Romance or Erotica?

TMCan

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Messages
185
Reaction score
6
Location
Georgia
How much sex does it take for a book to cross over from romance to erotica? Do novel length erotica sell as well as short stories? I am pretty new to the genre, so I'm sorry if these questions are dumb.
 

veinglory

volitare nequeo
Self-Ban
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
28,750
Reaction score
2,933
Location
right here
Website
www.veinglory.com
A book can be erotica, or romance, or both. This is not really determined based on quantity of sex per se. It has to do with whether the core identity of the book is a romantic journey or a sexual one, or both.

In my experience novels and novellas sell about the same in ebook form. Novellas have the advantage of a higher profit margin in ebook form. Novels have the advantage of being stand alone print products as well.
 

TMCan

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Messages
185
Reaction score
6
Location
Georgia
Thank you for your answer. I was also wondering if it is a faux pas to mention another popular book in your story in a negative tone. Say someone read a fiction book on BDSM and got the wrong idea about what a Dom is supposed to be like and ended up in the hospital hurt.
 

Viridian

local good boy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
3,076
Reaction score
557
You can mention the series in a vague fashion - we all kinda know who you're talking about anyway.
Haha. Yeah.

If you want to talk about how some books portray BDSM inaccurately, go ahead, but I wouldn't point fingers. A lot of your readers might enjoy that book, and boy, they're going to be irritated if you insult it.

I remember when Fifty Shades first became popular, there were people praising it for its realistic portrayal of kink negotiation. When people have an emotional reaction to a book, they tend to overlook its flaws. Don't talk about it. Just let it go. People will forget and move on to other books.

If you want to educate people, then just make sure your portrayal of BDSM is accurate and kind. :)
 

TMCan

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Messages
185
Reaction score
6
Location
Georgia
I thought there would probably be problems but I just wanted to make sure. That you all for the advice.
 

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
4,810
Reaction score
413
Location
The sovereign state of Baja Arizona
How much sex does it take for a book to cross over from romance to erotica?

It's a fuzzy, fuzzy line, and the decision is usually made by the publisher (who might be yourself).

Write the book you want to write. There'll be a market for it regardless of the sex scene count.

One of the grossest porn books I ever read was Walter Mosley's 'Killing Johnny Fry', which is wet and greasy sex from front to back. But since Mosley is a big name with a rep as a crime fictioneer, the publisher put 'Literary' on the back cover, and now it rests on the public library shelf right beside Dr. Seuss.
 

Ravioli

Crazy Cat Lady
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Messages
2,699
Reaction score
423
Location
Germany, native Israeli
Website
annagiladi.wixsite.com
To safely mention that series, all you need to do is bring up an abusive and domineering, intimidating big-shot boss and his statutorily raped employee who is too insecure, too immature, and too scared for her job as to say no even when he disregards her boundaries. And then you explain that this is not BDSM but sexual abuse of easy prey. The author would not want to put on that shoe and be very, very quiet.
 

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
4,810
Reaction score
413
Location
The sovereign state of Baja Arizona
Thank you for your answer. I was also wondering if it is a faux pas to mention another popular book in your story in a negative tone. Say someone read a fiction book on BDSM and got the wrong idea about what a Dom is supposed to be like and ended up in the hospital hurt.

It's easy enough to fuzz the book. There are so many out there that are vary similar, you can pretty much create the image of a BDSM/abuse novel without invoking or appearing to be any specific novel. Making a title that doesn't invoke a specific novel would be the hardest part.

Grant Andrews' classic 'My Darling Dominatrix' has a scene or two where sex play turns into injury, but if I remember correctly, no specific guidebook is mentioned.

Maybe someone dislocating an arm or hip trying to follow The Kama Sutra might work. I think it is out of copyright, being centuries old and all.
 

Reformed Gypsy

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Messages
99
Reaction score
1
Location
Michigan USA
Vague worked for me. I referred to FSOG as a popular trilogy that introduced BDSM to much of the mainstream masses. I could have been talking about the Sleeping Beauty trilogy as well, I suppose.
I took "NFL" out of a short story recently (just in case), but forgot to take it out of the blurb on Kindle. With all their legal hassles, I doubt the NFL will come after little old me. I hope.