If you’re just getting started at writing, there’s one thing you should be doing in order to get some practice. Write erotica, preferably for women. It might seem like a weird suggestion, but erotica is a wide-open market that is also incredibly stable. It’s something that will always be around, even if it gets more competitive. I think if you’re just getting started with writing and have no ideas as to what to write about, you should be writing erotica.
Erotica is easy to produce
All you need is a phone, internet access, and a stock photo site or AI image generator. If you have a mailing address and can make an Amazon KDP account, you’ll be getting cheques in exchange for your written work in no time. Erotic work is often shorter than regular novels. This means that you can make and test books really quickly.
Erotica is considered “low-brow” by some, and the readers are very forgiving
Writing erotica gets you into the habit of making something, selling it online, and receiving feedback. It gets you used to being an independent person who sells a product. It gets you used to creating a product that’s “good enough”, but still made with time, care, and effort. It also gets you used to starting from scratch, and sucking. The first novella I wrote was described as a “pile of poo” by an angry user. I deleted it and got better at writing.
Amazon isn’t going to go away anytime soon
This is the biggest mistake I made when producing erotica: not sticking with Amazon and Google Play. Ebook technology is relatively new, but the way things are looking, Amazon and Google Play are here to stay. If they aren’t, it’s likely because the nature of either reading and online entertainment will have changed dramatically. Either way, there’s no point in worrying about that, because it means an entire industry will have collapsed, and people far richer than you will be suffering. As far as digital real estate goes, having a book on Amazon or Google Play is definitely a pretty solid investment.
There’s a lot of room to be creative with erotica
As long as you aren’t writing about stuff that’s really gross or illegal, you can make your erotica characters do pretty much whatever you want. There are also a lot of erotic sub niches. This is because there are a lot of different fetishes, and everyone wants theirs explored. Your creativity is also likely to pay dividends. If it gets you off, it is likely to work for other readers of that specific kink. There are men’s niches too.
You can use other sites to drive traffic to your erotica
I used to drive traffic with Reddit and Goodreads. If you’re bold or particularly visually oriented, you might be able to drive traffic with Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest. This will allow you to get a lot of eyeballs on a product that is already being sold on one of the world’s largest market places. A definite win-win situation for you as an author. Learning how to use multiple forms of social media to drive traffic is important for you as a digital marketer. It’ll teach you design skills, and you’re likely to learn how to make videos. This will in turn make you more employable and a marketer.
Erotica is a side hustle. Publishing novels is not a get rich quick scheme, and the industry gets more competitive with each passing year. But it’s a good side hustle. One that can see you earning money years after your work has been completed. If you don’t have any ideas for how to make money online, I suggest you give erotica writing a shot.
