Getting to know you

[Aquilo]

Nice to meet you!

I write mostly dark romance, psychological thrillers, paranormal, contemporary, and BDSM.... I've been trade published for 8 years, but stepped into self-pubbing shoes the past few months.

Favourite novels..oh God, so many: In the Absence of Light (Adrienne Wilder), King Perry (Edmond Manning), Dertien (who's name I can't remember now!).... But I have my horror side too with James Herbert, Shaun Hutson, Graham Masterton, etc. My crime is with Ian Rankin. Just too many to mention! I don't like the classics or historicals, and it's one area I won't edit with publishers (I edit for Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink, and DSP publications, mostly on the thriller and crime side).

What about you?

[luckyscars]

Nice to meet you!

I write mostly dark romance, psychological thrillers, paranormal, contemporary, and BDSM.... I've been trade published for 8 years, but stepped into self-pubbing shoes the past few months.

Favourite novels..oh God, so many: In the Absence of Light (Adrienne Wilder), King Perry (Edmond Manning), Dertien (who's name I can't remember now!).... But I have my horror side too with James Herbert, Shaun Hutson, Graham Masterton, etc. My crime is with Ian Rankin. Just too many to mention! I don't like the classics or historicals, and it's one area I won't edit with publishers (I edit for Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink, and DSP publications, mostly on the thriller and crime side).

What about you?

What's BDSM? I know it's got something to do with whips and chains and nipple-clamps but was not aware that's a genre? Or is it essentially a subset of erotica based on a certain...aesthetic?

[Dluuni]

I write mostly dark romance, psychological thrillers, paranormal, contemporary, and BDSM....

Vaguely along the lines of Luckystars's question, I am curious how BDSM/kink literature is found and marketed. One of the writers in my critique group writes historical regency romance with BDSM/kink elements, so I want to understand how she can find comparable works and authors to model her stuff after. I'm not at all familiar with that scene, and she hadn't found much yet.

[Aquilo]

What's BDSM? I know it's got something to do with whips and chains and nipple-clamps but was not aware that's a genre? Or is it essentially a subset of erotica based on a certain...aesthetic?

It's more a subgenre. Most romance publishers will ask for BDSM-themed romance stories. it's a lifestyle choice, and publishers like to see how the dynamics play out with or without the kink. It doesn't have to be erotic; it can be erotic romance/romance with any other sub-genre. My one series is BDSM psychological Thriller, dark romance. This means my psych thriller and dark romance themes are tied in with a Dom and a sub who are in the lifestyle.

Vaguely along the lines of Luckystars's question, I am curious how BDSM/kink literature is found and marketed. One of the writers in my critique group writes historical regency romance with BDSM/kink elements, so I want to understand how she can find comparable works and authors to model her stuff after. I'm not at all familiar with that scene, and she hadn't found much yet.

There's a mass of BDSM, with most romance publishers eg. here. With your friend. I'd definitely recommend picking up a few BDSM novels from whichever publisher she wants to submit to. That will be a good guider for how 'light/dark' that publisher likes with their BDSM. You can also mention going to Goodreads and searching up BDSM romance novels there. That will bring up multiple novels by different publishers, and they can trace publishers that way.

As for marketing? The publishing company will know how to handle targetting a BDSM readership. But beyond that, it's much like anything else: knowing your target audience. Again, Goodreads is good there because they have BDSM groups for readers and authors who like BDSM. You'll also get lifestylers who are looking for BDSM novels. But also talk to other BDSM authors. Like with the MM community, they're a great bunch of people. I sat on a BDSM panel at an author signing event two years back: both are authors, one a Dom who trains Doms, and I think it was brilliant. I'm not a lifestyler, but I'll use a BDSM trainer who is when it comes to conceptual guidance on the lifestyle as a whole. You can get it wrong (like with 50 Shades), and that's when it upset those who are BDSM.

[dale]

It's more a subgenre. Most romance publishers will ask for BDSM-themed romance stories. it's a lifestyle choice, and publishers like to see how the dynamics play out with or without the kink. It doesn't have to be erotic; it can be erotic romance/romance with any other sub-genre. My one series is BDSM psychological Thriller, dark romance.



There's a mass of BDSM, with most romance publishers eg. here. With your friend. I'd definitely recommend picking up a few BDSM novels from whichever publisher she wants to submit to. That will be a good guider for how 'light/dark' that publisher likes with their BDSM. You can also mention going to Goodreads and searching up BDSM romance novels there. That will bring up multiple novels by different publishers, and they can trace publishers that way.

As for marketing? The publishing company will know how to handle targetting a BDSM readership. But beyond that, it's much like anything else: knowing your target audience. Again, Goodreads is good there because they have BDSM groups for readers and authors who like BDSM. You'll also get lifestylers who are looking for BDSM novels. But also talk to other BDSM authors. Like with the MM community, they're a great bunch of people. I sat on a BDSM panel at an author signing event two years back: both are authors, one a Dom who trains Doms, and I think it was brilliant. I'm not a lifestyler, but I'll use a BDSM trainer who is when it comes to conceptual guidance on the lifestyle as a whole. You can get it wrong (like with 50 Shades), and that's when it upset those who are BDSM.

yeah. it's a pretty huge market. a wrote a horror/erotic story once. only because my ex-wife asked to. i really didn't even write it with getting published in mind.
but it ended up being my most published story. ended up in 3 different publications. lol. i was like.....well ain't this a bitch?

[Bard_Daniel]

I try to formulate a story idea and write it as well as possible. It's all about the story, the characters, the theme, the plot, the words.... it's all about crafting something that I try to make as appealing to myself first, and then to the reader. For me, as I do not view myself as good enough to publish yet, much of it is about determining my voice as a writer, getting everything out in that first draft that I need to say and then formulating it, editing it, into something coherent that can be understood and appreciated by a reader.

I could go on and on, but I'm not that interesting. I write for the story, trying to imbue it with as much self-experience as possible. I write the little I know in a fictionalized setting. While I'm doing this, I read, read, read, to formulate my mindset and increase my writing skills- however slight that may be.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

[Aquilo]

yeah. it's a pretty huge market. a wrote a horror/erotic story once. only because my ex-wife asked to. i really didn't even write it with getting published in mind.
but it ended up being my most published story. ended up in 3 different publications. lol. i was like.....well ain't this a bitch?

Hit it right and write it well, it's such a good market to write for, Dale. And if you have a flair for it, you should write more. Most who think eroric romance, which is a distant cousin to erotica, always think: sex. But that's not it at all. My last novel was 140k, and I had... two sex scenes. It didn't fit with plot, and the worst thing possibe is to insert that kind of scene when someone's running from a CS gas attack at a rave, lol.

[JJBuchholz]

I write medieval fantasy, science fiction, vigilante superhero, mystery, and some occasional romance stories. Everything I write is either a short story or novella. I have had one of my short stories published last December, and am always sending out copies of my fictional works whenever I can.

As for favourite authors.... Tom Clancy and Michael Jan Friedman.

-JJB

[ms.carterr]

I write medieval fantasy, science fiction, vigilante superhero, mystery, and some occasional romance stories. Everything I write is either a short story or novella. I have had one of my short stories published last December, and am always sending out copies of my fictional works whenever I can.

As for favourite authors.... Tom Clancy and Michael Jan Friedman.

-JJB

Medieval fantasy is my cup of tea. I absolutely love any and everything medieval themed so I’m sure I’d dig your work in that area. I’m also more of a novella writer although I’m going to try really hard to push for 80,000 words on my current WIP.

This may be a silly question but I’ve always wondered if the video games branded under Tom Clancy have anything to do with his actual work? My partner is mildly obsessed with the new Tom Clancy Division game and every time I see the name I immediately think of the author lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[luckyscars]

Hit it right and write it well, it's such a good market to write for, Dale. And if you have a flair for it, you should write more. Most who think eroric romance, which is a distant cousin to erotica, always think: sex. But that's not it at all. My last novel was 140k, and I had... two sex scenes. It didn't fit with plot, and the worst thing possibe is to insert that kind of scene when someone's running from a CS gas attack at a rave, lol.

Yeah but what does your mum say about it? That's the thing isn't it?