Erotica Anthologies - Input & Suggestions

Elly_Green

Elly_Green

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I have a handful of short erotica stories I am looking to submit to erotica-based anthologies (including the AW one) and was wondering what kind of input, advice, or suggestions the rest of you erotica authors and readers had which might apply to the following:

1) Who publishes the best erotica anthologies?
2) What kind of stories - not in content - but format and style seem to do best in anthologies?
3) Where have you submitted before and recommend? Or, where have you submitted and don't recommend?
4) Have you used anthologies as a promotional tool and what kind of results, if any, do you see from utilizing an anthology to get your work in front of more readers? Readers, do you ever seek out new authors because of what you read in an anthology?

Thanks for any input, advice, or suggestions you all have.
 
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Three of my stories went to anthologies, but they are all such obscure publications they really don't work as promotional tools for me.

The Cleis Press anthology offered a token one-time payment, and has sold less than 200 print copies in two years. I entered just to say I had a story in a Cleis erotic fantasy anthology sort of linked to George R. R. Martin.

The Meisha Merlin anthology urban fantasy story - also sold for a single payment - has been out since 2000. I now have a free version on my site, since it's unlikely to ever get reprinted.

The Copper Publishing anthology fantasy story was submitted as a favor to an editor friend. I think it's earned me 5 bucks since 2011.

If you are looking for marketing-worthy and career-growing anthologies, check out the entry calls from well-established erotic romance publishers. We have a thread on this forum. If those calls are single-payment and not royalty-earning, make sure the publisher has enough visibility to make it worth the time.
 
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Maryn

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Yeah, my anthologies didn't seem to do anything much in terms of payment or opening doors. Even though I'm better at short stories than novels, you can't do nearly as well with them, in my experience.

Maryn, watching a storm front approach
 
JulesJones

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The other nice thing about anthologies is that if it's a print anthology in a series that makes it into mainstream bookstores, it gives the primarily epublished author the thrill of standing in a bricks-and-mortar store and seeing My Book on the shelf.

I mention this having been standing in front of the erotica bookcase in Waterstones on Thursday, admiring the row of Mammoth anthologies that included two with my byline on the contents list. :)
 
Maryn

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Jules, didn't you want to stop people passing by the shelf and say, "Hey, look, that's me in those books!"

Maryn, who'd have the urge
 
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Elly_Green said:
1) Who publishes the best erotica anthologies?
Click to expand...
Oh, gosh. It really depends on what criteria you apply to 'best'. I think the story I had in a Ravenous Romance antho sold the most copies and netted me the most money in the long run, but Cleis has a easier-to-comprehend and more author-friendly contract, while Cecilia Tan from Circlet is an absolute dream editor to work with.


Elly_Green said:
Readers, do you ever seek out new authors because of what you read in an anthology?
Click to expand...
I did once -- the story was actually an excerpt from a novel, and I liked it so much I contacted the author (can't remember the name now!) and asked where I could buy the book. (Sadly, it was an excerpt from an as-yet-unpublished draft, so I was left unsatisfied, but....) There's another author, Sacchi Green, whose writing I admire greatly from reading her short stories, and if she published a novel I'd sure buy it. And I liked a short story by Steve Berman enough to go buy his novel "Vintage". So, yeah, I guess I do.

I think shorts-as-a-strategy-to-entice-readers works particularly well when the antho is put out by the same publisher as the author's novels. Bold Strokes Books does that a lot and it seems to work for them.
 
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