campaign. For example, there are advertisements in the London Underground and on the sides of buses, which are seen by millions of people. I dread to think how much that has eaten into the publisher’s advertising budget. But I’m sure they’ll make it back many times over.
Of course, once readers have finished all three books, they’ll be looking for something else to read. And this is where writers belonging to a genre largely ignored by the mainstream up until now come in. These writers and their books have always been there; it’s just that many people hadn’t noticed them before. Now, however, e-readers have really come into their own, and more and more people are happy to load up their devices with erotica and erotic romance, and read them in public, as well as in private. For the braver contingent, going into a bookstore and browsing the erotica section—if the store has one, of course—has become a much more acceptable thing to do, as has reading an erotic paperback on the Tube, bus, or train. The genre is no longer confined only to the privacy of homes and bedrooms.
Now that E. L. James is well and truly out there, the UK media are seeking out the next news article to ride the same wave. As a result, other erotic writers are being spotlighted. Channel 5 News did a segment on erotic fiction and the rise of e-readers, bringing in a popular erotic writer to give her opinion—and to plug her own books. The Guardian, the Daily Express, the Independent, the Mail Online, the Huffington Post (UK), and several regional newspapers have all published pieces on erotic writers and erotic fiction. The writers included have all benefited greatly from the publicity, and although they may not yet be counting their millions, it is having a very positive effect on sales for them and for the genre as a whole.
These writers are also taking matters into their own hands. Realizing that the reading public is now hungry for erotic fiction, particularly in the BDSM subgenre, they’re promoting their books with a vengeance. There are pages on Facebook, hashtags on Twitter, groups on Goodreads, and boards on Pinterest dedicated to recommending books to read after Fifty Shades of Grey. Articles and blog posts with the theme “If you liked Fifty Shades of Grey, you’ll love this” are springing up all over the web. Whether they love or hate—or haven’t read—the book that started it all, writers are taking advantage of the sudden popularity of the genre. And why shouldn’t they? Like E. L. James, they’ve worked hard to write these books, so it’s only fair that they should get some recognition for it, and hopefully gain lots more new readers.
Publishers have jumped on the bandwagon, too. Erotica had already been experiencing a rise in popularity due to the increasing sales of e-readers, but following the Fifty Shades of Grey media furor, publishers are seeing huge increases in sales of erotica, so naturally they want more of it. Companies that already published erotica are desperate for their writers to pen more of it—particularly if it’s BDSM—and several publishers that didn’t have an erotica list have now started one. Black Lace, one of the earliest—and arguably still the most popular—erotica imprints, stopped commissioning new content back in 2009, much to the dismay of readers and writers alike. However, the veteran erotica imprint is reopening its doors. June 2012 saw the rerelease of an older title with a redesigned cover bearing no imagery and few colors, aimed at the Fifty Shades of Grey readership. A bright pink flash on the cover proclaims, “If you like Fifty Shades of Grey you’ll LOVE this!” Many popular titles are being given new covers, and a peek at Amazon reveals th
at brand-new erotica and erotic romance titles from Black Lace can be expected starting September 2012.
So, in my opinion, particularly as an erotic writer, this is good news all round. It doesn’t matter what labels are being given to Fifty Shades of Grey and other books in the erotica and erotic romance genres. What matters is the amount of publicity and increased sales and readership that have come from the media uproar. Personally, if I were selling millions of copies of my books, the media could label it anything they wanted, and I wouldn’t care. I would simply laugh all the way to the bank, and I know many writers that feel exactly the same way.
LUCY FELTHOUSE is a graduate of the University of Derby, where she studied creative writing. During her first year, she was dared to write an erotic story—so she did. It went down like a storm and she’s never looked back. Lucy has had stories published by Cleis Press, Constable and Robinson, Decadent Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Ever-night Publishing, House of Erotica, Ravenous Romance, Resplendence Publishing, Sweetmeats Press, and Xcite Books. She is also the editor of Uniform Behaviour, Seducing the Myth, Smut by the Sea, and Smut in the City. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk.
RACHEL KENLEY
Porn Writer on the PTA
HAVE YOU READ …”
And then there’s a pause. There’s always a pause and once I hear it, I know what they are going to say.
“Fifty Shades of Grey?” I finish for them.
There’s a sigh of relief, followed by, “Yes, how did you know?”
The pause told me. Even though women are reading it, they still aren’t completely sure about admitting to anyone they are reading it. With me, however, they know they are safe. In fact, the next sentence is frequently, “But of course you’ve read it.”
