Do you think the stigma with erotica in society is beneficial to erotica, or hurting the genre as a whole? What do you say to authors who want to write it but afraid of being discriminated against for their other works?
Is the stigma beneficial? I would say no, not for the general field of erotica. I think it holds back not only erotica but all writers, of all genres. It makes sex this sort of "no in my story!" phenomenon, where one of the most common attributes of all our lives is shunted to the side, talked about in passing references and obfuscated phrases in stories.
As for taboo erotica, the kinkiest of the kinky? It's a double-edged sword. The taboo nature of it will mean your audience is more limited, but it might also mean a more dedicated readership of people who are willing to track down what they want, and make it worth your while. I can lead to tight little communities of people sharing the same or similar interests.
What do we say to those who wish to write erotica but want to avoid the stigma that comes with it? You're very wise. Wiser than we are.
For a long time we've very naively stuck to our desire of being open and honest about who we are, though in recent years we had to clam up for the sake of real world jobs being at stake.
Always hide your interests behind pseudonyms is my main advice. Do what you can to have nothing linking your erotica work with your real name, or your other pen names. The stigma is real, and it will hurt you. Not only are readers likely to hold it against you if they find out your 'serious' works are attached to the same name as some naughty stuff, but publishers will look at you differently, and much of the software tools of the internet are outright barred from those who deal in sex-related areas.
Heck, more and more even banks are cracking down on sex workers, treating them like criminals, charging them extortionist fees if they allow them to have credit or even accounts at all even.
Keep it separate, be very careful. Be smarter than we were!
~J
I think that will definitely dissuade many people from writing, especially taboo material, for fear of being found out by loved ones, employees, family, and friends.
At the same time, I think things that have a stigma against them inherently raise their value, in some regards. That is, by making something taboo and forbidden, we're actually driving demand instead of decreasing it. If erotica was accepted, I think it wouldn't have such a hungry market, perhaps, at least in the current format of erotic shorts being so popular.
Though, because of the crackdowns by the vendors, I think that's also changing customer's expectations and demands, so it's kind of a strange thing. It's not that customers don't still want the erotic stories, but that now they're used to getting longer and plottier stories, so that's shifting demand.
We're in a state of flux - in fact, all of the porn industry is - as we try to cope with the changing expectations of consumers who want more for less, and payment processors who are increasingly approaching us with a 'hands off' attitude.
~M
As for taboo erotica, the kinkiest of the kinky? It's a double-edged sword. The taboo nature of it will mean your audience is more limited, but it might also mean a more dedicated readership of people who are willing to track down what they want, and make it worth your while. I can lead to tight little communities of people sharing the same or similar interests.
What do we say to those who wish to write erotica but want to avoid the stigma that comes with it? You're very wise. Wiser than we are.
For a long time we've very naively stuck to our desire of being open and honest about who we are, though in recent years we had to clam up for the sake of real world jobs being at stake.
Always hide your interests behind pseudonyms is my main advice. Do what you can to have nothing linking your erotica work with your real name, or your other pen names. The stigma is real, and it will hurt you. Not only are readers likely to hold it against you if they find out your 'serious' works are attached to the same name as some naughty stuff, but publishers will look at you differently, and much of the software tools of the internet are outright barred from those who deal in sex-related areas.
Heck, more and more even banks are cracking down on sex workers, treating them like criminals, charging them extortionist fees if they allow them to have credit or even accounts at all even.
Keep it separate, be very careful. Be smarter than we were!
~J
I think that will definitely dissuade many people from writing, especially taboo material, for fear of being found out by loved ones, employees, family, and friends.
At the same time, I think things that have a stigma against them inherently raise their value, in some regards. That is, by making something taboo and forbidden, we're actually driving demand instead of decreasing it. If erotica was accepted, I think it wouldn't have such a hungry market, perhaps, at least in the current format of erotic shorts being so popular.
Though, because of the crackdowns by the vendors, I think that's also changing customer's expectations and demands, so it's kind of a strange thing. It's not that customers don't still want the erotic stories, but that now they're used to getting longer and plottier stories, so that's shifting demand.
We're in a state of flux - in fact, all of the porn industry is - as we try to cope with the changing expectations of consumers who want more for less, and payment processors who are increasingly approaching us with a 'hands off' attitude.
~M