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Journey into the world of self-publishing

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

thunder_god

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Hello Everyone,


After having read several threads here talking about self-publishing, I decided it was time to take some action and enter into the world of self-publishing. I have always considered myself a creative individual and many people have always commented that I have a creative imagination. I figured why not use my strengths to my advantage and dive deep into self-publishing where I can use some of my creativity.

At the moment, I am working for some shady russian company as a online tutor. The money is crap and the amount of extra work outside of teaching such as prepping lessons, marking homework is unpaid and totally not worth it for the money I am paid. The only positive of this job is that I can work at home and thus it gives me some freedom to travel around the world as long as I show up for work and my boss doesn't find out. I'm hoping I can make enough money from self-publishing that I can quit this teaching job in about 6 months to 1 year from now. I'm currently not even making 4 figures from this teaching job. I have been reading comments from some members claiming that the market is overly saturated but nonetheless I would still like to take my chances and have a stab at it.

Since I have an active imagination, I figure fiction would be best suited for me. Based on the research I have read, the best bang for the buck in terms of time and effort spent seems to be writing erotic romance / erotica novellas, with a word count between 10,000-20,000 words. My strategy is to try and publish as many novellas as I can while trying to produce the best fiction book that I can write. I don't want to pump out crap and develop a bad reputation. I am hoping that I can write approximately between 3000-5000 words a day during my free time outside of work. I am trying to shoot for publishing 1 book a week minimum maybe 2 weeks when I am first starting out and trying to figure everything out.

This past week I managed to do the following things:

1. Read several threads on self-publishing.
2. Read a how to guide for self-publishing erotic romance novels
3. Read about 8-10 erotic romance novels ranging from really good to just god awful. I wanted to see the contrasting differences between why one was highly rated vs one that got crap reviews to give myself an idea about the quality that I would need to put out there. Also reading this books gave me some ideas for plots and stories that I could write about.

Current to do list:

1. Research niche segments. (done)
2. Start writing (done)
3. Proof-read, revise, format (Currently on this step)
4. Learn how to create book covers
5. Purchase stock photos.
6. Create book cover
7. Figure out how to market the book and have an early release and give away copies to get reviews?
8. Publish the book on Amazon


I am a terrible marketer and hoping some of the more experienced members can help chime in on how to best market the books.

Marketing strategy:

1. Give away free copies of the book on several websites and facebook and ask for reviews
2. Publish the book on kindle select for 90 days using the 5 days of free download to promote the book
3. Take the books off kindle select after 90 days and publish on other websites like smashwords, itunes, etc.
4. Create a website and offer a free download of an ebook for newsletter sign ups
5. Send out periodic newsletters promoting new books
 
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V8Bill

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Sounds like you've got a plan. I'm also going down that path with a view to expanding into speaking...etc. I might be able to help with 4,5 and 6 if you get stuck.
 

thunder_god

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Sounds like you've got a plan. I'm also going down that path with a view to expanding into speaking...etc. I might be able to help with 4,5 and 6 if you get stuck.

Thanks for the offer, I am a complete newb at this point and any pointers would be appreciated. I will take you up on your offer once I get to step 4.
 

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thunder_god

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Update #1:

I've spend a good 6-8 hours trying to figure out research on which categories but the only thing that has happened is filled my mind with information overload. Right now I'm contemplating whether or not I should just throw the research out the door and just write something or keep on spending more time trying to find a niche.

Update #2: After plowing through several more hours, I think I have found a few niches that doesn't have quite as much competition so I will now decide which one I target. I think I might actually target 2, write 1 book in one niche, then write another book in another niche, and then pump out 2 more books in each niche and then compare the results to see which one I should focus on my efforts on. I will try and come up with an outline by tonight and hopefully start writing or writing by tomorrow at the latest. I want to get my first story and draft done by this weekend.

I need to make this happen, because I'm already experiencing problems with this shady russian company and there are a few students who are very cold and demanding and difficult to work with. It just continues to remind me that working for others is like a prison and you have no control over your future and have to just take shit from people and swallow it in order to get a paycheque. Screw that!
 

Omni

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Hey, don't let this kill your momentum but I'd rather tell you now than you being caught off guard.

If you're going into a competitive category like erotica, your marketing strategy won't work. The free book promo strategy worked well way before saturation. You'll need to put some cash into promoting it by buying lists (either as a free/paid book). And even then, the first few books for marketing is likely going to be negative ROI until you build out your portfolio and increase the lifetime value of your customer.
 

thunder_god

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Hey, don't let this kill your momentum but I'd rather tell you now than you being caught off guard.

If you're going into a competitive category like erotica, your marketing strategy won't work. The free book promo strategy worked well way before saturation. You'll need to put some cash into promoting it by buying lists (either as a free/paid book). And even then, the first few books for marketing is likely going to be negative ROI until you build out your portfolio and increase the lifetime value of your customer.

Is it really that bad out there?
 
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Omni

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Is it really that bad out there?

Yes. For a high competition category like erotica. You can test this for yourself by publishing a 15k word novella on free. You'll see what I mean or you'll find traction.

Publishing game is high quality product + marketing. You can't skimp out on the marketing and expect the same results as someone who does both.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

thunder_god

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Yes. For a high competition category like erotica. You can test this for yourself by publishing a 15k word novella on free. You'll see what I mean or you'll find traction.

Publishing game is high quality product + marketing. You can't skimp out on the marketing and expect the same results as someone who does both.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I'll have to think hard about how to best come up with a marketing strategy once I'm done my book.
 

thunder_god

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Update: I've written about 3000 words so far and still have a whole lot of ideas running through my head but I don't want to write a 100k novel lol. I'm experiencing quite the opposite of writer's block and actually have too much to talk about in my story. I didn't think initially when I decided to start writing fiction that I would enjoy this, but I'm actually finding this quite enjoyable especially creating the story and watching how the plot unfolds.
My plan is to write another 5000-6000, possibly more if I'm really into it, and hopefully have my first draft done by Sunday.
 
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Lex DeVille

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Update: I've written about 3000 words so far and still have a whole lot of ideas running through my head but I don't want to write a 100k novel lol. I'm experiencing quite the opposite of writer's block and actually have too much to talk about in my story. I didn't think initially when I decided to start writing fiction that I would enjoy this, but I'm actually finding this quite enjoyable especially creating the story and watching how the plot unfolds.
My plan is to write another 5000-6000, possibly more if I'm really into it, and hopefully have my first draft done by Sunday.

How can you start building your audience now? You might wanna test your writing before writing even 30k words because it's still a lot. Sites like WattPad can be useful to get early feedback about your writing and also about what the market wants from you. If you could release some kind of tidbits on instagram or other social media you might find interested parties also. Lots of ways to build an early audience and on Amazon you'll likely need it.

I launched 2 books in the past 2 months, both around 30k with no marketing to see what would happen. 1 copy of each sold the first day it launched and after that they both disappeared into the abyss. That makes me think if the writing is in front of people they'll buy (assuming it's good stuff) but once Amazon tosses it on the pile it gets lost forever.
 

thunder_god

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How can you start building your audience now? You might wanna test your writing before writing even 30k words because it's still a lot. Sites like WattPad can be useful to get early feedback about your writing and also about what the market wants from you. If you could release some kind of tidbits on instagram or other social media you might find interested parties also. Lots of ways to build an early audience and on Amazon you'll likely need it.

I launched 2 books in the past 2 months, both around 30k with no marketing to see what would happen. 1 copy of each sold the first day it launched and after that they both disappeared into the abyss. That makes me think if the writing is in front of people they'll buy (assuming it's good stuff) but once Amazon tosses it on the pile it gets lost forever.

I never heard about Wattpad before. Can I submit partial stories like a chapter or two there? Also I haven't come up with any pen names yet and would prefer to keep it anonymous that I am writing erotic romance novels.
 

Lex DeVille

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I never heard about Wattpad before. Can I submit partial stories like a chapter or two there? Also I haven't come up with any pen names yet and would prefer to keep it anonymous that I am writing erotic romance novels.

Yeah you can submit partial stories by chapter and get feedback from readers right on the site.

I've seen some really good feedback where people tell others about weak points or what they want from the book.

You can set pen names there also.
 
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thunder_god

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Yeah you can submit partial stories by chapter and get feedback from readers right on the site.

I've seen some really good feedback where people tell others about weak points or what they want from the book.

You can set pen names there also.

I'll check it out. Thanks. I hope they don't tear my story to shreds.
 

thunder_god

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Update:

I've written about 8000 words now and almost winding down my story, although I feel like its taking sort of a detour and the story has drifted somewhere else. Its my first time writing these types of stories so I'm still trying to navigate the waters here. I'm expecting to either finish writing my first book by tomorrow or tuesday.

The biggest obstacle I am finding is not even writing the story, but internal conflicts in myself. I am having a lot of self doubts whether or not I can make this succeed. I have tried several other avenues for trying to make money in the past but they all ended in failures, and I find myself asking myself whether or not this will be repeat of those experiences. I absolutely hate my soul sucking job right now that pays me barely enough, so I tell myself that I have no choice but to succeed and make it happen and use that to push forward each day.
 
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ChickenHawk

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Congrats on your progress so far! I like your meticulous approach to this. A few observations:

1. You're already ahead of the game, in that you're actually writing, pretty darn fast too. If you can combine this speed with crafting a story that people want to read, you could do really well.

2. Yes, it IS competitive out there. And it's getting more competitive all the time. But in six months, it will likely be even MORE competitive, so you're smart to push ahead now. If you don't, you'll always wonder what might've been. People are still making money, and readers are still hungry for good stories. The gold rush might be over, but it's still easier than it was when traditional publishers acted as gatekeepers.

3. There's a lot of good advice above about marketing, testing, etc. But I'm going to add mine...Get your novella written, design a great cover, and get that puppy published via KDP/Amazon. It might sell zero copies and immediately tank. It might take off. You never know. But that first book will tell you a lot. If it tanks, you can always pull it down, rewrite it, change pen names, whatever. If it takes off, you know there's potential for your writing style in your chosen niche. Think of it as a product test. One of my friends did this several times, and it told her a lot about what readers wanted.

4. About KDP Select: I see you plan to use KDP Select for only the first 90 days, and then publish on Barnes & Noble, etc. If it were me, I'd just stick with KDP Select until you build an audience. If your book is enrolled in KDP Select, you can make money off borrows, and your book will get more visibility. Also, this lets readers who are subscribed to Kindle Unlimited sample your book for "free" to them. It's a great way to pick up new readers, because it's a zero risk proposition for them.

5. You don't need a Web site or blog to start building your mailing list. Just put a signup link in the beginning and end of your book. (If you've already done some reading in your genre, you've no doubt seen this done.) Just get a MailCheat(Chimp) account. It's super-easy. They even host the signup forms, so you don't need to go to a lot of trouble. Also, MailCheat(Chimp) is free up until a certain number of subscribers (2,000 maybe?). So basically, in the beginning and end of your book, post a little blurb that links to your MailCheat(Chimp) signup form. It's super-easy.

Good luck as you move forward!
 

thunder_god

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Update:

I've been very busy with work and haven't had much time to work on my ebook, plus I feel like I've been procrastinating for a bit but I eventually pushed through it and finally finished writing the first draft of my ebook tonight. I'm not particularly too happy with the conflict that I used for it, so I will need to rewrite some of it as I now revise, format, and finalize my book.

I think I need to develop some sort of schedule each day and stick to it even on days when I feel really exhausted after work. My goal is to publish 1 book a week once I have everything all figured out in the interim, and eventually push out 2-3 books a week once I quit my job.
 

thunder_god

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Congrats on your progress so far! I like your meticulous approach to this. A few observations:

1. You're already ahead of the game, in that you're actually writing, pretty darn fast too. If you can combine this speed with crafting a story that people want to read, you could do really well.

2. Yes, it IS competitive out there. And it's getting more competitive all the time. But in six months, it will likely be even MORE competitive, so you're smart to push ahead now. If you don't, you'll always wonder what might've been. People are still making money, and readers are still hungry for good stories. The gold rush might be over, but it's still easier than it was when traditional publishers acted as gatekeepers.

3. There's a lot of good advice above about marketing, testing, etc. But I'm going to add mine...Get your novella written, design a great cover, and get that puppy published via KDP/Amazon. It might sell zero copies and immediately tank. It might take off. You never know. But that first book will tell you a lot. If it tanks, you can always pull it down, rewrite it, change pen names, whatever. If it takes off, you know there's potential for your writing style in your chosen niche. Think of it as a product test. One of my friends did this several times, and it told her a lot about what readers wanted.

4. About KDP Select: I see you plan to use KDP Select for only the first 90 days, and then publish on Barnes & Noble, etc. If it were me, I'd just stick with KDP Select until you build an audience. If your book is enrolled in KDP Select, you can make money off borrows, and your book will get more visibility. Also, this lets readers who are subscribed to Kindle Unlimited sample your book for "free" to them. It's a great way to pick up new readers, because it's a zero risk proposition for them.

5. You don't need a Web site or blog to start building your mailing list. Just put a signup link in the beginning and end of your book. (If you've already done some reading in your genre, you've no doubt seen this done.) Just get a MailCheat(Chimp) account. It's super-easy. They even host the signup forms, so you don't need to go to a lot of trouble. Also, MailCheat(Chimp) is free up until a certain number of subscribers (2,000 maybe?). So basically, in the beginning and end of your book, post a little blurb that links to your MailCheat(Chimp) signup form. It's super-easy.

Good luck as you move forward!


Thank you for this great advice. I will definitely add in the mailing list links to the front and back of my book and about your advice with the KDP Select, I will give it a trial run with my first couple of books just to test things out.
 
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thunder_god

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Update:

I finally finished writing my book. The book ended up being around 12,500 words. A little bit more than I wanted but its alright for my first book. I did 1 rewrite of the story because I wasn't too happy with the plot, and then edited it and proofread it twice. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I wanted to get the story right but I need to focus on the big picture which is actually publishing something instead of trying to write the perfect story.
Today I finished writing all the copyright disclaimer stuff.
So now its onto learning how to use photoshop or some other book cover editing programs.
I've watched 3 tutorials so far on making book covers but didn't get much out of them, so now I'm just going to look for some general beginning tutorials on photoshop and learn the fundamentals instead. I don't know how long this step is going to take me, but I think its a very important step and I shouldn't half a$$ it. I'm hoping I can get my book cover done by the end of this week, once I figure out how to use photoshop or maybe get another program instead.

There's also the whole issue about obtaining photos I'm going to have to worry about once I get down to designing my cover. I know some members here used dollarphotoclub but adobe bought them out, closed shop and then jacked up the prices by 300%! Also they don't allow you to use your photos on erotic romance book covers, so that eliminated a cheap photo option. I'm going to have to do some research and look up some cheap alternatives to obtain erotic romance pictures.

I also added in a page on my ebook for newsletter sign-ups as suggested by chickenhawk. I haven't set-up mail chimp yet and will do that once my book cover is finished.

It seems I can no longer edit my original post so I'll just bold my steps from now on.

3. Proof-read, revise, format (done)
4. Learn how to create book covers (currently on this step)
 
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ChickenHawk

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Do you already have PhotoShop? (I know it's pretty pricey.) I designed my first book-covers in PaintShop Pro, which is a little more basic and might be more simpler to use, for what it's worth.

Also they don't allow you to use your photos on erotic romance book covers, so that eliminated a cheap photo option.

Interesting. Do you mean that they won't let you use their images for book-covers if the book falls under the erotica category? I've never heard of this. Not saying it's not possible. Just saying this is news to me. How erotic is your book? Is it full-fledged X-rated stuff that will be hit with the "adult" tag? Or is it a spicy romance? Is there a love story in there? Or is it just sex? You don't have to answer on the forum. Those are just things to keep in-mind. From what I've heard, you're better off if you can avoid that whole adult-content filter. If it were me, and I had 12,500 pages of just sex (not saying you do, this is just hypothetical), I'd probably write another 5,000 words of romance to wrap around it and call it a romance.

I'm going to have to do some research and look up some cheap alternatives to obtain erotic romance pictures.

When I designed my own covers, I purchased my images from iStock photo. Here's their pricing structure: https://secure.istockphoto.com/plans-and-pricing. As of now (May 2016), you can buy three credits for $33. From what I've found, most images cost 3 credits, but there are a few that cost only 1 credit. It's still more than a dollar, but nothing that would break the bank, hopefully.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
 

thunder_god

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Do you already have PhotoShop? (I know it's pretty pricey.) I designed my first book-covers in PaintShop Pro, which is a little more basic and might be more simpler to use, for what it's worth.

I ended up downloading the free 30 day trial of photoshop. I'm going to try and learn as much as I can and if its worth it, I might pay for a monthly subscription. I think its about $30 usd a month if you pay monthly. My budget is very tight at the moment as I'm just starting out and barely make ends meet with my salary at my day job. I'll try to pump out 2-3 covers before my 30 day trial is over or as another member has suggested to me, just pay someone on fiver to do it, although I'm not sure about the quality though.


Interesting. Do you mean that they won't let you use their images for book-covers if the book falls under the erotica category? I've never heard of this. Not saying it's not possible. Just saying this is news to me. How erotic is your book? Is it full-fledged X-rated stuff that will be hit with the "adult" tag? Or is it a spicy romance? Is there a love story in there? Or is it just sex? You don't have to answer on the forum. Those are just things to keep in-mind. From what I've heard, you're better off if you can avoid that whole adult-content filter. If it were me, and I had 12,500 pages of just sex (not saying you do, this is just hypothetical), I'd probably write another 5,000 words of romance to wrap around it and call it a romance.

This is from depositphotos http://depositphotos.com/license.html but its very similar to most of the big name stock photo companies. The parts in bold is what I am concerned about. If you do a search on google, you can find all sorts of stories about people getting sued for either having the wrong license or using prohibited images for erotica. The extended license is over $100 just for 1 image. Hardly worthwhile at all for us self-publishers.

3. THE STANDARD LICENSE
  1. The Standard license allows you to use the downloaded File for the creation of all kinds of items (except Items for Resale or Items for Free Distribution, where the File plays a major role in the item and adds value to it).
  2. Terms:
The quantity of website visitorsUnlimited
The quantity of copies or impressionsUp to 500,000
The quantity of copies or displays for electronic useUnlimited
The maximum allowed size (resolution) of the unmodified File for electronic useUnlimited
(resolution should not exceed the display resolution of the intended viewing device).
Creation of all kinds of items
(except Items for Resale or Items for Free Distribution, where the File plays a major role in the item and adds value to it)Allowed
Creation of Items for Resale or Items for Free Distribution where the File plays a minor role in the itemAllowed
Creation of Items for Resale or Items for Free Distribution where the File plays a major role in the item and adds value to itProhibited

6. PROHIBITED USE OF FILES
  1. You may not:
  1. Make the File available for free download on a shared drive, service, software or website for the purpose of exchanging, transferring or distributing;
  2. Transfer, resell, sub-license, rent, donate or otherwise transfer the File or rights to it to third parties;
  3. Сreate conditions under which the File may be extracted from a product;
  4. Allow third parties access to the File for further use;
  5. Use the unmodified File in an e-format with resolution larger than the display resolution of the intended viewing device;
  6. Use a File marked "Editorial Use Only" for commercial purposes;
  7. Use the File to create an official logo, company name, or trademark;
  8. Use the File in a way that infringes the File’s intellectual property rights or a third party’s trademark or that would lead to a complaint about deceptive advertising or unfair competition;
  9. Use the File for SPAM mailings;
  10. Use the File in a way that competes with Depositphotos business;
  11. Display, use or post the File in a way that would lead to the conclusion that the model in the File approves of or endorses the items or services of any venture or trademark;
  12. Show a person depicted in the File in sensitive scenarios that could reasonably be considered offensive or unflattering to that person (e.g., related to mental and physical deficits, sexual or implied sexual activity or preferences, crime, physical or mental abuse or ailments);
  13. Use the File for pornographic, illegal or immoral purposes;
  14. Use the File in items or products that could embarrass or humiliate a person or model in the File;
  15. Use the File for advertisement or promotion of tobacco or alcohol products;
  16. Display, use or post the File in a way that would lead to the conclusion that the model in the File approves of or endorses any political party, policy, candidate, or elected official.
  1. Any forbidden use of the File shall be considered as copyright infringement. You shall be liable for all damages caused by copyright infringement, including any claims made by third parties. Also, Depositphotos reserves the right to recall your license of any File you have used in a manner considered as copyright infringement.
A staff from Adobe also gave a similar answer in regards to the sexual explicit nature of the photos being used in erotic/steamy romance ebook covers. https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1958259

As for my story. Its an erotic romance novella. There's a little bit of a love story in there along with a few sex scenes. The sex scenes probably account for around 50-60% of the novel. I'm not quite sure what the proper % is suppose to be, but from the novella's I have read, they typically had 2-3 sex scenes in their story.

When I designed my own covers, I purchased my images from iStock photo. Here's their pricing structure: https://secure.istockphoto.com/plans-and-pricing. As of now (May 2016), you can buy three credits for $33. From what I've found, most images cost 3 credits, but there are a few that cost only 1 credit. It's still more than a dollar, but nothing that would break the bank, hopefully.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

The cheapest option I have found so far is 99club. 200 XXL images (any size) for $99 which works out to $.49 a photo. But at the moment, my budget for creating books is only around $30 or so and since its my first ebook I don't even know if I'll break even. I might pay for some subscription plan for $50usd or something for several photos if need be.
 
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ChickenHawk

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Interesting insight. How "erotic" is your book? Is it pure erotica/porn? Or, is it a romance that happens to include explicit sex scenes? Unless your book is raunchier than average, you might be overthinking this. It's really hard to say without knowing how explicit your book is, but there's a big difference between a romantic book that features explicit scenes between two consenting adults and a book that features some guy screwing a couple of under-aged goats on page one. If it's the goat thing, I can see why you'd be concerned. If it's not though, you might be throwing up roadblocks needlessly.

That, of course, is just my opinion and not to be taken as legal advice. I'm no lawyer.

The cheapest option I have found so far is 99club. 200 XXL images (any size) for $99 which works out to $.49 a photo.

But this, along with the subscription thing, is no deal if you only need ONE photo. If your budget is $30, I'd find a place that will sell you one decent photo for $30. If your book doesn't live up to your hopes sales-wise, you're only out $30. If your book exceeds your expectations, you can justify a larger photo-purchase or subscription in the future.
 

thunder_god

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Interesting insight. How "erotic" is your book? Is it pure erotica/porn? Or, is it a romance that happens to include explicit sex scenes? Unless your book is raunchier than average, you might be overthinking this. It's really hard to say without knowing how explicit your book is, but there's a big difference between a romantic book that features explicit scenes between two consenting adults and a book that features some guy screwing a couple of under-aged goats on page one. If it's the goat thing, I can see why you'd be concerned. If it's not though, you might be throwing up roadblocks needlessly.

That, of course, is just my opinion and not to be taken as legal advice. I'm no lawyer.


But this, along with the subscription thing, is no deal if you only need ONE photo. If your budget is $30, I'd find a place that will sell you one decent photo for $30. If your book doesn't live up to your hopes sales-wise, you're only out $30. If your book exceeds your expectations, you can justify a larger photo-purchase or subscription in the future.

I wouldn't say its pure erotica/porn. Its just two consenting adults having sex a few times inside of a story, that's all. I might be overthinking things and being a bit paranoid. I guess I'll pick photos that have a couple in an implied sexual position for my cover or try to keep their faces hidden so as to avoid this problem all together.

Your right, its probably better to just stick with 1-2 photos for now and see how it is, before spending anymore money. I'll check out istockphotos.
 

Selfy

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HI! First of all: good job! You are way ahead.

10k seems lengthy for a pure erotica. Maybe 5k would be better? Depends on what Erotica.... On your cover, be careful about getting too raunchy or it will go straight to dungeon (blocked) and you should already know what title words are 'filtered.' Other than that you should be ok.

Erotica is a game of speed. To write fast, try writing the sex scene first then creating a story around it, like say 60%-40% split with not much character. The game in erotica is not to produce top-notch quality stuff, but to understand the 'kink' or the twisted perversion or what have you. In contrast to romance fantasy, where plots and characters are central. I have mine proof-read even when the other erotica authors do not -- I only do so I can improve -- but the margins in Erotica is quite dismal for someone with a small catalog.
 
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Selfy

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I launched 2 books in the past 2 months, both around 30k with no marketing to see what would happen. 1 copy of each sold the first day it launched and after that they both disappeared into the abyss. That makes me think if the writing is in front of people they'll buy (assuming it's good stuff) but once Amazon tosses it on the pile it gets lost forever.

Wow you're back on the self-pub grind? :hurray: @SinisterLex

The amazon algo, I heard, rewards consistent producers with higher placements.

Sites like WattPad can be useful to get early feedback about your writing and also about what the market wants from you.

Or just pay for a professional critique. Personally, I'm not too keen on getting feedback on a public site, but i'll gobble it up if it comes from a trained professional.
 
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Selfy

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Publishing game is high quality product + marketing. You can't skimp out on the marketing and expect the same results as someone who does both.

I don't do marketing on my Erotica. I don't think Erotica authors do much marketing for theirs either. Erotica is like a 'let me hit it one time' game. Expect it to be used up like a... This marketing must be for romance that have wordcounts of novel or getting parlayed into series. But for OP who is just getting started so he can leave his job, I'd say for him to build his catalog and work on improving craft. Maybe when he has 30 (?) then he can dabble in marketing.

OP, there's fast cash in erotica but you have got to write fast in a fucd up genre. SPEED.
 
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ChickenHawk

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I wouldn't say its pure erotica/porn. Its just two consenting adults having sex a few times inside of a story...I guess I'll pick photos that have a couple in an implied sexual position for my cover or try to keep their faces hidden so as to avoid this problem all together.

One quick tip... About the implied sexual position, you might want to be a bit careful about that, just to make sure your book isn't tagged with the dreaded "adult" filter. It seems that even fairly explicit erotica books have more "tame" covers than they did even a few years ago. It might be worth googling, "Amazon adult filter" and book covers, or something like that. I recall reading some really interesting (and sadly amusing) threads about how much skin you could show before you got slapped with an adult rating.

Just as a clarification, if Amazon tags your book with the "adult" filter (or however they put it), it won't show up in nearly as many search results. I've heard some erotica writers lament that it makes their books practically invisible, which means it's almost impossible to sell any books.
 
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thunder_god

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One quick tip... About the implied sexual position, you might want to be a bit careful about that, just to make sure your book isn't tagged with the dreaded "adult" filter. It seems that even fairly explicit erotica books have more "tame" covers than they did even a few years ago. It might be worth googling, "Amazon adult filter" and book covers, or something like that. I recall reading some really interesting (and sadly amusing) threads about how much skin you could show before you got slapped with an adult rating.

Just as a clarification, if Amazon tags your book with the "adult" filter (or however they put it), it won't show up in nearly as many search results. I've heard some erotica writers lament that it makes their books practically invisible, which means it's almost impossible to sell any books.

What is considered too much skin? Would something like these be considered too much skin and be slapped with the adult rating?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RXZXOWQ/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NVEPIZE/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RYC3A3Q/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

vs something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0186SCTC4/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016NG7UDO/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BEGXPYG/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Thank you so much for these tips, I really appreciate the help! Hopefully I can have my book published by the end of next week once I figure out the book cover issue and how to create it (contemplating paying someone on fiver but I think learning the photoshop skills would be invaluable as well and open up more opportunities in case I want to do some freelance work for extra income, I might do a combination of the two for my first and second book).
 

thunder_god

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HI! First of all: good job! You are way ahead.

10k seems lengthy for a pure erotica. Maybe 5k would be better? Depends on what Erotica.... On your cover, be careful about getting too raunchy or it will go straight to dungeon (blocked) and you should already know what title words are 'filtered.' Other than that you should be ok.

Erotica is a game of speed. To write fast, try writing the sex scene first then creating a story around it, like say 60%-40% split with not much character. The game in erotica is not to produce top-notch quality stuff, but to understand the 'kink' or the twisted perversion or what have you. In contrast to romance fantasy, where plots and characters are central. I have mine proof-read even when the other erotica authors do not -- I only do so I can improve -- but the margins in Erotica is quite dismal for someone with a small catalog.

Its a romance erotica, not purely erotica, although I would like to make the switch over to pure erotica later.
I haven't even thought about the title keywords yet nor have I come up with a book title yet :(
I'm assuming words like "fu8Ked or nailed or rammed" would be considered too explicit and I would need to go for something more tame like "sleeping with the fireman or in his arms or something".

My goal is to try and pump out at least 1 book a week if possible while still working at my job and eventually quit and then double that output and then start outsourcing it once my cashflow increases. I'm assuming my catalog would need to be at least 12-20 books before I can see a decent cashflow come in?
 

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