Where should I promote consensual mind control?

charmepearson

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So I've got a story going to be released on Smashwords in April, and I was looking for places to promote it.

The thing is, I suspect it's a fairly specific kind of erotica—plenty of telepathy stuff, plenty of D/s, no nonconsensual elements—and I don't know where I should go make noise about it. (In fact, I'm pretty new to the promotional aspect of the business in general.) So, I guess the question is: I've got a niche product, I've presumably got a buyer or two out there somewhere, but how the heck do we find each other?
 

L.E.N. Andov

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Heya!

Not my kind of story but I might have a suggestion for you.

First, locate the other stories in the sales category you want to install yours into. Grab the author name and book titles. Begin by googling the author, see what points of contact they are attempting with the wide world. Next, google the titles and see what you can come up with. Obviously you aren't looking for places to sell your book. You are looking for places to promote your book.

When you do visit a sales page take notice of "customers also bought", "other titles by", etc. Rinse and repeat.

Reach out to real people who you think are your target audience. Black nails and piercings? Silk robes and candles? Boldly ask them if this sort of thing is their bag (baby). Once you narrow into WHO you have written for, then you can begin building an audience. You are less likely to catch a fish, even with super bait, if you cast your lure onto land- go fishing where your fish are buying.

Hope that was helpful.

(A)
 

Cobalt Jade

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If you're on Twitter, you can tweet to any number of tags, like #erotica, #mindcontrol, etc.
 

charmepearson

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My problem is that stuff like #mindcontrol defaults to nonconsensual, and occasionally people seem to actually get pretty upset if you get consent in it. I think I'm looking for a different market than the people who follow that tag. I suppose #erotica works, but it's an exceedingly broad category.
 

EMaree

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Where do you find your favourite erotica reads? Most writers write what they'd like to read, so chances are good that you'll find your target audience the same way books currently find you.
 

charmepearson

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Truth is, I'm looking for more in the way of good erotica reads as well. One of the reasons I picked Smashwords is that it looked promising; if you just follow enough tags, you can usually find something that works for you. Which, come to think of it, implies that tagging is my most important marketing tool.
 

Cobalt Jade

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You might also find some forums that deal with the topic and promote there.
 

Fallen

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What pairings are you dealing with? M/F? M/M? F/F/?

I write niche dark erotic romance and have covered mind manip, BDSM, telepathy etc. It's a very good niche market. If it's m/m, I know a few reviewing blogs who love the niche reads and who partake in blog tours etc. It just depends if it's m/m or not, as I only write m/m.
 

charmepearson

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Yeah, when the story comes out, I'm going to post it on the promotion board here. (I did the pre-release option that Smashwords has, so it's not going to actually release until the very beginning of April. It's available for pre-orders right now.)
 

charmepearson

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This particular story is M/F/F. I've got an F/F story potentially in the pipeline, if I can get it edited to my satisfaction, but I won't be trying to publish that until sometime later this spring or summer. So, I'm afraid the blogs you're talking about will probably not be interested in me. Thank you, though! If I ever get an M/M story together, I will definitely be back for advice and recommendations.
 

Markiemoo

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I have had luck with Reddit under subreddits of ebooks, kink, and erotica
 

charmepearson

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Thanks! I find reddit hard to deal with, but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and go there.
 

M.N Thorne

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Hey Charmepearson,
You start promoting your stories on mind control forums such as MC forums, The Garden of MC, and Hypnopics. I would suggest that your join a couple of consensual mind control groups on reddit, fetlife, and skype. Many mind control lovers love buying from new erotica writers and they help promote the genre. Good luck.:hooray:

So I've got a story going to be released on Smashwords in April, and I was looking for places to promote it.

The thing is, I suspect it's a fairly specific kind of erotica—plenty of telepathy stuff, plenty of D/s, no nonconsensual elements—and I don't know where I should go make noise about it. (In fact, I'm pretty new to the promotional aspect of the business in general.) So, I guess the question is: I've got a niche product, I've presumably got a buyer or two out there somewhere, but how the heck do we find each other?
 

charmepearson

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Thanks, M.N. Thorne! I hadn't thought about fetlife. I thought it was mostly for people seeking partners.