Writing to the Target Audience

Read, read, read!

You will find that many sensual romances run the gamut from slightly hotter than HQ to flaming- hot and hardcore. Be as frank and as descriptive as you want. Many e-pubs and in-print pubs have "levels" of heat.
I strongly recommend you check out Deanna Lee, who is in my opinion one of the most sensational and talented sensual romance writers out; Sherrilyn Kenyon (The BAD series: follow the links from http://www.Dark-hunter.com), and of course, Angela Knight.
Write what you love, believe in yourself, edit like a mad woman, and the readers will love your work.

arrowqueen said:

My target audience is the milder end (relatively speaking) of the BDSM market. Whips, chains and the occasional dwarf.

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Apart from the dwarf, sounds like I'm your ideal reader. But I do not actually read that kind of book. Hmmmm perhaps I should start?

Brady H.

um . . .

is it possible that erotic dwarves might become a new subgenre?

My thoughts on audience

I'll find a call for submissions and write to that, but I don't think of what my audience is so much as I think of the kind of erotica reader I am. I prefer writers like Anais Nin and D.H. Lawrence, rather than hardcore, straight-up sex scenes without plot. I try to write an entire story arc, which contains graphic sex, and create dynanic characters within that plotline. Also, I think it's more about being familiar with your market than trying to write something that doesn't feel natural to you, like Ms. St Amour suggested.

I have always had a very clear audience -- girls who like boys who like boys. Within that box I have written romance with no sex up to stories that were about 25% sex. Onlt recently did I start writing for more ambiguous markets (pan-sexual etc). And I was rather surprosed to sell a few.


My main experience with heterosexual stuff is still no response or 'no thanks' so I guess I don't 'get' that market yet -- anyone wwant to compare notes

veinglory said:

My main experience with heterosexual stuff is still no response or 'no thanks' so I guess I don't 'get' that market yet -- anyone wwant to compare notes

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I'll swap notes with you. Even though I haven't had *real* sales, as a reviewer I may be able to help you out.

I normally use myself as my own target audience, and write what i like to read. Still not too sure how that's working out though. lol

A publisher has to decide, find, and target certain demographics. It is imperative that they know what audience they are targeting. If writers want to make any money I think they need to do the same. I know it is hard to write what we do not get into, but still there is a lot of leeway to compromise and find a publisher that is looking for close to what interests you in writing. Then, we need to break down and give them what they want lol.

I think writers never really want to be business people they just want to write, but if we ever want to make money we have to look at the business sides too. So, I have a certain targeted audience in mind when I write. I could write many different degrees of erotica from near porn to romantica, but I am writing what I think will hit and interest the largest amounts of people in my targeted audience.

So like most things in writing it is a juggling act, but if I can see stuff selling out there in my genre I want a piece of that pie.

S.Anders

Markets, etc

First-- thanks Kate-- I blushed a little.

A dear friend of my mine, Sable Grey, walked into my life out of the blue last year and taught me a few lessons about putting myself out there that I had some how missed in my 29 years on earth. I doubt seriously that I would be published today if I hadn't met her.

The first two books I published were written because I thought they would sell. Not to say that I didn't put a lot of work into them--because I did! I looked around at the publisher's website I had chosen. Purchased a few of their books and also books from various other publishers. After all of this research I sat down and plotted 2 short stories- novellas.

I submitted The Kissing Game to Liquid Silver Books in Janury of 2004 and then I prepared to be rejected. To my utter and complete astonishment it was accepted and published. I submitted the second novella, Second Chances, shortly there after and it was accepted as well.

My third novel wasn't born out of market research and my thoughts on what "would" sell. Undressing Mercy is really a book from my heart and the heart of other women like me. I wrote it because I needed to and if it had never gotten published I wouldn't have cared. It was the story that I had buried deep down and when I finished it I felt like a new person.

So I guess my advice would be to write for yourself with an eye on the market if you are interested in making money. If money or being published is not the central goal--write for yourself and see what happens.

I have recently sold my first MF erotica and my firs porn (non-romance). It is definitely all about knowing who the reader will be and what they will want.

I'm afraid I agree with veinglory. If you want to sell, you have to write to market.

P.S. Did I mention the hermaphrodite and the hunchbacked jester?