Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I've never really been sure what makes a story geared for men or women, so I haven't used either tag. (Mainly talking about publishing on draft2digital)
I was wondering if people could give an example of one of their stories, and if it's tagged for men or women?
I was travelling back home to see my family after leaving for college 6 years ago, and I was out for a walk in my old hometown. I needed to get away from my folks for a little while. As I walked, a sudden storm came over, and within minutes, I was soaking wet.
A car was pulling into a driveway just down the way, stepping out was this late 40's woman, stunning red hair, in what looked like a Red dinner dress. She saw me trying to outrun the rain, pulled out an umbrella and came to meet me.
“You look soaking wet. Please come up to my porch, escape the rain.”
Desperate for some release from the deluge of rain, I followed her.
Something was familiar about this woman, her voice especially. I couldn't recognise it at first, but I started to feel something I had not felt for a long time,
As I followed her, the rain started to catch her too, and for a moment, as the water soaked into her dress a little, it conformed to her body, and her immaculate curves,
As we stepped up onto her porch, and the rain thundered down, she exclaimed, “Wait, I know you, you're Jason, you were in my English class a few years ago”, trying to speak over the deluge.
Still not fully able to recognise her in the rain and especially with the dress forming around her larger ass and breasts, I was unable to completely place her, until this moment when I caught her eyes looking into mine, “Quick, come inside, you can wait out the rain a little if you would like”
She brought me inside out of the rain. As I carefully entered the house, I looked around, racking my brain as to what class she was talking about, then it came to me. Now I recognised her, she was my old English teacher, Miss Forsythe, and to top things off, I remember having a crush on her as the nerdy teenager I was. She put away her umbrella and turned on a light “The bathroom is just over there, we have to get you out of those before you catch a cold” I moved to the bathroom, soaking wet, and she followed close behind.
“Look, have a shower, and hand me your clothes. I’ll be just in the other room, and I will find you something from my ex to wear”
I had known she had a boyfriend when I was younger, but she never married.
I had always wondered what happened to her, and here she was.
She followed me into the bathroom, which caught me off guard, but before I could say anything, she said, “oh your practically shaking”, and reached for the bottom of my drenched shirt, and pulled it up. She pulled it to her sink and wrenched it out, she said “Quick out of those clothes, we don't want you to get sick”
I was shaking, and she was right, I went to pull down my pants, and was left in my underwear. As I handed her my pants, standing in my underwear, she smiled a little,
“And the rest”, she stood there, her hand out expectingly, her eyes forever lingering.
Could this be happening? Could I strip in front of my old English teacher?
Something about the way she was looking at me, and how she followed me into the bathroom. I found myself more excited than I was expecting, maybe it was remnants of boners long past, but my cock seemed Adamant this was the right time to be erect.
I was trying to hide it as I took off my underwear, but she just gave me a little smile,
As she took all my clothes in her hand, she seemed to look me up and down for a moment, and said,
“The towel is just there. I’ll be in the other room if you need me”
She left with my clothes in hand, and I had a cold shower to try and calm down whatever excitement was waking in me.
Miss Forsythe was stunning, and my mind was fighting not to think about her in that dress, letting the cold water wash that away.
After I finished my shower, I reached for the towel, only to notice it was much too small to wrap around my waist. It was a washcloth at best, maybe enough to cover my cock, as long as I didn't get excited again.
I could hear music coming from another room now, some soothing jazz of some kind.
I walked to the door, seeing that it had been left slightly ajar, I spoke, trying to get her attention, “Miss Forsythe, are there more towels?”
After a second, I hear her say
“Oh, right, I’ll be there in a moment”
I stood there, realising that I was going to have to cover up as best I could to be polite. I was just happy I wasn't still erect otherwise, this washcloth wouldn't hide a thing.
As she approached the bathroom, she began to say,
“I was just getting out of that dress, I got a little wet helping you in” she rounded the corner wearing a vibrant red lace lingerie set, and immediately I felt the wash cloth starting to fail me, she looked stunning, the red on her pailer skin thr hint of freckles along her body, she stood there holding a rolled towel in her hand,
She had caught me taking the sight of her in. I noticed her smile as she reached out for the towel, “Dry up, looks like the storm is going to stick around for a bit, you picked a day to go out for a walk”
She stood watching me dry myself, trying to hide my growing erection.
I tried to play it off sputtering.
“What's it been, 8 years since graduation?” She just smiled a little more as she nodded, standing in the doorway, watching me
I continued, “not how I expected to see you again”
I averted my eyes, trying not to look at her body as she stood there watching me. My erection was getting out of hand,
“Quite the chance encounter, isn't it, Jason, although I think you have brought some excitement to my otherwise mundane evening”, Miss Forsythe said, her piercing eyes lingering over me.
I finished drying myself and went to wrap my towel around my lower half. She stepped further into the bathroom and grabbed the front of the towel before I could fasten it,
“while we wait for your clothes to dry you can stay here” She pulled in closer as I went to tuck the towel in to hold it “Sadly I don't have anything that would fit your…” she stopped to look at me, I felt her nails run along my waist line, she bit her lip a little, and finished her thought “immaculate form”
I stood there in shock, as my cock began to throb as if all the Erections of my past from seeing her in class came back at once
“You can stay, as long as you are naked. I want to enjoy my guest's company as I see fit”
In high school, I had a small stutter, especially when I got a little excited, but I thought I had outgrown that years ago, but like my teenage self had come back to haunt me, I stuttered,
“Miss Forsythe, I…” she smiled and leaned in closer, running her nails down my body,
“You're free to leave now, Naked if you would like, but I think you'll have more fun if you stay”
She then moved past me in the bathroom. Sliding her hand ever so close to my throbbing cock.
“Well, I'm going to have a shower, you can wait in the living room”, she then ushered me out of the bathroom, and closed the door behind me,
My mind was racing. Is this real? Am I going to hang out naked with my old English teacher?
I walked down to the living room, where there was a reading lounge with a cover over it, and an old-fashioned armchair across from it, between them a coffee table.
Along the wall were degrees and shelves of books. What caught my eye was a painting, which was out of place at first. The painting looked like silver blobs on an otherwise blue canvas, but there was something erotic about the painting. As I looked closer. I heard Miss Forsythe come out into the lounge room.
“I painted that with my body, you remember Mrs Ainsley, the art teacher, we painted that together, well, she painted me”
I turned to see Miss Forsythe in a short silk nightdress, with small, delicate straps and a lace trim. Instinctively, I covered my regrowing erection. And she smiled and walked over.
She slid her hand along my back and turned me around to face the painting.
She gently pulled my hands away from my cock and whispered into my ear,
“I don't want to see you hide yourself anymore. If you do, I'll have to punish you”
Her hand slid down my front from behind, and she grabbed my cock and started to tease,
As I looked down at her hand, I felt my head pulled back up to look at the painting; she had grabbed my hair with her free hand.
“Look at the curves in the painting”, she said, teasing my tip
“Can you see where my nipples are, as they pressed against the canvas?” she said,d pressing her breasts against my back, only separated by the silk dress.
Like the horny little schoolboy I once was, I stuttered, Yes,s I… “
Her hand grabbed my hair harder as she started to stroke my cock fast,
“This is how tonight could go, if you say yes to my next question, your cock is mine for the night, you cum only when I tell you to, or you will be punished…” she kept stroking but slowed to tease me, she could tell I was really enjoying it, so she started to toy with my tip again,
“You do everything I ask you to when I ask, and if you're good, you will be rewarded. Importantly, you do not touch without permission, not me or yourself. If I see your hand on your cock without my say so, you will be reprimanded"
I felt my legs shaking as she continued to tease my cock,
“If you say yes, you're mine for tonight, if you say yes your my toy”
She licked my ear as she started to stroke again, using my precum as a little lube,
“Now you could cum now, and we will end our fun here, or you can hold it, and the night will begin”
Her other hand grabbed my ass as she finally asked,
“Are you going to pledge your orgasm to me?” I felt the old teenage me bursting with excitement. I was starting to get close, but I fought it with every part of me
“Are you going to hold it for when I tell you?”
She said in my ear as she moved faster for a but a moment,
“Are you going to be a Good boy?”
As if my cock had spoken for me, I stammered out
“Yes”, and she just stopped,
Pulled away her hands and moved beside me, watching my cock dribble with precum,
“That better be only precum!” She said, as she collected a little with her fingernail,
She brought it to her lips and put her finger in her mouth,
“Let the games begin,”
My cock was raging, I was on the edge,
And Miss Forsythe was intoxicating,
She then moved toward her kitchen,
“Follow me,” she said,
And without recourse, I did, we went to her kitchen, and she gestured for me to move over to the island counter, its stone top was cold against my bare ass.
“It's been some time, Jason. Where has life taken you?” she asked, taking some cheese out of the refrigerator.
“I went away to study, got my degree,” I responded, watching her,
She continued to talk about our old English class, but I was suddenly distracted as she bent down next to me to collect a wine bottle from under the table,
I could see a glimpse of her breasts down her blouse, and my mind started to wander.
She then asked me something, and I nodded, unaware of what she had asked so casually.
I snapped back to reality as she said,
“So you're staying with your parents while you're in town?”
“Yes”, I responded, trying to break from my stuttering past.
It was then, like a switch had flicked, her voice changed, more like it was when we looked at her painting, more sultry and with purpose,
“When was the last time you had been with a woman?” She opened her wine bottle.
I was ashamed to say this; it had been a while, my last girlfriend had cheated on me and in truth, that was why I had come home, but I didn't know if I was ready to talk about it,
It's as if Miss Forsythe could tell she had hit a nerve, as said in that voice.
“Jerk off, and tell me”
Confused at first, I was reluctant, but she just started to pour her glass of wine,
“Hurry up”
I reached down to my cock, which was starting to soften at the thought of a serious topic and started to play,
“It's been 3 months,” I stated, my cock confused. I fumbled it in my hands to get him back to full strength.
Miss Forsythe could see I was struggling, so she lifted the bottom of her short dress to reveal she wasn't wearing anything else,
“Speak up jason, a good boy speaks clearly”
My cock was no longer shy at the subject, and I opened up
“My girlfriend and I were going different directions, and it was a rough breakup. I needed to get away for a while”
I stumbled to explain as I was starting to enjoy playing with myself. Miss Forsythe dropped the edge of her dress and took another sip of her wine. As she swallowed, I could feel my heart racing. Then she said
“Stop”
Caught off guard, I kept playing a little. She put down her glass and looked at me with a powerful presence,
“Are you being naughty?”
I slowed to a stop, and she watched as I pulled my hands away.
She came closer and ran her fingers over the tip of my cock, I could feel the hope that she was going to tease and edge me more, but she slapped my cock, and said,
“Naughty boys get punished. I won't be so lenient next time”
She then grabbed my balls with her hand and said
“What I say, when I say”
I nodded yes, and she let go.
I had never had a woman slap my cock or grab my balls in such a way, but it awakened something in me,
I was at war with myself, as suddenly I wanted to be a little naughty to feel it again.
I felt like I was going insane. Whatever Miss Forsythe was doing to me, whatever it was, I liked it more than I was expecting.
She then picked up her wine glass and said,
“Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces for me”
She moved out of the way and led me to the cheese board. There were about 4 different cheeses there, with a knife, so I started to prepare as she requested.
“Life seems to throw us all ups and downs, doesn't it, Jason?”
She sat at the other side of the counter,
Letting the straps of the dress slip down her shoulder,
“Tonight was supposed to be date night for me, but my date did not show”
As she held a wine glass in one hand, I saw her other hand slip down beneath the counter, under her dress. She saw my eyes linger, and she shook her head, “Concentrate on the cheese, Jason, presentation is important!”
I remember her saying something similar in her class…
“Presentation is important" was a common phrase in her class
She started to do something under the counter, but I remained focused on preparing the cheese.
She seemed to be playing with herself, stopping whenever I looked up to see her.
“Tell me about your degree,” she asked while I started slicing the Gouda
I began to explain my degree and even made a casual joke about how I hadn't had as impactful a teacher since her.
She smiled a little and then let out a slight moan. I stopped to look up as she was clearly enjoying herself, not really listening.
Then her phone rang,
It was set on the countertop
She stopped playing and said
“Come round here now”
I walked around the table to her, seated on the stool,
“You've been doing good”
She pulled up her fingers from her pussy and put them in my mouth,
“You deserve to be rewarded a little”, as I tasted her on her fingers, she pushed me down onto my knees and pulled my head into her soaking wet pussy.
“taste me”
I started to lick and play with her pussy,
The taste of her juices is divine on my tongue,
The feeling of her labia on my tongue as I moved up to her clit, I heard her pick up the still ringing phone,
“Mary, how are you?”
Was she taking the call? I kinda saw it as a challenge as I continued to tease her clit softly with the tip of my tongue.
“The date was a wash… but I found something else to entertain me”
She grabbed my head with her other hand, pulling me in closer
“Oh, it's a good one, a real nostalgic joy, and this one has a little skill”
She looked at me as she listened to the other end, biting her lip a little
“Well, he's almost done preparing our cheese, so we will see you soon”
She said, breaking a little between words,
I faltered for a second, ‘see who soon’
Miss Forsythe fumbled a little to hang up the phone, moaning, as she seemed close to completion, but she pulled my head away and said
“You're better than I expected, Jason. If you're a good boy, you'll get to taste more soon”
She collected herself as she got up off the stool, moved over to the fridge, and pulled out some olives and strawberries,
She pulled out a strawberry from the pack, and as I tried to get up, she pushed me back to my knees and rubbed the strawberry along my lips, with her juices on my face,
She then ate it and said,
“Clean up, you have strawberries to cut”, and she poured another glass of wine as I got up and cleaned my face at her sink,
“Mary will be here soon, you remember Mrs Ainsley, she will like you” I dried my hands and looked to her, unsure about another of my high school teachers seeing me like this.
I remembered Mrs Ainsley, as the outgoing art teacher, though I never really had her classes. Miss Forsythe unpacked the strawberries and handed me the olive jar to open,
“When she gets here, you will do whatever she says as if she were me, but to cum you must have my permission. Is that going to be a problem?”
I felt all the anxiety hit me at once. I stuttered and failed to respond as I twisted open the olive jar.
Miss Forsythe could see I was unsure, she then approached me from behind once again,
Her hands wrapping around my hips, teasing closer to my cock,
“If it's too much, and you don't think you will be able to service us both, tell me now, and I will give you release”
She slid her hand down to my cock, teasing it once again.
“But if you release now, you won't taste me any more, and our fun is over”
She ran her tongue over my neckline,
“Are you going to give up now, Jason? Do you want release?”
She started to play faster,
I dropped the lid of the olive jar and shakily put the olive jar down,
I had a decision to make, and I had to make it quickly…
The war in my mind was raging.
The anxious little nerd was losing his mind while the now-adult me was trying to remain calm. When would I ever get a chance like this again?
Miss Forsythe was as beautiful as I remembered, even more so now with such a presence, but could I handle Mrs Ainsley as well?
As I could feel myself getting closer and my decision about to make itself, I sputtered,
“No, I can be good”
Miss Forsythe stopped, pulled her hands back and ran her nails against my back.
“And you'll serve Mrs Ainsley?”
She slid her left hand across my ass as she rounded to stand beside me, and turned, resting her ass against the island countertop.
“But your Orgasm is mine, She said, sliding her hand over the tip of my cock, sampling more of my precum, bringing it to her lips and tasting it.
She sat there and watched my body as I cut strawberries and put the olives on the dish,
I felt her eyes lingering over me as she watched on, occasionally asking a mundane question, while running a finger along my body,
As I put everything on the platter, the doorbell rang. It was then that Mrs Forsythe grabbed my cock and pulled me to face her,
“Now I'm going to go get the door; you best be a good boy and contain yourself”
She slid her hand down to cup my balls and slowly gripped them. I felt completely at her mercy, and my cock pulsed with excitement,
“Prepare two glasses of this wine, and when I call for you, bring them to the lounge”
She walked away, letting her hand slip slowly from my balls to the tip of my cock.
As she left the room, a small sense of reality and anxiety came rushing in,
What was I doing? Was I really about to serve 2 of my high school teachers naked?
But suddenly, where there was once the remnants of my teenage nerdy self, he had now been replaced, with a subservient, committed man wanting to please this intoxicating goddess that was Mrs Forsythe,
I could not grasp what she had done to me; the part of my mind that was trying to play it cool was now lost in confusion, and I found this new drive to please controlling me. So I stood there, completely naked, a full cheese board and two glasses of wine on the Island countertop, I looked down at my throbbing cock,
The temptation to play with myself was so strong, I almost did, until I heard the door open and Mrs Ainsley spoke,
“Did I miss any of the fun?” Her voice was just as I remembered, sweet and full of life and spirit. I began to remember what she used to look like and why she was the lust of many of my fellow students.
“I may have tested this one's oral skills, and he's much better than I expected”
They laughed a little as I stood there and felt my cock beginning to rest a little as I started to let the seeds of doubt and anxiety soften my cock, what if I could not find myself aroused by Mrs Ainsley, as I had so profoundly by Miss Forsythe, what if I let them down,
It was then I heard “Oh, I didn't mention, you may recognise this one, it's a bit nostalgic, dare I say?” There was a slight pause, then.
“Jason”, Miss Forsythe said, and I knew that was my cue. I grabbed the glasses and started walking them to the lounge. However, I found myself slowing as I worried they would be disappointed in my soft, anxious cock. like I wasn't presenting well enough.
It was like Miss Forsythe used to say, ‘presentation is everything,’ and I did not feel very presentable,
I rounded the corner to find Miss Forsythe lying on her reading lounge, and standing next to her, looking over the books was Mrs Ainsley, and my worries slipped away as I saw what she was wearing,
Mrs Ainsley was a dream to behold; she was wearing a leather lingerie set that left her pussy open and her beautiful, supple breasts silhouetted by the leather straps, her nipples only covered by little black covers. As all my worries melted away, my cock began to present proudly and strongly. Mrs Ainsley, seeing me grow at the sight of her, looked me up and down.
“My, the Swan you have become, Jason”, she remembered me, which caught me off guard.
I walked the glasses of wine over to give Mrs Forsythe hers first. As I walked closer to her, she reached out, took her glass and put it down on the coffee table. As I went to turn to give Mrs Ainsley her glass, I felt Miss Forsythe's hand grab my cock, and I halted. Turning back to her as she controlled my dick like a joystick,
I felt Mrs Ainsley approach me from behind, one hand grasping my ass, the other slipping along my arm to claim her glass of wine.
Mrs Forsythe moved us both along to the couch, and she sat so my cock was close to her face. She slowly licked the tip of my rock-hard cock as Miss Ainsley said in my ear,
“Now, Jason, I do wonder how well you used to pay attention in my classes about appreciating the human form”
Mrs Ainsley's hand was caressing my back, working upwards from my ass as Miss Forsythe kissed the Tip of my cock softly and said,
“He was always so attentive in my classes, watching me ever so closely”, she then licked my cock with just the tip of her tongue from my balls to the tip. Taunting me as if she was about to suck my dic,k but stopped as she reached the edge.
“ Really now? I wonder if he ever imagined this happening in your classes,” Miss Ainsley said, as she came around to the armchair, across from Miss Forsythe, sitting with her legs spread exposing her bare pussy, I could see as she slipped a finger down to the lips of her vagina, and played a little.
As my eyes wandered, I felt the sudden shock of Miss Frosythe grabbing my balls and sucking the tip of my cock. However, when she saw I had turned back to see her, she pulled her mouth back and started to jerk my cock as she turned to face her friend.
“I feel I was getting away with myself there, Mrs Ainsley”, she picked up her wine glass with one hand, stroking my cock with the other.
“Maybe you found yourself peckish, Miss Forsythe” Mrs Ainsley smiled as she took the fingers she was using to play with herself and put them in her own mouth.
“Indeed…” Mrs Forsythe turned to me, stroking my cock faster and faster. She looked me in the eyes as she watched me edge closer once again, and then stopped,
“The cheese, Jason”, in a moment of stupor, stood there, wishing and hoping she had not stopped.
But as I lingered, Mrs Forsythe grabbed my balls tightly and gave me that demanding look.
“Are you disobeying me, Jason?”
I shook my head no, and she let me go, and I raced back to the kitchen to get the cheese, olives and strawberries.
As I left the Room, I heard Mrs Ainsley,
“You have the best wine nights,” they both laughed, as I reached the cheese board.
I looked at the board and the mess I had made trying to put it together with Mrs Forsythe there, and once again I remembered.
Presentation is key. So I took a moment to, in my own way, tidy up the board and make it as presentable as I could.
As I came back to the room and I rounded the door frame once again, the two seemed to be reminiscing about days past,
“There he is, " Mrs Ainsley said, putting down her glass
“He made us wait a little”, Mrs Forsythe said, sitting up in her dress, barely holding on by one strap on her shoulder,
I brought the cheese over to the coffee table and placed it in front of them,
As I did, Mrs Ainsley aggressively grabbed my ass,
“What should we do with a server who makes us wait?” She said, digging her nails into my ass slightly,
“I have an idea,” Miss Forsythe said and released the last strap of her dress to fall,
Finally, there she was, completely naked.
I just started publishing 15 days ago, and I've published 4 books so far.
I had 1 ongoing series. I have already published 2 books, both earning really well, but my third book got blocked they haven't sent any email. It was a short story with theme regarding the father's bully.
I didn't know it wasn't allowed. Will this affect my previous books? Can my account get banned? Please, someone help me.
Hi all! I’ve had a few requests for an update on my last dataporn. That was posted in May last year when I hit a $2k month for the first time. Lots has changed since. I've now made $63k on KDP since I started 1.5 years ago. June was my biggest month so far, with almost $8k in KDP and an audiobook advance on top of that.
Biggest change since my last dataporn: I'm now more focused on romance writing. I also quit my day job to study a master’s, which ended with me having a thesis deadline and a book deadline in the same week (would not recommend, even though both went well). While studying I had to set limits on how much time I could spend on my writing business, so my publishing schedule has slowed down a lot.
Here’s a look at how my catalogue is doing this year. You can definitely see the slowdown in publishing while I wrote my thesis:
| Pen name | Books | Gross earnings in 2026 so far (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Erotica 1 | 35 (6 in 2026) | 14450 |
| Erotica 2 | 2 (0 in 2026) | 457 |
| Romance | 3 (1 in 2026) | 16055 (including audiobook advances) |
| Short romance (first self-publishing foray, lol) | 5 (0 in 2026) | 5 |
Reflections:
Expenses: There are quite a few now, mostly going to romance, averaging out to $1k per month this year. Most of these things make my business easier, others (like ads) I'm still figuring out. You could probably do without a few of these, but because I've had limited time, I've been trying to make things as easy as possible.
Overall, writing romance and erotica easily covered my living and travel costs while I studied, which was unexpected but cool. Now that I’m looking for a job, I’m quietly stoked to be able to write more and strategize about what to do next. Very grateful to this subreddit and also the IAA Discord for all the advice.
Feel free to ask any questions you have!
During my last trip I shared an Airbnb with three other girls, we were all in the city for the same study program. Throughout the week we grew a bit closer, going to bars in the evening or shopping in the afternoon, getting breakfast together before the seminar started and these sorts of things. On the second to last evening we didn’t feel like going out, it had been a long week. So we just chilled in the living room of our apartment.
Mel was on her phone. She had a great personality, short woman with brown curly hair. So funny and fierce, it made me gravitate towards her when we talked before the trip. She was a bit tanned from staying south at the coast before and her curvy body looked soft in all the right places. She lounged next to me on the couch while I scrolled on tiktok.
Next to her was Cyra, the tallest of us. Pretty Albanian woman with her long black hair and always styled, she impressed me on day one with her smartness and confidence. Kim was sprawled over a chair, her blond hair hung off the arm rest and that was all I could see from this angle besides her pale feet in the air.
“This is a bit depressing for our last good evening, I know we wanted to stay in but this is so boring,” Cyra remarked.
With a frustrated sigh she got up from the couch and walked over to the open kitchen. Her slippers left little noises against her bare soles.
“What do you have in mind?” I raked my head after her. Damn, she was a beauty. My eyes sinfully wandered up her long legs up to the hem of her pj shorts.
I peeled my eyes away when she briefly looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know. Anyone want a drink? Cheer to the great week?” She asked turning back and basically talking to the fridge.
I looked to the other two women. Both shrugged and raised their brows in my direction. “Yea we’ll take a glass,” I answered for us.
“Perfect,” Cyra chirped and came back with four wine glasses and one of the bottles we bought two days ago. “Would be such a waste not to drink this. We bought them for a reason.”
Kim got up from the chair and joined the rest of us on the couch, sitting down on the wide edge of the L-shape. Cyra spoke a quick toast and we clung our glasses together for the first sip. I felt the warmth of the alcohol run down my throat.
Then we all ended up back on our phones.
Time passed and I sipped my wine, feeling the familiar rush of heat slowly stain my body and work its way up to my face. My eyes grew hazy after half a glass, Instagram suddenly funnier than before. I sunk into the cushion of the couch and pulled my feet closer.
When the first two glasses were empty Cyra broke the silence. “Guys, come on! I know I’m the oldest so if this is too lame for me then it’s too lame for you.”
I snickered and put my phone down. “Fine, okay, you old woman. What are you thinking?” She was just four years older than me which meant all of us were in our mid to late twenties.
So much for old.
Cyra huffed out some air. “I don’t know, something!” She whined. I couldn’t help but laugh again at the fake pouty expression on her face. Sadly, her long lashes were made for that.
She looked cute.
Kim groaned. “Movie? Games? We did karaoke at that bar last night and it was fun to judge others but I’m not in the mood.”
Cyra clicked her tongue. “Nooo…”
That’s when Mel spoke up next to me. “Then what? We’re not 12 anymore, it’s not like we’d play truth or dare.”
That made me laugh and Kim chuckled too but Cyra suddenly turned her face with a very weird expression. “Or! We do that. There’s plenty of things we don’t know about each other, it could be fun!”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?” The last time I had played that was in high school. It felt silly and stupid, and I was hardly awake enough to think of creative dates with three women I basically had just met.
“What, scared of dares?” Cyra challenged me. Her dark eyes bored into mine and a smirk tugged on the right corner of her plump lips.
I rolled my eyes again. “No.”
“Okay then… truth or dare?” Her eyebrows wiggled. Her pretty face pulled into a grin and it was hard for me to tell her no. The other two didn’t look impressed at all and just quietly sipped the last drop from their glasses.
I stared at her, pondering if she truly meant it. After half a minute passed I gave in. “Fine, dare.”
“Awesome, I dare you to have another glass of wine.” My eyes widened and she danced back to the kitchen, bringing the second bottle like a trophy.
“Uhh… yeah I don’t know if that’s a good idea… red wine always umm… I mean you can see my eyes and cheeks yes?”
I already felt sluggish, the random giggles came in waves. It was just a matter of time before I’d erupt into a laughing spiral. My feet felt heavy, my butt almost sank into the couch and it felt more difficult to have an actual conversation. If I wanted to survive next morning without a headache, this wasn’t the path.
Cyra shook her head and poured a generous amount of wine into my glass. “You said dare.”
I looked to Mel for help but she just shrugged and pushed her glass to Cyra to fill it up. Kim did the same. I gulped and stared at my full glass. I felt fuzzy and warm, my eyes were definitely glossy and my cheeks red. Nonetheless, I gave in. “Okay…”
I started drinking the second glass, slowly. Just one small sip at first. The alcohol ran down my throat and warmed me from inside out.
“Okay, whatever, your turn Cyra. Truth or dare?” Mel asked. She grabbed her full glass and sipped, still slightly bored.
“Dare!” The corners of her mouth spread wide and she winked at me, as if to prove something.
I quietly shook my head and sunk back into the couch. Mel dared Cyra to text our supervisor and she ended up saying that the morning seminar was truly an inspiration that she will for sure dream about it tonight. The lecture was absolutely boring. I looked at them with mild amusement.
Then Kim dared Mel to perform a lap dance for us since she was a dancer.
My eyes grew wide and sucked my cheeks in. I watched the other’s tease each other for a minute before Mel got up from the couch in her oversized shirt and shorts. She grabbed her phone and picked a song with a slow bass beat, then popped her back and twerked her ass. Cyra started wooing and Kim giggled to herself while I sat there in silence. But I couldn’t help the small smile that played on my lips.
I was disappointed and glad that she didn’t pick me to dance on. My eyes tracked her body moves nonetheless. Mel stepped towards Kim and squatted over her lap, shaking her ass and throwing her head. She looked incredible. The heat of the wine definitely fazed me as I watched her curves move to the music. After roughly a minute she struck out her tongue and grabbed her phone.
“You’re welcome,” she grinned confidently and stopped the music. The other two clapped and cheered.
“Damn gurl, that’s some hot shit,” Cyra stated.
Kim nodded along with her flushed face. “Body tea, moves coffee.”
I was still speechless but complimented her as well to cover up the flush that had crept up my own face. Then I kept sipping my wine until it was my turn to dare Kim.
She was the sweetest of the group, so I dared her to say something awful but honest about one of the participants in the program. She ended up calling this one guy a “total hypocrite” and I let it pass.
“Okay second round… truth or dare?” Cyra looked at me expectantly.
“Dare,” I shrugged and waited for her response. I still felt the warm aftermath of that lap dance but tried to play things cool. The fuzzy sensations from the alcohol blurred the edges though.
“Alright… show us a skill we don’t know you have.” She looked at me with curious eyes. “Like a secret talent.”
I raised my brows. “I don’t think I have one…? I… I don’t know… I write sometimes.” I giggled to myself.
“Like what?” Mel asked from my left. She took another sip of wine and my eyes briefly swept down her body.
“…stories…” I tried to bite down my smile but it didn’t work. I was too tipsy to protect myself. The amount of my published erotica came to mind and I blushed even more. My best kept secret.
“What kind of stories?” Kim asked further, and I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
I looked around trying to come up with something else but the wine had loosened my tongue. “Sexy stories…”
Their eyes widened and Mel gasped. Cyra leaned forward almost spilling wine on the couch. “Really?? Good stuff? Can we read?”
“No, you just wanted to know!” I shook my head and felt a bit of dizziness.
“Nah-uh, I said show!” Cyra argued and the others didn’t leave me off the hook. Mel insisted I show them something and even Kim let her curiosity win over her respectful demeanor.
Reluctantly I reached for my phone and pulled up one of the most generic stories I wrote with the least amount of kink. I read them a few sentences from my notes app, not daring to give my phone out of hand. I didn’t need them to snoop and see the rest.
“Holy-“ Kim’s face pulled into shock.
Cyra’s mouth gaped open. “Fuck-“
“Wow.” Mel looked at me with an impressed face.
“You’re so dirty!?” Kim exclaimed and I just shrugged, suddenly immensely grateful for the second glass of wine. I certainly cared less.
“Whatever, whatever, who’s next?” I sighed and giggled and settled back into the comfy cushion.
“That’s so good though?? Where did you-“
“Let’s move onnnnn,” I cut Mel off. Her eyes lingered on me like she wanted to decipher the rest of the dirty things I kept hidden in my head but Kim put a hand on her arm and they let it go.
“Who’s next?” I urged again.
I couldn’t risk opening up even more, the wine totally slipped into my brain and made me want to forget all my behavior. The fuzzy feeling from seeing Mel dance and the intense energy of her eyes didn’t help my case at all.
“Me,” Cyra said and sipped from her glass.
I turned to my left and met her eyes. “Alright, truth or dare?”
“Dare”
“Okay.” I thought for a moment, then a thought popped up. Still influenced by Mel’s hot date, I smirked, “Show us the sexiest underwear you packed for the trip. We all know you’ve been mingling with guys every night.” I grinned even wider. Ooh, the wine gave me sluggish confidence.
“Wha-“ she tried to protest but Mel interjected saying she was also curious was stylish-Cyra wears.
All of us talked over her until she bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. Defeated, she went to her room and came back with a see through black lace thong. I gulped. My mind immediately went to her round ass in that thing. The girls wooed and feathered air and I chimed in as well, she would look fucking hot in that thing.
Somehow the ice was broken. The next dare for Mel was to demonstrate the best way a guy has made her weak, which resulted in her turning to me. I was suddenly aware how close she sat next to me and when she tilted her head and asked me if I’d mind, I shook my head.
She put one hand on my thigh and the other stole behind my back. I felt my stomach turn to jelly when she squeezed my waist. “So he was somewhat like this,” she explained, “and leaned closer while his hand slowly wandered up my thigh.”
Her warm hand pushed higher on my thigh and a jolt zapped through my stomach. I was glad the wine had already stained my cheeks, I was not able to hold my composure. With wide shy eyes I watched her while I felt every touch from her on my body. My heart pounded stronger in my chest and a heatwave came over my head.
“By then it was I think after the fourth or fifth date. I was out with colleagues and told him I can’t come by later because I’m still out and work was exhausting. He asked me where I was, I told him but again said that I’m tired and will probably head home soon because the crowd was getting loud. So he showed up to the bar, walked over to me and just sat down next to me. Like- Just chilling, introducing himself, very casual. But then he leaned in like this,”
Mel leaned into me and I felt her chest against my arm. I suppressed a shiver as her head came closer, past my face. The other two stared with so much interest that I almost felt embarrassed.
“And he stopped feeling up my thigh but instead tipped his finger against my drink in front of me. And then he squeezed my waist and said,” her hand tightened on me and her voice dropped low, “Why don’t you let me take care of this and then I take care of you.”
Cyra squealed. The noise snapped me out of whatever kind of trance Mel had put me in.
“Wow, wow, wow,” Kim shouted, “that’s SO hot??”
“Mel slowly pulled away and bit her lip. “I swear, my knees turned so weak. Took all of me not to just jump on him right there, hahaha.”
I cleared my throat and pulled away. “So did you let him? I hope you did!”
Mel had a cheeky smile. “He caressed me as he slipped his arm out, paid the bill, and when he came back to me he whispered into my ear that he’s going to take me home now. I grabbed my purse and said bye to the others SO FAST!”
The mood shifted a little, or maybe it was just me. There was a simmering gooey feeling swimming through me.
When Kim picked truth all hell broke loose trying to make her say what the best sex was that she had. Her pale face blushed heavily when she talked about a particular evening after a night out with her ex, apparently he folded her up and fucked her for two straight hours.
We clapped and drank on that. I wasn’t surprised that it was still mostly a vanilla story. It didn’t leave me half as affected as Mel’s reenactment. She was a sweet girl. Innocent maybe, perhaps how I appear to people but only a handful (and a few thousand readers) knew the truth about that.
The next round was even more personal. I picked truth and got asked what my must have for travel is. Cyra wiggled her brows knowingly, and the wine fogged my brain so much that I blurted out, “Sex toys.”
“Girl-“ Mel clutched her imaginary pearls while Kim almost choked on the breath she inhaled.
Cyra snickered. “Knew it.”
“You did not!” I argued but erupted in a laugh. Another flush stained my cheeks.
“Why though?” Kim asked.
“I like having fun wherever I am… not here, cause we share the Airbnb and I didn’t know the acoustics. But generally… every trip.” I shrugged.
“Every trip?” Cyra asked.
I nodded. I felt Mel’s eyes on me and it made me feel uneasy. But Cyra looked intrigued as well, she smacked her lips and squinted her eyes as if she wanted to ask further questions. She didn’t.
Then I dared her to make us a snack because I still had half a glass of wine and already felt my legs swim off the couch.
Mel had to share details about her favorite ex lover and Kim giggled like a school girl when she retold the story of her first experience with a girl. It sounded so sexy and wholesome, got my mind spinning a little. She didn’t elaborate much but I didn’t have any difficulty imagining her sprawled in the sheets with her soft milky skin, pinned under another lovely Scandinavian woman.
I snapped myself out of it. Took another sip. But the woozy feeling between my legs lingered a bit.
The next round was all about best and worst experiences, we almost forgot the dares and chatted away. Who knew how common it was that women didn’t cum during sex? Couldn’t relate any less… but they had a fair share of awful stories. Then curiosity took the best of us and we talked about best techniques, preferences, little sentences people have dropped. I kept my mouth shut about the most things, no need to out myself even more…
But I certainly got more and more intrigued about the others. Mel was fiery and sensual, her experiences sounded hot and passionate and I sure could picture her with her curves getting whatever she wants. Cyra didn’t experience as much variety but what caught my interest was how much she loved pleasing her partner. She practically got off on doing it. Mel was much more selfish. Kim didn’t have a lot of experience but she sure had a type. The shy blonde preferred her partners submissive and eager. What a surprise.
“But wait, so, truth or dare, Kim?” Cyra asked to bring us back to the game. I pushed my thoughts away and looked over to the blonde woman at the end of the couch.
“Uhh… truth.” Kim answered and took another sip.
Cyra pondered for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “How do you keep yourself, waxed or shaved?”
Kim grew red like a tomato. “That’s very personal…” She looked like she wanted to disappear.
I snickered. “The rest wasn’t?”
We had already shared sexual details, preferences and we even shared a shower. After all I learned and talked about, this didn’t feel like the worst question.
“It was, yeah… I shave it.” She admitted. She laughed now thanks to the alcohol but that little crinkle of embarrassment stayed around her eyes.
Cyra sipped her wine. “Like, all of it?” She questioned and drew her eyebrows together.
I thought back to the time where I did that. For years I shaved smooth, I liked it a lot. The softness, feeling so clean. Made me feel sexy and even more nude, kind of accessible. And it was so so soft and smooth.
“Yea,” Kim replied to Cyra. “You don’t?”
Cyra shook her head. And my dirty mind wandered immediately between her legs and imagined the dark curls. Fuck.
“No, I wax but I keep the top trimmed. Very short but there, just don’t like how it feels when it grows. And it makes me feel like a child when it’s all naked.” She shook her head with disgust and took another sip.
I liked how being all smooth and naked had made me feel younger. Playing around with that was fun.
“Agree, “Mel joined the conversation. “I just keep it natural and trim a bit cause the fuck am I? I’m a grown ass woman and if you don’t like it, get lost,” she shared her mind.
I imagined the head of curls between her legs in the same color of her curls on her head. Maybe not my type like that but her confidence was a turn on. And she was gorgeous. Perhaps it wouldn’t turn me off.
Then all eyes landed on me.
Fuck did they read my thought? Did my face give me away? Did I accidentally stare at Mel’s crotch? “What?”
“What about you?” Cyra asked.
“Me? What about me?” Heat ran down my back. Fuck, I must have looked totally like I was thinking about it. I mean, I was, but if they asked then I didn’t have a proper lie at hand.
Fuck fuck fuck.
“Do you shave?” Mel asked casually. The other’s ears perked up with curiosity.
I took a deep breath before answering, feeling the relief fell off my shoulders like a boulder. “I uhh yea, yea I shave. But not all.”
“A little bit wild then!” Mel teased and nudged my arm. I giggled.
“So, how?” Kim got bolder as the alcohol seemed to work. Took her long enough, I thought, I knew if I tried to stand I would wobble and swing.
I pushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Like, everything clean but I keep kinda like a triangle bush thing I guess.”
I laughed it off after my poor excuse for a description but it was really what I meant. Trimmed yes but not super short, natural triangle shaped up a little and everything else as smooth and soft as possible. Just enough for a nose to be buried in little curls without any hair in the mouth. Just enough to hold on and grab but not wild or untamed. Womanly but sexy, grown but not as much of a statement as Mel.
Cyra leaned in, “Interesting… how much growth are we talking here?”
Now it was my turn to blush and hope to disappear. Kim’s eyes fixated on me curiously and even Mel watched me. I gulped.
“Just… some? I don’t know, enough to grab but not super long.” I shrugged and nervously laughed. I didn’t think I ever explained this to someone before. Not even in stories I went into this much detail. I took a sip of my wine in an attempt to comfort myself.
Kim tried to hide a smile behind her hand as Cyra teased me even more. “So… trimmed? Like a neat little patch, as organized as the rest of you?”
I giggled softly to myself. “Kinda.” I avoided their eyes out of embarrassment.
Mel shifted next to me and leaned in as well. “So… is it like, cute? Sexy? How big are we talking, full size or tiny triangle?”
“Oh god, guys, stop,” I laughed and hid my face behind my hands. “Just because we know how every spot of Kim looks like doesn’t mean we need to know every spot of me!”
Kim protested and played offended but Cyra put her hand on my thigh. “Come on, you started with the hints. Now we’re curious!”
“Ugh, I don’t know it’s just a fuzzy triangle, not tiny. And yea I think it’s cute and sexy,” I shrugged, hoping that was satisfying enough. I grabbed my glass and emptied the last big gulp. Oh, the heat rose again. Little dizzy. Warm.
“That honestly sounds adorable,” Mel complimented and smiled before she also took another sip.
“Yea, you guys kind of make me want to grow it, it sounds so feminine,” Kim laughed. I chuckled with her. Maybe she would look good with a patch of gold curls between her legs.
I caught myself and bit my tongue, then swooshed away that thought. Terrible, I was just terrible.
Cyra nodded and sipped as well. “Yea, we’re just appreciating the feminine form!”
“Appreciating or exposing?” I giggled, talking faster than my brain comprehended.
Kim grinned. “Both?”
I laughed to myself and shook my head again. I didn’t expect to share such intimate details with these women and yet I did. The embarrassment slowly wore off but my face stayed hot from alcohol. I felt so soft and relaxed in a way that felt blurry.
Cyra swirled the last bit of wine in her glass when she broke the stretch of silence. “You know what would be interesting though?”
Mel put down her empty glass. “What?”
“If we did both.” Cyra spoke into her glass.
My eyes darted to her with a questioning look. I shimmied into the cushions. “What do you mean?” I gave a relaxed sigh and just felt the fuzzy feelings.
Her eyes met Kim’s, then Mel’s, then mine. Then she shrugged. “You know. Expose and appreciate.”
Kim shook her head just as Mel’s face pulled into a pensive grimace.
“But we already exposed,” I remarked. We already shared all secrets and aspects of our womanhood.
“Yea, but, we could be more appreciative.” Cyra didn’t meet our eyes but she downed the last sip of wine.
I giggled to myself, too drunk to even take her serious. “So talking about pubes wasn’t enough for you?”
Mel shrugged her shoulders and grinned, “Maybe we’d like to see the cute triangle you described.”
My head whipped around and I playfully hit her arm. “You naughty bitch,” I laughed. “Shut up.”
Mel laughed with me and Kim gave us a look. Cyra’s mouth hang open. “Mel that’s an inside thought!”
I was still giggling when Mel retorted, “Oh is it? Was it your inside thought?”
Cyra gasped for air. “Shut up! I just- No, it wasn’t!”
The alcohol totally loosened all inhibitions.
Mel pointed her finger at Cyra and I covered my mouth from laughing. “Was so! Admit it. We all thought it.”
My head turned from left to right again, “What do you mean you ALL thought it?” I laughed loudly.
Mel leaned back. “Just saying, I was curious. And Cyra apparently too.”
“Fuck off, I wasn’t.” Cyra snapped back with a loud laugh. Mel stared at her though and it didn’t take ten seconds for her to fold. “Okay fine, I was curious.”
Mel scooched closer to me and lowered her voice. “So if Cyra was curious, Kim didn’t deny it, and I am just dying to know… would you actually show us?” She bit her lip. Her eyes sparkled with something. “Just a little peek?”
My jaw dropped and I stared at her, not believing what she just said. My face turned hot as if I held it over a flame and I was suddenly very aware of how heavy and fuzzy my arms and legs felt.
On my other side Cyra settled closer to me and Kim moved from her lying position into a sitting one.
“You’re not serious, are you?” I bubbled up with another giggle. My eyes darted from woman to woman.
Mel nudged my arm and rested her chin on my shoulder. “What if we are?”
I felt her breath near my neck and her body temperature next to me. My heart pumped faster in my chest. Cyra suddenly looked the most calm she had all evening and Kim’s shy blush intensified. Her blue eyes rested on me.
“Umm…”
“We live together, we share a shower, we all at one point this week saw each other at least in our underwear.” Cyra listed. “It’s just a little closer than that… and we’re all very curious now.”
My lips parted but I didn’t have the words to express my thoughts, it felt like a whirlwind in my mind. I registered Mel’s fingers toying with the hem of my sleep shorts and as the voices inside my head all babbled away, my body didn’t move. So when her hands slowly pulled down the shorts, I didn’t protest.
Seriously, tell some things you wish you would have known before you started writing? How much do you make? What are the pros and cons? Does the writing get easier? Where do you get your inspiration? What’s the hardest part, and how did you get past it? I’ve been doing a lot of research on all of this but nothing beats getting perspectives from people actively doing it.
Have a burning question and are worried about looking foolish?
Maybe you're too shy to post or you're worried we'll be mean to you?
Worry no more! This is safe space to ask questions elementary or elaborate and to get real answers from people who are more than likely to have them.
Going to participate in this thread?
No sarcasm or snarky answers, please.
Also no guessing, supposition, or vibes. If you have no experiential (or at least anecdotal) information to provide, please don't offer a response.
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Sprints are here
I am an avid reader, and I enjoy most genres. I am seriously thinking about starting to write erotica shorts for extra income. Once you publish several books, do you continue to make revenue from those books months later? I am looking to start something that will eventually generate passive income.
Sprints are here
All other factors being equal, (meaning, no other 'red flags' or whatever) is this going to kill it right out of the gate?
EDIT: For context, it would be where the woman is fully dressed, smiling 'willingly', and getting into a horse drawn carriage with several men, all dressed in 18th century period clothing.
Hi all! I'm back for my one-year update woop woop.
In my post history, you can see my previous dataporns on my current pen name to see how I got here and how long I've been at this. I have rambled on for ages in those posts, so this one will be short and sweet. As always, I'm happy to answer all questions in the comments (but please no DMs, I prefer to discuss everything out in the open).
This sub continues to be a great resource for me and I want to try and give something back to writers just starting out like I once was.
The data:
Month 1 (June 2025): $128.43
Month 2: $545.03
Month 3: $845.37
Month 4: $1,339.24
Month 5: $1,421.78
Month 6: $1,838.24
Month 7: $3,151.69
Month 8: $3,837.58
Month 9: $3,491.85
Month 10: $4,340.74
Month 11: $4,117.29
Month 12: $3,931.83
Month 13 (June 2026): $3,374.87
KU: $22,206.90
Sales: $10,141.97
Total: $32,348.86
In this year and a bit (I published my first book on the 9th of June 2025), I have published 50 books. 42 of those are shorts and 8 are bundles. That comes to an average of about one book every 9 days. I was aiming for once a week, so can't be too mad at the effort. Formatting and publishing a bundle takes me about 2 hours, so I don't count them in the average.
My books range from 7k-12k words and are all in KU. I would estimate my average length is about 9-10k. I can generally write 10k words and do a quick round of editing in 3-4 days, but I've had periods where I've published nothing for 2 weeks and you can always see my laziness in the earnings.
I have just come off a month where I only published two shorts and a bundle. Along with the natural summer slump, I assume this is why my June earnings took a bit of a hit. I'm not worried about it long-term though.
I started this pen when I got fired from a job, so I was able to publish very fast for the first few months. I started another job and juggled writing and that for the past 7 months, but now I quit that job as well lol, so I'm back to writing full-time as of today.
Where I live, this is already decent money and I can easily live off it with my partner. My partner makes all my covers and helps me brainstorm all my stories. I doubt I would have been as disciplined without them, so thank you.
Due to my liberation, I'm now starting to focus all my time on my erotica business and will be starting a new pen name in a similar niche to the one I write in. I hope to leverage my 2500-person newsletter to kickstart that pen name for me as I build a back catalogue. I'm hoping that I can maintain the earnings of my current pen name, publishing at a similar rate of one book every 9 days, and build the new one to be making similar money in the next year. Time will tell if I can manage this or not.
I don't think I have hit the ceiling for what I can make with my current pen name, but I do think it has to be around the $5000/month mark as I am already the #2 author in my niche. My best month was $4300, so I do think I'm close to the maximum.
My long-term goal is to get to $10k/month and I feel I will probably need at least 3 pen names to get there (if I ever do). So, although it's comfortable writing for my current pen, I know I have to branch out to make this a full-on career.
Not much more to say really, I am obviously very happy with the results and didn't expect to get to this level so fast. I'll continue doing what I'm doing and trying to grow this even more. It's a great job to have and I hope I can continue doing this for as long as possible.
Happy to answer more specific questions in the comments as I don't have the energy to go into quite as much detail as before haha.
Thanks to the vets on this sub answering the same questions over and over again and good luck to all the newbies just getting started!
Earnings screenshot from KDP: https://prnt.sc/GZ9ugvmKRfWn
I know all self publishing will flag you for beastality and some allow for humanoid looking animals who are intelligent as the humans. I’m not writing either one. I am writing an erotic sci-fi where my crew meet humanoid Turtles (think TMNT (2014)) and humanoid Rabbits. I plan to put them on the cover (turtles and rabbits) with clothes on. Will this get flagged for beastality?
For some reason I thought I read that KDP flags AI content. Am I wrong?
Have a blurb that is bugging you?
Want to maximize its marketing moxie?
Post it here, either in its entirety or in part, and let your peers take a crack at whipping it into shape.
Rules:
Blurbs only, please.
Kindness is not required, but constructiveness is.
Hey everyone! I am wondering since I am interested in writing Real Person Fiction aka RPF smut/erotica, what are the possible 'don'ts' i should keep in mind. I am willing to publish in Amazon KDP, smash, ko-fi etc
Your advices will be greatly appreciated, thank you :)
update: thank you sm for clearing the air. I didn't know that RPF on sale is a big No. Some people are selling their a03 RPFstuff on ko-fi so I thought if I should do that. I guess no then :(
Hello all,
I’m attempting to publish my first end to end short story on the kindle store. My plan is to go through the process once to get a feel for it, and then with each iteration, improve each of the various components (story, blurb, cover, marketing, etc).
I’ve been a bit stuck in terms of coming up with a a cover. I have no artistic talent, so it seems to me that a reasonable approach is to outsource to a designer on Fiverr. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see many people there advertising this service.
My question is, what is a reasonable fee to pay for a custom cover design? And as a follow up, any tips on making sure I’m not getting scammed into paying money for someone to just type a prompt into an AI image generator?
I suppose I might as well ask if anyone could DM me a referral for a cover designer that they particularly like.
Thanks!
I have a question for those with more experience of erotica writing, particularly anyone who write to market if those people are around - I want to write erotica inspired by Lillith, queen of vampires. It's more of a story about seduction and power and as I'm not overly into the gore, I'd rather not write it.
I wonder though, if I write this way will my story still find readers?
And it's 3 stars lmfao.
But hey, at least they actually fucking bothered to leave a review. They said they liked it. But said it felt unfinished because they didn't learn what the research was supposed to be about.
Which should've been heavily implied, but maybe I should have actually revealed it. The research wasn't really the point and I thought it was obvious as to what they were researching, but maybe not. I am kind of building an entire world here connected between my short stories though. So maybe I'm a bit slow in revealing essential plot elements.
That said. For my first review I fucking love it! I've had so many 4 and 5 star ratings to the point I questioned whether or not anyone was actually going to bother leaving a review.
And they finally did.
Thank you. Is all I have to say. It gives me pause and makes me realize maybe I need to give my readers more than bread crumbs on occasion.
But just on occasion lol.
In May, I took a break from Sci-Fi to try Erotica. I found a competitive niche with PublisherRocket and read a lot of the Top 10 stories in the niche on Amazon. Created a new pen name.I still had some outside interference with my writing time, so only published 5 shorts (all my stories are 5K words, common in the niche).
May: Five stories published, and one collection/bundle of the five. 858 page reads, zero sales. Royalties: $3.73. Off to a slow start. But this is a long game.
June: Things didn't really get rolling until after June 4 when outside pressures eased a little bit. Published eight shorts. Another will be published today, after I tweak the prose based on suggestions given about pacing. As of this morning, 3,433 page reads and two sales. Royalties: $18.29. I did a KU sale for my 'bestseller', and signed up for Storykeepr, which I hope will be my all-in-one solution. 149 free downloads over four days. Interestingly, the book continued to earn page reads in KU every day as well. 2 4-star reviews gained.
Things I'm learning: Covers in Canva with Depositphotos. My niche's covers are simple, thank God, because I'm a slow learner with technology. When my 'bestseller' becomes eligible to take out of KU I'll unpublish it and make it my reader magnet and start doing swaps and paid promos. 'Till then, I'll keep writing and hope to make 30 titles by early August in what I'm calling my Summer of Smut.