Speaker 1: Hello, my sultry storytellers, Welcome back to Erotica with Vivia Volupta,
and I am none other than your headmistress of hedonistic prose,
your lover in the margins, your guide through the slippery
pages of sensual storytelling. Now, before we dive into tonight's episode,
I want to tell you something real. I bring you
this insight not just from research, not just from theory,
but from hardcore experience, the school of hard knocks. I
felt the burn hard. I was banned, banished, vanished from
one of the leading podcast platforms POOF. When I asked
what happened, they had no clue. I'm certain someone who
worked there buried it, scrubbed it clean. My podcast disappeared, untraceable.
It was too hot, too dirty, and I lost real money.
I had built the show for a year. It was
rising fast to the top of the charts in my niche.
The numbers were climbing, the passion was flowing. And then
they pulled the rug out from under me. No warning,
no appeal, just gone, Why not relist the show, you ask? Nope,
I tried, and that was when I discovered my RSS
feed was banned. Then I realized I had to start
the show from scratch with a new RSS feed and
tone it down, stay under the radar. So trust me
when I say erotica can be a slippery slope, especially
when it starts making money. But I'm here to tell
you if you've ever faced this, or if you ever do,
you're not alone. There's a way forward. There's a stream
flowing strong and profitable, and it's called steamy romance. All
you need to do is make a sneaky, sexy segue
and shift into a category that's ripe for the taking.
And in this episode, I'll show you exactly how. Now
let's cut right to it. If you're writing pure erotica
and wondering why your books aren't selling, this episode's gonna
sting a little, But hey, I love you and I
want you to win, because nothing's more soul crushing than
pouring your filthiest, most delicious, unapologetically horny energy into a book,
only to watch it sink into the Amazon algorithm like
a high heeled turd in the bookstore litter box. So,
if your stories are hot but your sales are not,
this episode is for you. And if you're thriving in
the steamy slow burn world of romantic tension. Well, stick
around anyway, you might just find a secret weapon or two.
Now let's begin part one, the startling statistics. Let's talk numbers, Baby.
According to multiple industry reports and bookseller data, romance dominates
the fiction market, accounting for nearly one out of every
three books sold. Steamy or spicy romance subgenres, billionaire enemies
to Lovers, dark romance, age gap all continue to grow
thanks to book talk, book Tube and fanfit turn bestseller pathways.
And where's erotica at the bottom of the entire fiction category?
That's right dead last? Why Because retailers like Amazon, Barnes
and Noble and Cobo bury erotica like its radioactive. It
doesn't show up in main search results, it's often removed
from visibility, and it's almost never eligible for ads or
ranking algorithms. So even if you're writing is fire, even
if your characters are dripping, shaking and crying, you're getting
shadow boxed by the system. Yeah, I too, thought erotica
was the top selling niche. I thought, hey, this is hot,
people want this, sex sells. I'll make big money. But
turns out you're not just writing in a niche you're
writing in a category that's been quietly blacklisted. So if
your steamy stories are getting buried, no matter how spicy
they are, you're not doing it wrong. You're just in
the wrong lane. And let me reiterate, Erotica does not
make the most money. It might feel like it should,
it might look like it does when you're deep in
the kindled trenches, but it's not. It is not grouped
with romance. Romance is in its own beautiful, high performing lane,
and erotica it shoved into the back alley with the
lights turned off. They are not treated the same, not
by algorithms, not by ad platforms, not by most promo sites.
So if you're wondering why you're not seeing big returns
even with a scorching hot book, that's why. And guess
what those romance authors they're watching, they know the secret.
They know love sells more than sex. And they're not
out here writing ten page gangbangs and hoping for page reads.
They're writing emotion longing slow burns. They're building connection before climax.
Romance authors are making more money than erotic authors are
hand over fist because they know that readers will follow
a couple through three books four if there's a baby,
and by every single one because of the feeling. Meanwhile,
erotica readers, they finish fast and forget faster. I know
that stung a little bit. Sorry. Now next we're moving
into part two, the path to steamy romance, where the
money lives. Here's the magic fix. You don't have to
ditch the heat. You don't have to trade your riding
crops for wedding rings or turn your dungeon into a
vanilla bedroom scene. What you do need is a plot,
an arc, a reason to care about the characters between
the orgasms. Because when you add romance, real steaks, real growth,
real emotional tension. You go from erotica to steamy romance,
from buried in the bookstore litter box to serving the
charts on book talk, from bottom of the list to
best seller potential. You can still write the moans and
screams and sweat soaked sheet. You can still write the kink,
the dominance, the begging that doesn't go anywhere, but when
it's woven into a story, readers feel something. For You're
no longer just writing heat. You're writing hunger, and that's
what sells. So how do you do it. You anchor
your heat to a heartbeat. You write desire that means something,
and trust me, it's easier than you think, because all
you have to do is pick a trope, drop your
erotica into it, and let the romance do the heavy lifting.
And now it's time for Part three. Ten romance tropes
to transform your erotica into steamy romance. Here are ten
go to tropes that will let you anchor your erotic
stories in best selling structures. Enemies to lovers from hate
feel ten to explosive desire, forced proximity, stuck together, nowhere
to run. Just bodies and unresolved feelings. Grumpy versus sunshine.
They're cold and cynical, you're warm and tempting. Let the
teasing begin. Billionaire romance. Power meets submission with high end stakes,
second chance, a past mistake, a lingering heat, a desperate
need to try again, fake relationship, Pretend to be in
love until you actually are. Forbidden romance. Best friend's brother, boss, enemy, spy,
Danger makes it hotter, age gap, experience and innocence wrapped
in mutual craving, secret identity. They don't know who you
are until it's too late. Revenge Romance. They wanted to
use you. Instead, they fell for you. Let's continue on too.
Part four Marketing resources Free and paid sites to promote
your work. Paris where to get eyeballs on your books fast, affordably,
and with real results. Whether you're building your email list,
selling a spicy new release, or getting reviews on your backlist,
these platforms are designed to help you get traction fast.
Let's explore free promo sites. Free doesn't mean ineffective. These
platforms have highly engaged readers looking for books like yours.
Number one book Cave my bookcave dot com. List your
book in free or discounted promos, and here's the best part.
When readers download your book, they're opting in, which means
you're not just giving away a free story. You're building
your email list at the same time. Great for steamy
romance and cross genre appeal. Number two book Rebel Bookrebel
dot com targeted daily email promos free to submit, though
competition is tighter, clean sight with a loyal romance and
erotica subscriber base. Number three e book a rou ebookarou
dot com run by romance authors. Huge list for spicy
content you can schedule free or discounted promos and tap
into a seriously engaged romance audience. Number four Book Doggie
Bookdoggy dot Com free and paid options, but even their
free slots can drive decent traffic. Good for lower priced
or free books to build your readership. Number five The
Fussy Librarian. The Fussy librarian dot Com one of the
best free plus paid hybrid options. Readers choose what steam
level they want so erotic romance performs well. Here also
offers paid promos for better placement, great ROI for under
twenty dollars. Now, let's explore the paid promo sites that work.
Want to make money immediately after launching or relaunching. These
are your go to promo spots. Number one Written Word
Media Written Wordmedia dot Com includes bargain Booksy, Red Feather Romance,
and Freebooksy. Highly targeted genre audiences ideal for spicy romance
that's not just a steamy scene, that's the scene paying
your rent. You can easily earn two to five times
your return on investment with a thirty to sixty dollars promo.
Number two BookBub Partners Partners dot BookBub dot Com the
holy Grail of promo spots. Hard to get in, but
massive results. Think thousands of sales in twenty four hours.
Even their featured deals and ad system are worth every
penny for wide releases. Number three Book Sirens Booksirens dot com.
Perfect for getting honest reviews from real readers. Helps build
social proof, goodread's presence and visibility on Amazon. Easily convert
reviews into sales with great blurbs and follow ups. Number
four Book Sprout Booksprout dot Co. Arc distribution platform for
era and steamy romance. Build your review base with targeted
readers before launch and get verified Amazon reviews post release.
Romance dot Io and Romance reads dot com paid listings
with a strong romance only audience. Simple effective promos ideal
for category tropes like Forbidden Romance, Second Chance, or Enemies
to Lovers. Next, let's talk about the all important email
list builders capture readers and turn them into buyers. Number
one Story Origin storyorrigin app dot com. Group promos, reader magnets,
newsletter swaps, all in one dashboard. Great for steamy romance
and romantic suspense. A must have for building an email
list from nothing. Number two Prolificworks Prolificworks dot com rate
for exclusive freebies and group giveaways. Pair this with Facebook
group sharing or newsletter swaps for fast list growth. Readers
opt in to grab your book so you grow your
audience directly. Number three Book Funnel book funnel dot com
the queen of email list building, gorgeous reader magnet delivery,
Arc management, secure downloads. You'll use this every day for promotions, bundles, swaps,
or private book links. Number four My Bookcave My bookcave
dot com perfect for authors writing across heat levels with
tag based discovery, run genre specific group promos with steamy
and erotic friendly filters. It integrates beautifully with book Funnel
or story Origin. Here's how you can instantly make money
using these platforms. Combine paid and free for launches Schedule
book Funnel plus a paid promo like Red Feather Romance
plus a freebee listing, book Rebel or e bookrou on
your release week. Stack your promos the right way and
watch what happens. Rankings go up, sales roll in and
those page reads start climbing fast. Use Arc Advance Reader
copy distribution platform and review sites pre launch, book Sprout
or book Sirens to get honest reviews fast. With ten
to twenty reviews. At launch, your book has credibility and momentum.
Build your list with reader magnets. Use story origin or
prolific works to offer a free novella, scene, or prequel.
Drive people to your list, and then sell the full
book to warm leads, sell series or sequels. Run promo
on Bookcave, book Doggie, or bargain booksy to sell book
one at a discount. Watch your read through revenue climb.
One thirty dollars promo could result in three hundred dollars
plus in back end sales. So build your list, market smarter,
and sell without begging. Now, last, but not least, Part
five your writing exercise, turning down the burn without losing
the heat. Let's be real. Sometimes your story doesn't need
to go full throttle. It doesn't need dripping thighs, graphic moaning,
or furniture breaking to be seductive as hell. Sometimes the
sexiest moment is what almost happens. So here's your challenge.
Take one of your hottest scenes, one that's already written
or one unbrewing in your mind. Now rewrite it with
tension instead of thrusting, and without explicit body parts penetration
or physical climax, but still use tone, tension, and power dynamics.
What they want to do, but don't, what they almost say,
almost do, almost risk. Here's an example transition the original.
He shoved her against the wall, ripped her panties off,
and slammed into her like he'd been waiting all year.
The steamy rewrite, he backed her against the wall, his
breath catching when she gasped, his hands, skimmed her hips
slower than they should have, hungrier than they should have,
And when his fingers dipped beneath the lace, he froze,
watching her waiting for the permission she hadn't given yet,
but already had. See what we did there, We kept
the We dialed up the anticipation. We made it feel
forbidden and magnetic. Now it's not just a hookup, it's
a scene readers want to crawl inside of. When revamping
a scene from scorching to steamy, ask yourself, what is
each character holding back? Where is the emotional risk? What's
at stake? If this goes too far or doesn't go
far enough, turn your character's knead into something slow, steamy
and earned. Let the desire simmer. So remember the truth
is that sometimes the hottest thing is what almost happens.
Bonus tip you steam to fuel story. Let your character's
desires complicate their missions. Use emotional tension to keep the
fire burning across multiple chapters. Let your readers ache for
the release, just like your characters. Because when you plot
it like a romance and layer it like erotica, you
end up with a story that sells and stays ooh, yeah,
that was a good one. If your stories are sexy
but struggling, don't tone down the heat, just build the
bones that hold the fire. This has been another episode
of the art of writing Erotica on Erotica with Vivia Volupta.
This is Vivia signing off with a wink and a
kiss until next time. Stay naughty, my lovelies.