I went to see Kurt Vonnegut lecture sometime in the mid-’80s. Being one of my all-time favorite authors, you can bet how rabid I was to be among the sold-out crowd in that college auditorium on a weekday night, digesting every word the master said. One of the points Mr. V was adamant about was how when he was first starting to write and publish, a fledgling author could find a whole host of places to send stories, essays, and poetry. These places would pay for these pieces, and they were almost all professional magazines, well respected in their fields. Some were indeed fiction mags, while others would run one or two stories an issue, alongside with the rest of their usual non-fiction fare. Dearly departed Mr. Vonnegut didn’t have to tell us all, although he did, that this free range-like publication opportunity does not so much exist anymore.
I’m sorry to say, things have gotten worse in the ensuing years. And what’s even more harrowing is that following along with the mainstream fiction marketplace dying, there are less and fewer places to place erotic fiction these days, in print or online, small press or major market, and those places that do take erotica tend to have strict guidelines of their needs. I’m not trying to discourage you, as there are indeed publishers still out there, and if you get slightly creative, you might be able to sneak some dirty stuff into places you might not have ever imagined. But as dear old departed Kurt Vonnegut warned and has come to pass, the field has shrunk for us all who scribble and dream, no matter what it is we scribble and dream about.
Photo by Rodolfo Clix from Pexels
So, where does one go to try publish a naughty slice of their life? a hastily written dirty haiku? a salacious fictionalized memoir?
I find the Erotica Readers & Writers Association (ERWA) the first and best resource for us smut writers presently. Here you will find current calls for anthologies (a great way to get published), the latest eBook or actual book publisher of naughty stuff, and a whole host of other invaluable resources and opportunities for writers. I have a small group of publishers who I send my works to regularly (some on this list). And maybe in time, you will build relationships here and there with a small press, magazine, an eBook publisher, or even some audiobook spot that will take your latest sight unseen. Lots of smaller publishers do indeed take unsolicited submissions. I’d suggest a little more research online to see who does, and to checkout what is trending.
Hell, I still look around plenty, even with my connections, as much in the hope to spread myself around as to keep up on who is out there and what they are looking for.
Plenty of ‘mainstream,’ magazines (The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Zoetrope: All-Story, director Francis Ford Coppola’s literary arts publication) takes erotica—although they stay away from niche or fetish—as do lots of online journals. There is the online storehouse of Literotica where many an erotica writer goes, newbie or those long-in-the-game to get something up, just to be seen (they do not pay here). And if you sign-up for a newsletter like Duotrope, you will get email updates where you might be able to send stuff (this online newsletter handles all kinds of writing).
Photo by Tofros.com from Pexels
You can also try your hand at self-publishing erotica on Amazon and Kindle. Tread carefully here, though. I have put up a few self-published books on the portal and have seen a mix of results. They are also always on the lookout to kick a book off their listing for any one of a wide range (and seemingly always changing) criteria.
Besides searching far and wide for markets (try punching “erotica” + “write for us” OR “ghostwriting erotica” in Google for places that are seeking erotic writers), look in unusual spots (Freelancer.com), or pimp your work out on Fiverr and Guru.com. You can make moments happen by being even pushy at times (something I certainly am not and have suffered for not being). It’s a ‘got to be in it to win it’ kind of pursuit, as much about sitting down and scribbling as doing the deep dive into the market place that brings one publishing credits.
Good luck.
Featured Image by VisionPic .net from Pexels
