sorry, everyone, couldn't answer right away. thank you for all the replies!
I'd say it depends on what your wanting to do afterward. If you're looking at working with publishers in the future, anthologies can be a good way to "test the waters", so to speak.
I have plans to work with publishers on other genres(like romance) and novellas and novels. And I got the impression that erotica earns more in self pub, and you personally have less rules to follow and restrictions. With erotic romance maybe the publisher is a better way?
When you say some publishers have 50-60% royalties share, it means royalties are split between authors in the anthology. So if five other authors are also in the antho, you'll split the 60% royalties with them. Example: if your antho makes $200 in its first month, divide it by five. But honestly, all the anthologies I've been in barely hit $200.
that was my main concern. I was wondering how can a small publisher make any income from anthology to their authors.
I also heard, the audience on Amazon(and similar sites, good for self pub) is quite different from other places, publishers, sites for free promotions etc.
Anyway, if you're not set on publishing with a publisher some day, it might be more fun to self publish. This way you can be in control of everything + the short stories don't run out of contract so they'll stay on Amazon longer until you decide to take them down. It's also a lot more work. Remember you have to do everything from the covers to marketing, to editing, etc.
But, I must clarify this statement you make: "I heard when it comes to short erotic stories on Amazon, it is a numbers game, more than anything. Not as much as quality game or something else."
In my experience, it's both a numbers game and a quality game. Readers are voracious. They want more stories. All. The. Time. However, you MUST produce quality work in terms of editing and plot (if any) or else readers won't come back for your other shorts.
I am ready to do all the parts required for self pub. Though, I need a lot to learn to do the editing. But even if I work with publisher, I need to edit my work thoroughly, because English is not my first language.
Despite everything, I mostly want to write the stories and gain experience as a writer, before I move to different genres/more serious works. Short erotic stories make me feel relaxed about the whole publishing process, because if (even bad)self-published stuff sells, it is worth trying and is not crazy to expect a bit of profit in return. But because right now I need to make money(or do work that slowly build be some kind of a career, haha), I also cannot write just for my enjoyment.
Thank you, really helpful information. Do you mean, the anthologies barely hit $200 in a month or through all the time they sell?
I am not the most experienced or widely published erotica writer around, so add the necessary grain of salt.
My understanding is that in general, the greater number of sales often comes from commercial (a.k.a. trade) ebook publishers. Even if they don't promote your book much or at all, the fact that they publish erotica and offer it sorted by subgenre all in one place assures a certain level of sales. Readers rely on them as a gatekeeper for quality and for availability of new works in their preferred subgenres. Not every book at every such publisher is really good, but all have been through multiple rounds of edits, are formatted properly for every kind of ereading device, have professionally done cover art, etc.
One way to get your foot in the door at commercial publishers is by having paid credits in trade published anthologies. It barely matters whether you made much money--and a bunch of authors dividing up royalties means you won't--but it does increase the likelihood of a trade publisher asking for the manuscript, or reading further into it because other publishers have considered your work worth their investment.
On the other hand--and this part is hearsay, since I have not self-published yet--if you are able to produce quality erotica quickly, and get it out there self-published with a professional looking cover and properly edits, you can make good money.
The issue with many first-time erotica authors is that they cannot really judge for themselves whether what they've written is both good quality and marketable. Writers who opt to self-publish after commercial publication know better what quality they produce and whether they need professional editing.
That said, though, a number of authors here at AW have reported very poor sales of their self-published works, which is demoralizing. I know they can write, so I assume the self-promotion is lacking. It's hard, especially for us introvert writers.
Maryn, inching toward self-pubbing
Do you mean, sales are greater from trade ebook publishers even for short stories? Can you give any names? I already saw some publishers, but regarding short stories it is hard to distinguish between small publisher and commercial publisher for me. Or do you mean publishers like Amazon etc?
paid credits - do you mean, getting paid a fixed price for a short story? at first I tohught you meant buying place to be in the anthology
English is not my native language, having troubles sometimes with it :\
the thing is, I've read some worldwide famous authors, and the level of writing suprised me. Few major erotica/erotic romance best sellers made me extremely amazed about what is considered quality by the readers. This is partially why I am not scared to dive into self pub with this genre. So, I am really sceptical aobut the judging part. It sometimes feels like part of success is pure luck/good marketing, not really the content itself.
Thank you for your advice, I think I'm going try with the anthologies at least to get a feel of working with editor and getting some feedback before diving into self pub.
The poor sales in USA are great sales for my region. Also, marketing for writers is a really tough thing, I guess. It's hard to promote something people need to read to judge, not just stare at it for few seconds, like with movie trailers. This is why I think a good book trailer can be a great thing, though isn't easy/cheap to do. Was there any notable topic on marketing in AW?
My first publication was in an anthology, and it paid well. ($300 if you must know, for a 12K word story) Many anthology editors sometimes find themselves short when it comes to filling out their table of contents, and are less discriminating. I think this was true in my case, because when I read my story years later, I had to swallow dry bread to keep from puking.
There's another, less ethical way to make money writing, especially in erotica. Produce short stories as fast as you can. That means changing character names and twiddling with the plot and setting, but otherwise leaving it mostly the same. Make them about 2500 words long. The most important thing is an enticing cover and sales blurb. Put them up on Amazon for $2.99. I've seen as many as nine stories "published" in a day by some authors. (How I'd love to name some of them.) If in doubt, click on the author's name and see how many and how often they pump stuff out.
hmm, I am confused about the prices. I see anthologies paying $200 for 2000-5000 words or similar. Fair point, if they short on the material, the chances are good for anyone applying. haha, good thing is you can see now your progress!Why do you consider it less ethical method? a lot of popular writers across the genres do that(sometimes with ghost writers). It is more about the money, than art, approach. I guess if people cannot make money otherwise, it is fine? Because sometimes I just want to read 10 variations of same fantasy story. Especially if the market lacks any content on that. And if it's my favorite author, all the better. But yeah, I get what you mean. I am more concerned with people, who do not perfect their writing for the reader, and post it the moment they think it is fine, which leads to ton of mediocre best sellers. Also, if those authors you mention put it on Amazon, it doesn't mean it sells well, or sells at all. I heard some people but their own stuff to become popular in charts or something.
I think, if I manage with the deadlines, I'll do just that. My tiny problem, all my stories end up tied together, so having a story in anthology that has continuation in my self publishing can be both pro and con.
I think you're the best judge to know what you want out of this publication. Sorry, it is not what you're looking for but that is just my opinion. Good luck!
thanks, it's always important to trust own intuition! each case is special, and of course it is hard to explain fully explain capabilities and situation through the internet