Romance And Erotica Books Gaining Popularity
Writers are finding their niche in the growing world of erotica, especially female writers. Erotica has sprung out of the romance industry but these stories are not mom’s sappy love stories. Some critics try to say erotica is nothing more than written pornography but the writers and readers of erotica know that it is much more than that.
The publishers at Tit-elation.com, a website catering to erotica for women as well as couples, say that “It takes more than a handful of dirty words to create erotica. It takes artistry and skill to move a reader. It takes descriptions of lusty, well-rounded characters as well as their body parts to kindle warm flickers and fan them into the flames of desire. It takes authors who are passionate in the telling of their stories. Erotica requires authors who create interesting characters, entrancing relationships and provocative plots, developed with detailed and artistic descriptions which emphasizes foreplay as well as the sex acts themselves.”
Women’s views towards sexuality and what they expect and are open to are different than they were 20 or even 10 years ago. Sex is everywhere in entertainment and women want more catered to them. Being able to read about sexually provocative women and strong heroines that are open about their sexual wants and needs appeals to women who want to know what they feel is normal, that the things they fantasize about are shared by other women. Like romance novels, erotica is mainly written by women for women, with strong female characters and heroines that readers can relate to.
Erotica has a long history, but much of it has been an underground popularity. The internet has helped bring erotica into the light with websites, e-book publishers, and print on demand publishers of erotica. Some websites that cater to erotica are; CleansSheets.com, SensualVenus.com, JustusRoux.com, Tit-Elation.com, and OystersandChocolate.com. Some of the more popular erotica and romantica (erotic romance) e-book and print on demand publishers or erotica are; EllorasCave.com, RedSagePub.com, MidnightShowcase.com, ChippewaPublishing.com, RedSagePub.com, OceansMistPress.com, Phaze.com, SilksVault.com, and the newcomer Ephemera-Bound.com who is the publisher of Tit-elation.com’s quarterly “Best of” books and their new erotic theme anthologies.
Mainstream publishers have noticed the growing popularity of erotica and the surprising numbers of sales and decided to get involved since there is obviously money to be made in erotica. Erotica is now the newest hot thing in the publishing industry. Traditional romance publishers have upped the ante and added hot and spicy erotica lines. Berkley’s erotica line is Heat, Kensington’s is Aphrodisia, Harlequin has its Spice imprint, and HarperCollins’s Avon line has Avon Red.
Now that mainstream publishers are putting out erotica, mainstream bookstores are selling their books and the books of smaller publishers and publishers that were previously only selling books online or in small privately owned bookstores. Borders and Barnes and Noble now distribute erotica books.
With the growing popularity and the growing need for erotic stories, more opportunities are opening up for female writers. Erotica can have any type of story line; mystery, suspense, gothic, historical, sci-fi, thriller, paranormal or literary fiction. Any genre can become an erotic story as long as it has a well developed story line and some good sex scenes that aren’t glossed over with flowery language and purple prose like the romance novels of yesterday.
Women are claiming their sexuality in everything they do, even in what they read. According to the Romance Writers of America the romance genre brings in $1.2 billion dollars a year. With erotica on the rise imagine what the erotica industry will soon be bringing in.
