Pink Flamingo Media (formerly Pink Flamingo Publications)

A quick search did not turn up the writers' guidelines or how much they pay.

It might be a closed shop or invitation only. They're not making it easy for you.

If you do get info on pay and guidelines, be sure to compare it to what other erotica sites. Places like Elora's Cave and Liquid Silver are up front with that info.

http://www.romancewiki.com/Category:Erotica_Publishers

Their website doesn't look terribly professional compared to the others.

Make inquiries, but go slow. It might be better to check out other venues that have a solid track record. They will have more site traffic, and thus more sales for the authors.

I think their niche is spanking, male/fem dom and BDSM. I'm too tired to drag my pregnant booty over to my bookshelves to see if I have any of their books. I don't see anything on their site that looks familiar though.

They do have a call for subs on ERWA. I haven't heard anything one way or the other about them from other writers. You might take a look at the various publishers listed on the page I've linked to and make a list of suitable places to submit your work.

ETA: Just took a closer look at the publisher's site. Those blurbs aren't very enticing and have a number of typos. That's generally a red flag for me.

Thanks CaoPaux!

No mention of payment for novels is one of MY red flags, mlhernandez. Elora's Cave and others state what percentage their writers get.

PF says for shorter works:

" We do not pay for these stories as they are posted for only a short time, usually 6-8 weeks. Thus, we do not ask for exclusive rights to publish and authors retain all copyrights."

That is a meaningless grant. The writer has given away work for nothing. Another house won't want it, since it's already been "published."

"Several authors who have submitted their stories to our Free Stories Feature have gone on to have larger erotic works published by Pink Flamingo."

This is meaningless, too.

Authors who SELL short stories through other sites also go on to SELL longer works. They're far better off than the ones who give it away.

If you're going to all the trouble of crafting a story, then get PAID for the work.

I'd steer clear of this one solely based on the non-payment for short stories. Wrong vibe for me, and I pay attention to vibes.

Putting on your writer's resume, "I've given stories away to Pink Flamingo" is not something that will impress an editor.

Ditto for: "Pink Flamingo posted this story on their site and lots of people liked it." Speaking as an editor, that's the kiss of death. I'd send you a "Thanks but no thanks, we don't do reprints."

Though the audience for erotica is large, they all visit the same sites. Elora's Cave readers will drop in on Pink Flamingo, etc. The editors know that.

I don't know how big PF is, but they look tiny compared to the other sites that offer similar reading, and as I stated before, they do not look professional.

Starting at the bottom is not how you "break into" publishing. Rookie writers sometimes think a small operation is easier to crack.

But you either wind up with non-paying bottom feeders or are rejected outright because the smaller houses have to be pickier about what they publish.

In publishing, the opposite is true--always start at the top with the biggest outfit on the map.

It eventually worked for me!

I don't see any mention of payment to artists and photographers, either.

Of course, someone just clicks the shutter, moves the picture over to the computer and it's ready to go. Why pay for it? (grr)

Publish America has been around for 10 years; still doesn't make them a good venue for one's writing.

You might have to try writing to FP's authors direct for the kind of info you want.

It is a niche market, but other places with more professional sites offer similar works and actually pay for them. One of my pals put himself through college writing such books, so there is money to be made somewhere!

Your best bet for information is to just send the folks at PF an email and ask them about their royalty rates, advances, distribution, etc. Then take that info and check it out. Also drop their authors a line. There's no better way to learn about a publisher than to talk to it's authors.

As to other publishers who put out similar work, well, who publishes the books you enjoy reading in this niche? I'm assuming if you enjoy writing it, you enjoy reading it, yes? So who do you buy from?

I've purchased BDSM and other naughty fiction and nonfiction titles from Cleis Press, Nexus (an imprint of Virgin UK,) Daedalus, Chimera, Alyson, and Ellora's Cave. (EC recently released some of Maria Isabel Pita's erotica in ebook form. Super hot stuff!)

mlhernandez said:

Your best bet for information is to just send the folks at PF an email and ask them about their royalty rates, advances, distribution, etc. Then take that info and check it out. Also drop their authors a line. There's no better way to learn about a publisher than to talk to it's authors.

Click to expand...

This is good advice for anyone looking to submit to a small publisher.

ETA: I read through the call for submissions that mlhernandez linked above. "Royalties are paid quarterly at rates of 15% of retail or wholesale price for paperbacks, and 20% of the retail or wholesale Ebook price, whichever applies. Over a two-year period, book sales for each title average, 200-1500 copies." There's a figure you can use to compare with other ebook publishers.