How do you determine your "heat" level?

Ultimately, it has to be something that you are comfortable with and that fits the feel of the story. If you're uncomfortable having people read sex scenes you wrote, then keep the sex behind closed doors-- the reader will know they did it, but you didn't describe it.
I like sex scenes when they fit, but have read some great romances with zero sex in them. In fact, the last one I read was a Christian romance (totally not my thing) that I absolutely adored! And the heroine was a nun for crap's sake!!

My mom edits my work, mainly for grammar, and never mentioned the sex in the books. One day I shot her an email saying, "Who do you think is more embarrassed--me because my mom is reading sex scenes I wrote, or you because you have to read sex scenes your daughter wrote?" Luckily she called me and said she was so into the story she forgot it wasn't a "real" book and that it was her daughter's story she was reading.

Another thing to consider is whether you're aiming for a particular line or category for a specific publisher, especially if your book is more category length (55k-75k). Certain publishers will have heat requirements. For example, Harlequin is very specific that Blaze will be spicier than Presents (which is more specific about the type of hero/setting/theme).

If you're planning on non-category (80k +), then I'd look at books that are similar to yours to get a feel for what the reader will expect.

That being said, if you don't want to write sex scenes, you don't have to. There are plenty of publishers/ category lines that are closed door. Not all of them are Inspirational either. The key word to look for is sweet. Closed door romances are usually referred to as sweet romances.

I've written across the range from sweet (closed doors) to sexy (but not as hot as erotic romance). For me it's mostly determined by my characters. In my most recent book, they are both very confident, sexual people and a chunk of their relationship is worked out via sex. They would be explicit about it and so the sex scenes in that book are pretty explicit too. In other stories, the sex isn't so important to the characterisation or plot, so I don't go into so much detail. It's partly about you as an author, but it's also about the stories and characters you create.

Hope I'm not being too overbearing getting all up in this thread, but heat level is something I've been thinking a lot about lately, too.

girlyswot said:

For me it's mostly determined by my characters. In my most recent book, they are both very confident, sexual people and a chunk of their relationship is worked out via sex.

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This is an excellent point. If you are going to write sex scenes they should reveal character. I like to read sexy scenes, but if they don't advance the story, or show me something about the characters, even I'm bored. If you could strip the sex out and not lose anything, then the story would be better served without it.

Jules Court said:

This is an excellent point. If you are going to write sex scenes they should reveal character. I like to read sexy scenes, but if they don't advance the story, or show me something about the characters, even I'm bored. If you could strip the sex out and not lose anything, then the story would be better served without it.

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I totally agree with this, I've read some books were the sex scenes felt like they were put in as an afterthought or because the author felt obligated.

I do prefer open-door sex scenes but if it doesn't work for your characters (or for you as a writer) then that's ok too, I still like a story that's well-written and emotional even if the sexy times are not revealed in detail

I'm going to echo what others are saying here. Write what seems right -- for you, the characters and the story.

There is a market for every level of heat and sensuality. Read different publishers. Get a feel for what any given market will expect so you know where your story fits, then query and submit to those outlets.