The Erotica Book Market

Cassandra, the main character in The Rock Star’s Wife series, has been writing dirty stories since she was a teenager.  It isn’t until Rock Star Mom that her hobby turns into a fledging career as an erotica writer, so let’s take a look at the erotica book market.

Erotica is defined as written words that arouse and excite.  The plot revolves around people having sex, how they are having sex and with whom.

Those unfamiliar with the genre sometimes try to shame those who read or write it.   This might be for religious reasons, or it might be because of a number of misconceptions.  One misconception is that reading erotica makes it more difficult to get turned on in real life with your partner.  Studies have shown the opposite is true and that reading erotica can add spice to a reader’s sex life.

Erotic romance is a related genre.  It features a love story and character development paired with strong, often explicit, sexual interaction that would damage the story line if removed.

The romance and erotica genres generate $1.44 billion in sales annually.

Market Trends

Erotica has a number of tropes ranging from somewhat realistic (students and teachers) to fantasy (sex with monsters) and everything in between including topics that are taboo otherwise (incest).

Erotic romance, being more character driven, has its own set of tropes such as dating a best friend’s sibling.

Either way, book retailers’ rules can make or break a sale.  Amazon is notorious for punishing authors, often without notice or explanation.

“Any story about trends in erotica or erotic romance must reckon with Amazon’s impact on the genres,” Publishers Weekly explains. “The company’s dominance as an e-book distribution platform — and its squeamishness toward sexual content — gives it tremendous influence in determining what’s popular, as it dictates what can and cannot be easily purchased.”

Amazon’s rules are often unwritten.  Authors crossing over the invisible line can find themselves in a situation where their books are still for sale on the site but don’t show up in search results.

No matter the retailer, it requires a volume of books or short stories to make a living.  Erotica writers commonly publish at least once a month.  Erotic romance authors write longer works and are unable to publish monthly.

Erotica Readers

A  2021 study published on Nature.com posed the questions:  Who reads erotica and why?

Researchers point out that EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels have sold 150 million copies as of when the study was published.  Other erotica authors, such as Audrey Carlan, Sylvia Day and Anna Todd, have seen comparable success.  They also point out that there have been few studies done on erotica and its fans.

“Citing the low literary value of the new variant of erotic novels, many discussions in the media have readily dismissed their audience as readers of bad or mediocre taste, without actually investigating the reading motivations and reading experiences of these readers in any detail,” the researchers said.

So who are erotica readers?

• Women mostly between the ages of 21 and 40
• 80 percent say they are frequent readers
• 85 percent discuss books with others
• More than half have a university degree
• Most work full time
• More than half are married or in a committed relationship

When asked which book features were most important to them, the survey participants listed the story world followed by characters, explicitness and romance.  When it came to content, they listed hot and exciting first followed by progressive, being easy to read or kitschy, and moral boundaries and taboos.

So why do people read erotica?  Distraction.  This was followed by being able to join book discussions and sexual reasons.

While most readers feel at ease with erotica, or are fascinated by it, a small minority admitted feeling embarrassed with their book selections.

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Does anything about the erotica book market surprise you?  Leave a comment below.  Comments close after 90 days.

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Here’s the 4-1-1

This blog is a companion piece to The Rock Star’s Wife, a series about sex, family, and rock & roll.  The series has elements of chick lit, romance and erotica and is best compared to The Vagina Monologues for its frank talk of sex and its consequences.  The series follows Cassandra from her teenage years into her 40s as she navigates relationships (both romantic and platonic) — all with music playing a prominent roll.

Book four, Rock Star Mom, debuts August 2024:  She fell in love with a rock star.  Now comes the hard part.

Cassandra needs your help getting her story out.  Join the street team to help.