The Future of Taboo, Forbidden, Ultra-Smut, and Other Controversial Erotica

Will Incest Erotica Survive the Purge?

A short time ago the Lot’s Cave Newsletter published its thoughts about the future of controversial erotica on Smashwords. Mark Coker, the CEO of Smashwords responded by fiercely denying any censorship. (See back issues online for the transcripts). Today, Smashwords is stepping up its efforts to silence taboo and controversial erotica. It’s not your imagination; it’s happening right now. Smashwords just banned a number of hard core eBooks this last month, essentially wiping them off the Internet if not for Lot’s Cave. The rest of all erotica authors are supposed to think that’s okay because of rude subject matter. The latest victims consist of authors who write non-consent erotica.

Censors of rape and non-consent erotica assume all sexual violence committed is done by men and that men are by nature sexually violent to women. It has been proven time and again that it is women who most enjoy rape fantasy’s and rape erotica. Indeed, at Lot’s Cave, nearly all rape erotica is purchased by women. Censoring rape erotica actually hinders conversations regarding sexual fantasies and sexual responsibility. Hindering such conversations are actually detrimental to women’s health and sexually open relationships and reinforces the concept that women can only be victims. Does banning rape erotica reinforce toxic adherence to certain strictly enforced gender roles?

You are not delusional in thinking publishing platforms like Smashwords are discriminating against UltraSmut Authors and that they are gaslighting us by claiming ‘no policies have changed; they are just enforcing existing policies under stricter new criteria.’ Hey, we call that a policy change! When caught silencing controversial authors. The chilling effect that occurs every time a new round of “enhancements” is that it keeps most erotica authors far from the boundaries; it keeps them from writing anything that might be controversial in any way for any reason. Because these policy rules are largely unwritten, constantly evolving, being made up all the time, and enforcement is changing, they make a mockery of the concept of a self-publishing platform where all authors are treated equally and that book readers/buyers do not know what they want to read.

First Amazon, then Barnes & Noble, and now Smashwords are controlling the direction the entire publishing market, defining exactly what erotica consumers are allowed to read. If you control the terms, then you can control the outcome of social direction. UltraSmut authors are ignoring this at peril. You will lose every publishing platform going forward, including Lot’s Cave, if authors do not put a stop to this. Some ill-informed authors might agree with Publishing Platform claims that this is just “competition” this is just “free market”; if you do not like Amazon, if you do not like Smashwords, go make your own publishing platform. These authors have never started their own companies and don’t know what it means to start a business. These companies, including Smashwords now, have all built themselves up to the point of monopoly power on the back of protectionist government regulations.

Small companies like Lot’s Cave need large companies like Smashwords to plow the path ahead, without which it’s difficult to survive. We desperately want and need Smashwords to provide taboo authors an uncensored publishing platform. If Smashwords caves in to the vocal few complainers and discontinues publishing ultra-smut, it will make life extremely difficult for us by requiring Lot’s Cave to justify its existence.

Now that Smashwords has ‘arrived’; and in doing so, joined the ranks of all major publishing platforms in crowding out the last bastions of controversial erotica, they are changing the rules on us. On Sept 15, 2017 Smashwords published a table on their blog stating that ‘“rape for titillation” was allowed but discouraged and they would retain the right of refusal—but never provided any discernable “discouraging enforcement”’. Suddenly with no warning they are simply snuffing out authors completely and removing other titles this month. Yes, it’s true they are snuffing out authors and titles from authors that you and I do not necessarily hang out with, read, or enjoy; that’s not the point. They are testing the waters: so nobody protested when it was rape erotica, pretty soon it will be authors and content that are closer to what you and I enjoy writing. Remember a few months back when Mark Coker wrote to Lot’s Cave that “And FWIW, dubcon is considered taboo”?

With Smashwords and Lot’s Cave remaining as the two main platforms for publishing taboo erotica, we want to take a moment to ask some tough questions. The market has changed dramatically, both in what content authors are providing and how stores respond to customer feedback. Examining how to best maximize these market trends is vital… but so is paying attention to the established rules.

Lot’s Cave originally raised its concern when Smashwords implemented a new classification system for content deemed controversial. At the time, Mark Coker stressed the importance of doing so stating:

“Our new approach empowers those who know their content best – the author or publisher – to directly categorize and certify the erotic themes of their books. This will give our sales channels greater confidence to receive the erotica they want while avoiding the titles they don’t want.

The new Smashwords classification system is built on trust. We trust our authors and publishers to accurately categorize their books, and we trust they recognize it’s in their best interest to do so. As is our practice, we will continue to monitor all Smashwords titles for compliance with the Smashwords Terms of Service. Those who jeopardize this trust through deliberate misclassification will face account closure.”

Note here that Mark Coker stresses trusting authors to know and mark their content accordingly while also claiming that doing so is in their best interest. But is it really? What is Smashwords really incentivizing authors to produce? The answer isn’t clear cut. And in this murky water, how is an author to know what is in the mind of Smashwords? Failure to know the mind of Smashwords in defining the meaning of “allowed but discouraged” means being cut off altogether.

Smashwords has gone to great efforts to define the content it deems controversial, and to their credit, they actively attempt to make the process easy for authors. However, there are quite a few problems in their current definitions. We want to take an honest look at these definitions, what they encourage authors to do, and how publish platforms treat such controversial content as a whole. As authors, it is always important to take into account the climate of public opinion, as we soon shall find out.

As mentioned previously, Smashwords makes is extremely easy to look up their content requirements and definitions. There’s the blog post discussing content, and their Terms of Service. In short, here are the definitions of content deemed necessary of further classification:

Age play – One or more consenting adult characters role playing, pretending to be babies or children. Most retailers will take this, but iBooks will not.

Bestiality – Sexual relations between humans and real-world animals (sex with Big Foot, dinosaurs, shape shifters and other imaginary creatures is not bestiality). Few retailers will take this.

Dubious Consent (dubcon) – A common and popular theme in mainstream fiction. Dubcon explores the gray area between consent and non-consent. Not clear if the receiver of the sexual act was fully on board or not at the time of the act. Most retailers will take this.

Incest or pseudo-incest – Sexual relations between family members, whether biologically or non-biologically related. Includes stepbrother, stepsister and step-anyone. Few retailers will take this.

Nonconsensual sexual slavery – Erotic depiction of a person captured or held against their will, such as kidnapping, imprisonment or human trafficking. Not to be confused with BDSM, which is predicated upon informed consent and negotiation between both parties before the act, and which provides safe words so either partner can end the act if it goes too far. If the book adheres to BDSM best practices, do not classify it as Nonconsensual sexual slavery. Few retailers will take nonconsensual sexual slavery.

Rape for titillation – The dominant theme of this book is rape — whether the rape is by one person or a character is raped by a group of people, i.e. a gang rape or nonconsensual “gang bang” — and it targets readers who are titillated by the fantasy of nonconsensual sexual relations. Few retailers will take this.

Out of these, Smashwords says that most retailers will accept Age Play and Dubious Consent (Dubcon). But what about Smashwords itself? Isn’t that what we really care about? Smashwords provides a graph in the blog post that says they will take Age Play, Bestiality, Dubious Consent, and Incest. What they will take but highly discourage is listed as Rape for Titillation and Nonconsensual Sexual Slavery. This shouldn’t be too shocking to authors, but things quickly get confusing. You see, if one wishes to double check this information in Smashwords’ Terms of Service, one finds vastly different information. According to Smashwords ‘Terms of Service’ under section 9f, we find the following information:

“Barely legal” erotica is strongly discouraged, and is subject to additional review and may be removed without notice at the sole determination of Smashwords, especially if characters are in situations – or have mannerisms – that suggest that the characters are actually underage.

Rape erotica and sexual slavery erotica, where the predominant theme is rape violence for titillation, is strongly discouraged, and is subject to additional review and may be removed at the sole determination of Smashwords. Note that erotic BDSM fiction that adheres to BDSM best practices, where all role-playing is consensual with safe words, is allowed and not to be confused with rape or sexual slavery erotica.

Bestiality erotica is allowed but not encouraged. A one-off title is more likely to be acceptable than if a publisher is publishing dozens or hundreds of such titles. At Smashwords discretion, such content may be removed or accounts closed.

Incest and pseudo-incest (sexual relations among non-biologically related relatives and siblings) erotica is allowed, but it will be blocked by most retailers and library aggregators.

Confused yet? Well, if not, why don’t we just go ahead and point out the immense problems here. The first glaringly obvious issue is the number of controversial categories we’re dealing with has changed. Do you notice Dubious Consent anywhere under Section 9f? It’s missing. Dubious Consent is not discussed anywhere in Section 9f. Not only that, but some of the category information has been changed. Note, for example, that Rape for Titillation and Sexual Slavery Erotica are now under the same exact category. There is also no Age Play, but if we assume a bit here, Barely Legal has taken its place. Also, what is encouraged and discouraged content has changed as well. The blog post originally said Smashwords took, but discouraged Rape for Titillation and Nonconsensual Sexual Slavery. But now, Smashwords has said it also discourages Barely Legal, Bestiality, and that original category of Rape for Titillation with the Sexual Slavery tacked onto it. But let’s take another look at Section 9f’s wording with a bit of emphasis…

“Barely legal” erotica is strongly discouraged, and is subject to additional review and may be removed without notice at the sole determination of Smashwords, especially if characters are in situations – or have mannerisms – that suggest that the characters are actually underage.

Rape erotica and sexual slavery erotica, where the predominant theme is rape violence for titillation, is strongly discouraged, and is subject to additional review and may be removed at the sole determination of Smashwords. Note that erotic BDSM fiction that adheres to BDSM best practices, where all role-playing is consensual with safe words, is allowed and not to be confused with rape or sexual slavery erotica.

Bestiality erotica is allowed but not encouraged. A one-off title is more likely to be acceptable than if a publisher is publishing dozens or hundreds of such titles. At Smashwords discretion, such content may be removed or accounts closed.

Incest and pseudo-incest (sexual relations among non-biologically related relatives and siblings) erotica is allowed, but it will be blocked by most retailers and library aggregators.

What is the difference between strongly discouraged and may be removed without notice and strongly discouraged and may be removed, besides a notification? Furthermore, what is the difference between strongly discouraged and allowed but not encouraged? Anyone? Would we be terribly in the wrong to think all is not as it appears to be? The fact of the matter is the language used within Section 9f is highly suspect. Not to mention, the language is extremely negative, just look again at the Incest category, “Incest Erotica is allowed, but it will be blocked by most retailers and library aggregators.” And that brings us to a very important point.

Remember when we said Smashwords’ definitions will impact what an author does, either intentionally or unintentionally? Well that’s the problem with wording with Section 9f. Smashwords is actually falling into a pit of problems, finding itself trapped in being both a publishing platform AND a distributor. They run their store and have their own content guidelines, but so do the platforms they distribute to. But the language quoted above is actually quite telling. Smashwords is encouraging authors to produce content that is highly distributable, and that can’t be articulated with set definitions. This is why there are glaringly obvious difficulties with the classification system among many others. But why is Smashwords encouraging highly distributable books, especially if we assume no ill intent toward controversial content?

The answer, if we’re allowed to speculate, is simply public opinion. While it might be a difficult subject for many, public opinion has a large and heavy influence on controversial content. After all, how does one even get controversial content without others finding it controversial? Smashwords, being the large platform that it is, has to walk to the tight rope between both allowing controversial content and keeping public opinion happy. This is not an easy undertaking in the least! And somehow, Smashwords’ actions are leaning more and more in favor of those who dislike controversial content… and they might not even realize it!

In short, controversial content becomes censored not because of orchestrated bans, but a dwindling ability and incentive to publish and sell such content. With the diminished platforms, it becomes more and more difficult for authors writing such content to make a living. But, on the more insidious side, it also allows public outcries against publishers that blaze a trail and continue to allow controversial content where others failed to. Smashwords, we assume, still very much wishes to be a platform for everyone. However, if that is the wish, it needs to better articulate their terms. Separation between what is able to be distributed and what the storefront will publish is a key step. Allow authors to help. This isn’t about trusting authors, but authors trusting Smashwords. The winds have changed, and with the change in winds comes a new need, the need to be upfront and honest about what content is or is not acceptable.

Again, part of this also gets down to being honest about defined content. Are Age Play and Barely Legal the same thing? What does Barely Legal mean, and why is it a problem? How many titles per catalog are authors allowed if they write Bestiality or Non-Consent? Does the intensity of the rape scenes matter in defining what is Dubious Consent or Rape for Titillation? Many of these questions are often determined by public opinion. For example, violence toward women is often linked to Rape for Titillation in the first often called out by more sensitive readers. One must always be mindful of promoting violence towards women. Sound familiar? Well, what about blackmail? Is sexual blackmail, especially without any violence whatsoever, Rape for Titillation? Authors are begging to know! And that leads me to my last point, that of proper categorization.

Properly categorizing content isn’t just on the author’s end of responsibility. Smashwords also has to recognize and rely on the filters in place. Given that authors are trusted to properly categorize their content and flag controversial subject matter, what is wrong with Smashwords’ own filters for customers? Right now, there are three filter settings available to customers. The first of these is outright exclusionary to erotic content. The second filter setting is one that allows only mainstream erotica. Lastly, we have the filter that allows all erotic content; or a controversial filter as it were. What is wrong with this? If Smashwords were to trust authors to truly label their content, and there are filters in place for the customer, does public opinion really matter?

Odds are the public opinion won’t matter as much as you may first think it does. And that’s really the heart of the issue. Does Smashwords really trust its customers and authors? We hope they do, because if not, there’s going to be very difficult standards to comply with in the future. As a distributor to Smashwords for our authors, we want to be in full compliance. We want to be the trusted source specializing in controversial content that continues thriving in an erotica market that allows for said boundary pushing content.

The FOSTA & How It Impacts Authors

To prevent sex trafficking the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate worked together in passing updates to the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA). Instead, FOSTA shut down of Furry dating sites, Reddit forums, and the Craigslist’s Personals section. Other forums are removing link materials to intended to assist new authors writing erotic content. Worse yet, a great number of people now question the impact FOSTA will have on sex workers. Yes, there’s even a hashtag to raise awareness for those impacted by FOSTA. Clearly, authors writing controversial subjects need to take note of this issue.

Authors are already panicking over the new updates to FOSTA. This is to be expected, especially given how many authors still remember the impact of Operation Choke Point. For those who recall the tough government sponsored crackdown, the collateral damage surrounding efforts to stop sex trafficking is nothing new. Ironically, the first victim’s of Operation Choke Point were those same sex workers now advocating for raised awareness in dealing with FOSTA. The crackdown didn’t just impact sex workers, but websites like Lot’s Cave and our authors as well by causing credit card processors to drop us. While most businesses accepted Operation Choke Point, Backpage resisted. Smashwords was in the forefront of erotic authors resistance. Today, many are arguing it is for these reasons that the updates to FOSTA were put in place.

Backpage’s defense against Operation Choke Point lay in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This protection stated, “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” Basically, the government couldn’t hold Backpage responsible for what users of their website published from outside sources. To many, this was a legal loophole that must be closed. The updates to FOSTA do just that, standing to hold websites responsible for what users of the website publish or post. FOSTA attempts to hold websites responsible for facilitating, or making it easier, for sex traffickers to thrive.

The impact on websites like Reddit and Craigslist is easy to see. Users generating posts or content that advertises sex trafficking or its victims could easily fall into the facilitation category. What is murky however, is the role Erotica ebooks and even some Romances play in the new FOSTA regulations. It is worth noting that FOSTA overwhelmingly punishes sex workers, or platforms that can easily be abused in favor of sex trafficking. What was once safe, when abused, becomes a means or platform to do the most harm. The catch-22 situation is not as easy as legislation would like it to be.

For authors of controversial content however, there’s a fine line to walk. It’s always advisable to purchase boundary pushing photo stock from credible photo stock sites like Depositphotos or Bigstock. Controversial stories are arguably safe to publish, but that doesn’t mean platforms to do so will be plentiful. It would be difficult to assert that a story featuring controversial content facilitates sex trafficking, but that doesn’t mean people won’t make that very argument. After all, there’s always been some debate surrounding non-consent and dubious consent books, along with the ever popular BDSM titles. What was once popular, may now find itself the source of hot debate.

But do authors need to protect themselves? Not really. What is there to protect? Either your book promotes (or facilitates) sex trafficking, or it doesn’t. There doesn’t even need to be a debate surrounding the nature of free speech. While it is possible to do so, it just seems quite unnecessary. Authors don’t need to be THAT concerned about the updates to FOSTA. This opportunity though is a great reminder that the quality of your book and its content matters a great deal. Authors might consider what public good does the story contain, and write in some ‘moral to the story’ end note paragraph. This is ultimately what we would encourage our authors to consider in the wake of FOSTA. The better the quality and content of your book, the better your chances are of not having an issue with FOSTA.

When authors consider the packaging of their product, certain messages get across to potential buyers. Telling readers your book is erotic, helps to deal with the negativity surrounding the issue for those who dislike such content to begin with. A little bit of class also goes a long way to smoothing over some residual tension. Titles like, “Sex Trafficking My Hot Daughter!” probably aren’t a good idea. For authors writing dubious consent or non-consent themes, consider your titles a bit more carefully. While “Sex Trafficking My Hot Daughter!” probably isn’t a workable title, “Seducing My Slutty Daughter” is. Along with that, properly categorizing your book is even more essential. If there’s a dub-con or non-con category and it fits your book… use it!

The Lot’s Cave analysis of the FOSTA update is that its intention is to prevent and/or stop the facilitation of sex trafficking on websites mainly through advertising and eventual sale of sex trafficking victims. In no way would an erotic book do this. The FOSTA update stresses the act of actual sale, or conspiracy to facilitate a sale by way of advertising. Our platform on Lot’s Cave cannot do this, and as such, works as a preventative measure. In no way does our website endorse or encourage sex trafficking. Many of our authors will also discover their publishing platforms likewise do not find themselves in violation of FOSTA. Overall, our analysis is that FOSTA is difficult to violate as it is currently written, unless you are in fact, knowingly or intentionally, violating U.S. laws already.

In closing, it’s always a great idea to remember that fallout with controversial content is inevitable. At times, it is easy to get carried away though. Not every government crackdown is out to get us. Those pursuing new laws can get a bit overzealous, and with time, it will be sorted out. Until then, understanding FOSTA and what it intends to prohibit helps. Ensuring that your book doesn’t provoke such sensibilities is often the correct choice, and makes it all a little easier to do business. Lot’s Cave encourages all of our authors to consider quality, and the foot you put forward to the customer. At times, your customers can be your best resource… and friend.

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Please Note: This post is purely opinion and should in no way be considered legal advice. You are responsible for any action taken on this advice and resume sole responsibility. Lot’s Cave, Inc. will not be held liable.

Taboo Data of Note

Last year, we decided to highlight noteworthy taboo themes. These were the categories specifically targeted by aggregators in the recent content restrictions. This year, Lot’s Cave would like to expand the way you look at taboo themes. For authors writing the taboo content readers want, there’s very little information out there. How do you predict what your customers will realistically want? Is there a way to best market your story regardless? These questions do indeed have answers, answers that are surprisingly simple. The best place to currently look for data regarding the taboo is… Pornhub.

10 Noteworthy Trends From Pornhub’s Year In Review

1. Top Categories Are Clear For Taboo Authors

If you take a look at the Pornhub survey, the top categories, overall, are quite clear. These consist of Lesbian, MILF, Ebony, Hentai, Japanese, Anal, Mature, Big Tits, Threesome,  and Big Dick. What do these top ten categories tell us? Well, quite a bit actually. If you’re writing taboo themes, your best bet is a Mother pairing of some sort. This is where it gets less clear. Who should your Mature Older Woman MILF be pairing with? The best options according to just these categories seem to be a daughter/younger woman, son/younger man, or a combination of the two! Also, take note, the more well-endowed or curvy your characters are… the better!

2. Sub-Categories Are Less Clear But Manageable

Added to the main categories are, of course, sub-categories. These turned out to be Cuckold, Japanese, Indian, Cosplay, Korean, Transgender, Creampie, Gangbang, French and Cartoon. Out of this odd assortment of options, we start to notice a few worthy kinks to work into the taboo content of our stories. Some of these sub-categories will depend on the overall category you choose, naturally. However, some kinks are also easily worked into an overall story idea. Consider the Cuckolding niche, again, with that main MILF/Mom category. How easy would it be to cuckold the husband or even son with the daughter or sister? This, when done correctly, can make your story appealing to multiple customer bases.

3. Consider Your Customer Base By Gender

Above all else, gender plays a large role in what kinks a person searches out. In terms of the data, women are more likely to search for Lesbian, Threesome, or Rough Sex categories. Men on the other hand are more likely to search for Mom, Sister, or Lesbian. Clearly the Lesbian kink is a crossover niche, but in terms of men, the numbers are vastly skewed. The number of men that enjoy the Lesbian kink are similar to the number of men that enjoy the Anal niche. This means that, if you’re writing Lesbian kinks, your audience is more than likely to be female. Prepare accordingly! Likewise, if your audience is male, consider Mother/Son/Daughter your ‘go-to’ niche.

4. Consider The Age Of Your Customer Base

While this may not seem as important, your catalog will thank you. When writing taboo themes for profit, authors often have to think long term. This means writing for the current market, while also investing in future niches. Age plays a role in these decisions. According to Pornhub’s survey, the kinks between age groups is quite startling. For example, those in their twenties are more interested in Double Penetration or Lesbian. Those in their forties are more interested in Anal or Transgender. Likewise, those in their sixties are more interested in Handjob or Mature kinks. Consider this when writing those sub-categories. You can make your book appealing to that growing audience, while still tapping into the vastly wider current market. The emphasis you place on the book will simply change over time.

5. Holiday Themes Aren’t Worth It

Lot’s Cave sees a lot of authors looking to maximize sales around certain holidays, mainly Christmas and Halloween. If the sales traffic matches that of porn traffic, well, then the investment simply isn’t worth it. According to Pornhub, its traffic dropped on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween (Lot’s Cave confirms that holiday themed erotica does not sell well). Likewise, there were a few increases in traffic on Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, and Good Friday. These days are probably best explained by the ‘days off’ they fall on in anticipation of a holiday. But, there isn’t a connection to a sudden kink filled frenzy. The one holiday that might be recommended to embrace is Valentine’s Day… but for taboo content… that’s a difficult sell. Although, we might like to see if any author can pull this off!

6. Lesbian Sex Is For Younger Women

Okay, this is kind of specific, but it is important. According to a Pornhub’s Women Searching for Women, the rate in which women are interested in Lesbian Sex goes down with age. Why is this important to you as an author? Well, it means your characters should fit certain criteria. Stories told from a younger woman perspective might speak better to a customer than stories featuring an older woman. Likewise, female readers might specifically relate more to college settings, new town settling in themes, or even returning home to their family for a little taboo twist. While this data doesn’t seem so important, it can, in fact, have a big impact on your sales in the long term.

7. Gay Themes Have Their Own Market

What we mean by this is well, look at this article. Gay porn has so much data to navigate that we could almost write a whole list just for this topic. If you’re a taboo author looking to write Gay themes exclusively, take time to invest in market research. While it might surprise many, 37% of Pornhub’s traffic for Gay porn was… women! This means there are vastly different kinks and customer bases within this category, making it more a distinct market in its own right. Likewise, Gay porn viewers can’t seem to agree on which kinks they enjoy best… at least by age. This makes it even more important to consider things like gender audience, age of customers, and corresponding kinks and sub-categories. Yes, the difference really is that vast!

8. Experimentation Seems To Increase With Age

This isn’t a data point we can show stated anywhere, but we couldn’t help but notice it. At least right now, the older you are… the more you like to experiment. However, this does seem to be a trend in men more than women. When writing a taboo themed story, especially one where experimentation is key, age really does matter. Stories that feature older characters should probably have them initiating the experimentation. Younger characters can wonder about it, watch porn about it, but are probably less likely to go out and try it. This probably has more to do with confidence with age, but who really knows. As an author, you can excuse it any way you like! Again though, watch out for that Lesbian and Gay market… this rule may not always ring true.

9. The Younger Generation Has Strange Interests

Yes, we’re calling the kettle black on this one, but hear us out. According to Pornhub’s survey, those in the 18-24 range tend to look up some odd porn. What does this mean for authors? Well, we’re not really sure. The younger generation seems intrigued by mixes of porn with popular trends. What do we mean? Well, one of the stranger categories watched by 18-24 year olds was fidget spinner porn. Could an author find a way to incorporate some of these odd trends in their books? Probably. The question is if it would pay off in the long run. It probably wouldn’t, but if you have that strange kink… you might try it if you have an audience that’s well… into fidget spinner porn. We’re intrigued, so let us know if this actually works for you!

10. Country Specific Niches Are A Thing

Alright, this one is last because it’s interesting but full of cautions. At times, certain countries seem to like their own country best. If you’re writing a book about Japanese women, you might consider highlighting it in the title. This doesn’t work for every country, and you will have to do your research, but it might be worth it for certain authors. Keep in mind, kinks do vary by country… as what is taboo varies by country. You may want to consider this before writing your book as there are plenty of smaller niche categories to highlight. Who knew the Japanese had such a fetish for piss play? Well, I guess if you read the survey…

To Conclude

Lot’s Cave likes to go through data, and we suspect some of you do as well. We recognize however that not every author likes to write ‘according to the data’. This is alright. There’s nothing wrong with writing for the enjoyment of writing. But, if you’re interested in boosting your book that little extra bit, why not try some of these options?

 

 

The Value of Amazon’s KDP Select for Taboo Authors

Lot’s Cave has always been dedicated to helping authors with various publishing strategies. Right now, the big question in the market seems to concern Amazon. Do you publish with Amazon? Is exclusivity worth it? Are there options for authors writing taboo content?  The questions can seem endless to an inexperienced or new author. Perhaps the main question though has always been is KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited worth it? Well, let’s take a constructive look at answering that question for you!

The Amazon eBook Market

Authored By: Samantha Zacharda
Marketing Director & Promotion
Published By: Lot’s Cave

Special Note: Lot’s Cave would like to add a special thank you to Lily Weidner for participating in the Amazon publishing experiment. The transparency required has been quite eye opening and insightful. Please check out Lily Weidner’s followup post as well, found here.

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For the last year stories have abounded regarding authors getting rich with incomes of ten to a hundred thousand per month by writing short stories. Is this possible? How much can I really make?

Ever since Amazon changed their Kindle Unlimited program, authors have been trying to gauge the eBook market. Authors, particularly those writing short stories (3,000-5,000 words) have started to wonder if the market will even support their shorts, or if a shift into longer works is necessary to earn an income. Doing some initial research, I found answers couldn’t have been more conflicting.

Usually when conflicting answers exist, one finds in them a majority opinion. With enough backtracking the answer process becomes clear. In this case however, little data could be found with which to form a starting point. What I found is the entire industry consists conceptually of a clear divide most easily represented by factions we find in the initial Kindle Unlimited program (KU), and what authors have come to call the second Kindle Unlimited (KU2). Desperately wanting some numbers to work with however, I came up with a solution–I did a study of my own. The goal was to achieve $20.00 in profit.

With help from a Lot’s Cave author, I was able to create a test designed to take advantage of Amazon’s large eBook market size. Since Amazon’s KU program had been designed for short stories and the new KU2 program is now desgined for longer works, contrasting income performance between the KU and KU2 programs could simulate what it would be like for a new author specializing in short stories starting out with their first book. As an added byproduct–which is what this is about–I would also learn what authors face when trying to sell their eBooks on Amazon. After spending a couple of days to form the rules of this research project, I came up with the following:

Rules for KU2 Publishing Experiment

1. All stories are to be the minimum 3,000 words
2. eBooks must be enrolled in KU2
3. No additional marketing must take place
4. Stories must have a common kink
5. Prices start at $.99, and then after a week increase to $2.99
6. At minimum, author should publish two books a week (9 titles a month)
7. Titles should include subject matter metatags
8. Covers must fit their target audience’s particular style
9. After completing 9 titles, bundles must be published in varying forms
10. Stories must emphasize romance with intense but short sex scenes

First, an Amazon Author Page was created to begin the experiment. Starting our test off, progress seemed quite slow and uncertain. Week one saw a total of two sales and sixty-five page reads. Given Amazon’s current payout rate (.0005 a page) our author only made $1.02. To my surprise, discouragement over that insignificant amount was immensely high. Convincing the author to keep writing new titles wasn’t easy, but Amazon’s ninety day exclusivity trap helped. The author had already committed such a large investment to the test that persuading the author to continue for the remainder of the month was not difficult.

Thankfully, week two saw somewhat better results. Significantly, this result could only be due to the price increase from $.99 to $2.99. Page reads increased while sales increased dramatically. Taking a quick look at the numbers, week two tripled the previous week’s results. Seven sales and two hundred and thirty-six page reads increased the week’s total to $3.61. While the author remained apprehensive, I could detect a little more eagerness to move forward into week three.

To my dismay, the growth occurring in week three was quite minimal. Sales topped out for the week at nine purchases and page reads dropped to two hundred and ten. Thankfully, the author was still able to see an overall increase for the week’s profits at $4.17. By this point however, the author made it clear the process didn’t seem worth the effort. The author felt drained and expressed a feeling that writing wasn’t as enjoyable as it once had been.

Finishing up the month, our author completed the nine titles. Able to take a break from writing, the author decided to release an additional four bundles created from bundling various combinations of the nine titles. Interestingly, week four’s breakdown is rather surprising. Out of thirteen sales, only one of them came from a bundle and there were one hundred and thirty-one page reads. For the final week, the author made $8.28.

Summary of Author’s Income

• Week 1: $1.02
• Week 2: $3.61
• Week 3: $4.17
• Week 4: $8.28
• Total Month: $17.08

Before we examine the market figures, let’s examine what no other study gives… the author’s experience. Interestingly, our author became extremely discouraged. This occured despite nearly reaching the $20 personal income goal. What caused this? Well, the author felt the money didn’t merit the time and effort put into the process. Worse, the author began feeling readers didn’t enjoy the titles because some of them were no longer selling after the first week they were published.

Moving onto the numbers, the first month performance of $17.08 is nothing to shy away from. In fact, the amount is actually quite impressive for a new author starting from scratch. We can see the growth potential, after all, because no marketing was involved. What’s important to note though, remains the fact the author felt the eBook titles were worth more. Dividing the author’s income by the number of books released ($17.08/13), we find the author only made around $1.31 per book published. Sadly, this is nothing considering the figures reflect an entire month.

Worse, $1.31 per book title published isn’t even the right number when comparing income to actual sales. Lets look at the sheer number of eBooks the author sold. On the surface, we’re quick to assume the author sold thirty-one copies. However, we must calculate into this figure the number of page reads. With a total of six hundred and forty-two reads, we can figure out the real number of books this would be.

Given the average page count (according to Amazon) was twenty pages per book, that would equal an additional thirty-two eBook sales (642 pages/20 = 32 books). With a grand total of sixty-three eBooks (32+31=63), the payout rate becomes $.27 per each book sold. Can anyone blame the author for feeling their title is worth more than twenty-seven cents? Even if the author only spent three hours working on the book, minimum wage would make them $21.75. Chances are the author spent more time writing their book than just three hours, but the statistics remain quite dismal. After nine titles, there’s a potential twenty-seven hour investment. At a minimum wage job, the author could have made $195.75.

It’s interesting to note, there’s hope at the end of this bleak tunnel. The author that participated in our Amazon experiment also publishes novels with us at Lot’s Cave. These longer stories of 40,000 words each are priced out at $4.95 and distributed across multiple retail platforms. This fact allows us to compare the same amount of effort on longer titles, distributed across multiple websites. The results couldn’t be more eye opening.

Taking the author’s latest eBook alone–written during the previous month, we find the sales for that month coming in at a total of sixteen eBooks sold. While that number may seem small in comparison to their Amazon sales, this book was able to be sold at the $4.95 price. Assuming these websites payout at a consistent rate of 70%, this author made $55.44. Keep in mind, this is one book. While it may not be minimum wage, it more than doubles what the author made on Amazon.

Now it’s important to note that longer novels have a very unique distinction from short stories. Longer novels have staying power while sales on short titles drop off quite quickly. This means the most this author will ever make on Amazon from their titles is that initial $17.08. No future sales income can be expected. Yet this author’s longer novel will continue to earn sales for several years, adding to the $55.44 amount. While the author may have felt discouraged at their efforts from putting out nine titles, the author did not feel that way about publishing one full lenght novel with Lot’s Cave.

While not every novel will sell sixteen titles a month, the opportunity cost to other authors following in these footsteps is important to consider. Amazon authors are invested in their shorts taking off immediately, if they fail to perfom, there’s no back catalog to make up the difference. If the worst happens and a novel does not take off however, consider having the benefit of having a back catalog that still sells alongside the future new release. In order to make the $17.08 Amazon monthly figure, an entire back catalog of multiple novels would only need to sell five titles. With a full month’s time span, five additional sales seems entirely reasonable. The back catalog becomes an almost guaranteed source of income the author can depend on. So, what happens if an author wants to go down this path and shy away from Amazon’s market?

The very first thing an author should do if they wish to publish outside Amazon’s market is examine their short stories. Because of Amazon’s market size, we can see how many authors feel they run an output treadmill. This output treadmill has caused many authors to diminish the quality of their short stories. If this is the case, authors need to invest in revamping their stories. Before publishing elsewhere, consider doing a general read through for errors.

After revamping the story, formatting remains the most important issue with eBooks coming from Amazon. For authors formatting their own books, reading up on the latest formatting requirements is a time consuming investment. This is a necessary investment however, one readers highly notice and value. Taking time to add the appropriate formatting can really set an eBook apart from the rest.

Another important difference is pricing. Amazon authors choosing to list their eBooks on multiple websites often find pricing uncomfortable. When authors are accustomed to charging $.99, selling the same eBook later for $2.99 can be quite unnerving. With the new price point comes a new change for author’s accustomed to Amazon’s market, slow sales. Instead of selling a book every day, authors can wait two or three days before seeing a single book sell. The benefit of this however is the higher royalty rate balances out the sale’s rate.

Lastly, any author looking to publish across multiple websites should factor in time. On Amazon, the results of sales is immediate with a sixty day lag period for payout. When authors choose to list books across multiple websites, this can be a significantly longer progress. Payouts have been known to range from a month to six months, or longer. Keeping this in mind will help authors looking for immediate results; sometimes authors just need to set a time length and stick to it beforehand.

In closing, the Amazon experiment was a grand success. The marketing insight I gained for Lot’s Cave has been exceedingly helpful for both Lot’s Cave authors, and those coming in from Amazon. While each market has its own difficulties, it’s important to remember different systems work for different types of authors. The main thing to note however is this, authors can still make the same, if not more money, by skipping Amazon’s eBook market. There’s no need to feel trapped or held over a barrel.

Judging An Author’s Success

In today’s erotic market, it can be tough to measure an author’s individual success. Part of the problem authors face is the question of how to remain motivated to do well. Authors repeatedly pour their heart and soul into their erotic books. Whether the story is short or long, takes a day or a month to write, an author still wants the book to succeed. It’s worth noting that this urge to do well drives every author in every book he or she publishes. An author’s success is not measured overall, but rather on an individual per book basis. The definition of a book’s success, while a personal one, often transfers into a greater overall opinion of the erotic market. Every author views the market differently and therefore measures success differently, various similarities remain standard for the majority of authors.

Incest Erotica

High Sales – The most obvious measure of success for authors is the concept of high sales. This metric poses numerous problems, especially for controversial erotica. Many erotica authors hear grandiose stories of riches and wealth from other authors bragging (sometimes falsely) about their book’s latest success. Claims of making $5,000 dollars in a single month is not unheard of. For an author trying to make a living and barely getting by, this is immensely discouraging. The truth is, many authors would be considered successful just to make a meager living from their royalties. Perceptions do not change easily in authors’ minds however, causing many successful authors to quit early just because they don’t see insane profits as quickly as they’d like.

Barely Legal Erotica

Reader Feedback – Reader feedback is perhaps a less obvious measure of success which authors rely on heavily. Nothing excites an author more than seeing a positive book review raving about his or her writing skill and efforts. These reviews many times are the only measurement of a reader’s happiness. In the erotic market however, book reviews are rare occurrences, as readers often do not want their name connected permanently with erotica on Internet. Even so, in today’s market, many authors give away free copies of their books by the hundreds just to receive this feedback. The truth is, we live in an age where many reviews are faked, paid for, or insincere. Because of this, many readers have stopped looking at reviews, not to mention even reading them. For erotica authors, reviews should not be a measure of success in any form. On the bright side, a bad review doesn’t make an author’s work bad either, as so many erotica authors find their books under attack by religious zealots.

BDSM Erotica

Fan Base – Another less obvious measure of success worth noting is the idea of a fan base. Many authors just starting out want to see a fan base, or an instant number of guaranteed sales. While this may actually be a justified measurement of success, this metric is the hardest to judge. Fan bases change depending on time of year, individual financial situations, and book platform availability. It’s worth noting that just because an author sees a disproportionate number of readers to actual sales doesn’t mean those “fans” don’t exist. In actuality, it takes several months, if not years, to build a good steady fan base. While a fan base isn’t a good way to measure success, it can be a rewarding undertaking for authors to consider. Keeping the reader in mind will often turn out to be a better experience for authors.

Lesbian Erotica

Getting Discovered –  The worst metric of success in the mind of many authors is a fantasy of “getting discovered.” Fifty Shades of Grey, left many erotic authors with sudden hopes of their book taking off. While the Fifty Shades Trilogy has done enormously well in multiple regards, authors should not use this as a tool of measurement. Many authors have compared their own writing to that book, finding their own better. Authors begin wondering why his or her books haven’t taken off. Getting discovered is a lengthy, painful, and not always beneficial process–much depends on chance. Authors should instead focus on writing their books, enjoying the freedom they have to do so. This is especially true for authors of more controversial works; consider the likelihood of such books taking off in the public mindset. While getting discovered isn’t impossible, it should NEVER be a metric for new authors to gauge success in any form.

Menage a Trois Erotica

With so many traps to measure success, accurate judgments of success may seem impossible. Authors will find that multiple ways to judge success do exist, however. These methods will be very individual, but each author should try to be adopt them in some form. Try replacing any of the above traits with the following positive ways to judge success:

Positive Ways To Judge Success

Writing Goals – Every author has things they’d like to work on. Whether it’s about writing better blurbs, or changing the overall length of stories, writing goals can be extremely productive. Setting small goals that enhance the quality of an author’s writing will lead to outside feelings of accomplishment. In time, authors will feel less defensive of their writing opting to actually share selections of their work. Being able to take a step back from your writing will also help the feelings of anxiety and nervousness at publishing a new book. Feeling proud of your work as an author is more important than feeling successful by society’s standards. At the end of the day, an author has to answer to themselves about their writing first. Small writing goals is certainly the way to go. If an author wants to be successful, then keep writing writing writing and do not stop to play with marketing, making book covers, or become distracted by other facets of publishing.

Magic & Myths Erotica

Quarterly Sales – While I mentioned above that high sales rates are a bad measure of success, that doesn’t mean sales are a completely negative measurement tool. Taking a step back, and looking at your personal sales report can be highly productive. Please do not use this on a monthly basis, as some months are not good sale months… ever. The right unit of measurement seems to be somewhere around every four months. A four month’s span seems to be just enough time to find an overall sales pattern. By comparing four months at a time with another 4 month segment, authors can see increases based on the number of new books an author has for sale. Looking at these subtle increases, an author will most likely find only a positive notion of success from these overall spans of time while looking at it month by month doesn’t cut it at all.

Young Adult Romance

Knowledge of the Market – An author hardly ever considers their knowledge of the market as a measure of success. This is one of the biggest mistakes made, especially by authors just starting out. Knowledge of the market seems to correlate to an author’s success. Think about it; the more an author can navigate the market, the more an author knows how to judge their books. Taking into consideration how successfully an author can navigate their potential sales, an author quickly changes their writing. Not always, but usually these changes are for the better. Authors that take time to understand how the market works learns to improve the writing of their blurbs, their story content, and even to set the titles of their book. In order to truly be successful, an author simply must learn how the market works.

Explicit Erotica

Trademark Writing – Part of understanding the market and improved authorship skills results in trademark writing. This takes a couple different forms, depending on the author. Some authors like their cover to have a certain design quality specific to them. Other authors tend to write only within a certain sub-genre. Being able to lock yourself within a specific sub-genre really allows author success. While some authors hesitate to pick one sub-genre for fear of not appealing to the vast majority of people. successful authors know their audience. Writing for five different sub-genres creates confused readers who will, never really know what they’ll get. Trademarking turns into a positive way to measure success.

Sci-Fi Erotica

Fan Outreach – Differing from trying to measure a fan base, an author’s fan outreach doesn’t focus on numbers. Fan outreach is an author’s ability to be found online by their readers. Taking time to utilize social media is the sign of a successful author. Not getting trapped in an endless social media marketing loop authors that have fan outreach know when to quit. Taking time to be searchable, but not overwhelming, successful authors have the ability to self promote. While this may not seem important to success, it is. If an author takes time to look at their appeal to readers, they can gauge some fan feedback. All in all, fan outreach can be good or bad. It can get real bad if an author spends time blogging that would be more productive in getting a new book out.

Series Erotica

Taking time to measure success can be painful for authors who don’t know any better. Realizing that some gauging methods are more successful than others, authors keep from getting too discouraged. Judging the various methods for their effectiveness, some authors may find individual ways of feeling successful. So many author experiences are unique, as each genre can be measured differently. Feedback from readers may be more likely for example, or sales higher than in a separate genre. Whatever method an author uses, it’s important to remember everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Feedback won’t always be positive, but that doesn’t mean all books are poorly written. Take time to enjoy being an author, whether or not you feel successful. In any case, for an author to be successful, just keep on writing and do not waste too much time gauging. Write!

How to Enhance Your eBook

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With so many authors trying to make a transition away from Amazon, there’s an apparent problem. The challenges many authors face remains rooted in the fact Amazon was a market of its own. There were facts, data, market techniques authors learned to navigate Amazon’s market. Sadly, authors are having to realize these techniques do not work outside of Amazon. Successful authors upload their books only to realize there’s no sales. If there are sales, authors become disappointed seeing their small profit. Many authors remarked that Amazon was, “an easy gold mine” one that has dried up paying out a potential half a cent a page. Taking a moment, authors will notice a few necessary techniques in the market outside of Amazon.

Amazon Means Cheap: Many authors have never made this association themselves, but Amazon eBooks have become cheap. With Amazon being seen as a, “potential gold mine,” many authors put up whatever they could to make a small fortune. This growing quantity of eBooks lowered prices below the standard $2.99 to a surprisingly low $.99 even bundles of 30 books were offered for this $.99 price. The eBooks readers got for their $.99 drove them to alternative sites like Smashwords. Readers that enjoy good quality eBooks would rather pay the $2.99 then settle for these bad quality $.99 eBooks. Because of this, today’s market is filled with readers that avoid Amazon looking books, and yes, they can tell. This means that if authors want to sell their eBooks on sites outside of Amazon, they need to shed their “Amazon identity” and present a better quality product.

Text Based Covers: These covers with full text are a sure way to turn off readers. There’s nothing more distracting than an image covered behind blocks of text. Covers are made to appeal readers, and initiate their interest. When all readers are left with is a blur behind bold often off colored neon text, that doesn’t say much about a book’s potential story. Some of the best selling books in the market today have one word titles. These intriguing titles combined with sexy cover images really excite the reader’s curiosity. Authors coming off of Amazon will find their block text covers will not appeal many readers. This directly impacts sales, leaving some authors to feel discouraged. The market has potential buyers, they just happen to know what they want. Text based covers are not what readers want.

Long Book Titles: Similar to the issue of text based covers are these long book titles. A book’s title should never take a full cover to display. Often, this problem arises because there’s too many keywords in the book’s name. This stems from Amazon having a weird way of using metadata or a book’s keywords. Authors could literally write anything in the keywords, and it’d have little to no effect. Outside of Amazon this issue doesn’t occur. Readers will find a book based on a catchy title, along with those keywords typed in the appropriate box. It’s painful to see good titles off Amazon drowned in layers upon layers of the book’s keywords. Readers are not accustomed to this on outside sites, and many associate this with lower quality eBooks now. If authors want to improve their book instantly just edit out these keywords from the book’s title.

Quality Cover Images: Now first off, I know not everyone is a cover artist or can afford to pay for covers. Amazon books however are well known for extremely lower end covers. These are covers using photos that are often quite frankly terrible. Often, these images will have very little to do with the book’s story at all. When the image does pertain to the story, it’s off colored, neon colored, out of focus, stretched, or even appears photoshopped. Put bluntly, these covers do not further a book’s sales. However, it’s worth noting these bad covers are better than some books with no cover images whatsoever. In the end, a book should have the best cover it can. Whether that means being creative with ideas, or just knowing how to put an average but good cover together. A well put together cover will sell an eBook, but a poor one will not.

Certain Kink Advertisement: Outside of Amazon’s market, there’s a realm devoted to the controversially kinky. While menage might be the highlight on Amazon, it’s standard elsewhere. Authors should note certain kinks are not in high demand outside of Amazon. This includes (with exceptions) Billionaire Romance, Alpha/Breeding, Menage, Tentacle/Monster Erotica, and Pseudo-Incest. While these categories in many instances will appeal to some readers, they aren’t the selling point authors think they are. Many times this has to do with the content Amazon excluded that outside sites allow. Pseudo-Incest can be replaced for outright Incest, Billionaire Romance can be BDSM, Monster Erotica often gets turned into Bestiality. The market can be quite different when listing kinks… in the keywords.

Pricing: The last change to note has to do with pricing. Many books on Amazon have become cheap to seemingly compete in the market. However, these lower prices actually harm books outside Amazon. Readers want to pay for good quality works. Authors often remark, “$2.99 was the going price, but it’s too much now” this is far from true. $2.99 is still the going rate for a short. Longer works can get as high as $5.95, but they have to be good quality. Remembering that price can communicate quality, authors will appreciate a reader’s willing to buy their properly priced works. Please take note, this does include bundles. Series books as a whole set should never be priced at $.99. Nor should books be given away free just to promote a series. These tactics worked mainly in the heyday of Pulp Fiction, but not anymore. Readers honestly associate a price with a book’s quality now.

While this post in no way should be taken as an end all fix all, it stands as a starting point. Authors who have shifted to an Amazon only focus and are now confused. They’ve forgotten what the market continues to be, though it’s only been a year. An author’s knowledge of the market continues to be a critical advantage. Taking a moment to fix a few of these changes will result in a better sales potential. Every author wants to succeed in the market today, and Lot’s Cave understands this. We hope this post might give a few authors a starting point. In time, authors can then learn the critical marketing information we’ve acquired as a company over the years. The Kindle Unlimited program’s fate may be uncertain, but that’s no reason to panic. Just take a deep breath, and try something new. It might not be so bad after all.

The Biblical Case for Incest

Examining the biblical cases of incest is not an easy task. For years, Christians have dealt with the conflicting standard of incest within their religious history. Today, incest is seen as a necessary evil, something that was done, only until it was no longer relevant. There seems to be a divide between Old Testament allowance of incest, and the new standard implied today within the New Testament. Still, when it comes to the importance of biblical stories, incest is always at the forefront. If one were to take away the inclusion of incestuous stories within the bible, the foundation of the faith would dissipate. In fact, the founder of the three Abrahamic Religions, was involved in an incestuous relationship, as were many surrounding family members. Interestingly enough, this means that the world’s three most influential religions all involved a standard of incestuous behavior at its foundation.

Abraham’s incestuous relationship with his sister, Sara, is actually an intricate part of the biblical story. For many faiths, Abraham is seen as the founder of the Jewish people. To put it bluntly, the people chosen by God above all others, has a blatant history of incestuous behavior. Abraham and Sara, Lot and his daughters, Nachor and Melcha, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Rachel are all incestuous relationships. Interestingly enough, when God is asked to identify himself to Moses, God identifies himself through such incestuous relationships. The Old Testament God would have been known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, especially in the time of Moses. To cement matters further, Moses, the deliverer and precursor to the symbolism of Christ’s relationship to his people,  is also a product of incest himself.

Arguing against incest, especially from a religious vantage point, almost seems impossible. Many Christians like to discount the cases of Old Testament incest, arguing that it was a necessity. When it comes to the New Testament though, a standard for incest is actually quite lacking. The way the New Testament is written, there isn’t a similar standard of law like there is within the Old Testament. As such, the debate between different Christian groups in regards to many matters continues. While one could hope for a solid line in the sand to appear, it’s just not going to. When a moral standard depends on ones own personal interpretations, things get a little hazy to say the least. The one standard that people can all agree on for the New Testament however, is Jesus Christ himself.

If one takes any short amount of time to trace the biblical genealogy of Christ, one will find a history of incest. At the very least, one has to wonder why the savior of us all, is the product of incest. There isn’t just one incestuous occurrence in the family line, but many. Anyone would find the chances of arguing for incestuous relationships with the bible are actually quite good odds. Jesus is said to be the product of incest, God’s chosen people are the product of incest, and the founder of the faith was at the very least, involved in an incestuous relationship. Everything about the Christian faith focuses on this same standard, as the New Testament is consistently linked with the Old. There simply isn’t a way around the incestuous relationships, or the inclusion of such a high biblical standard for such permissible relationships.

When it comes to the biblical case for incest, there are many different avenues one can choose. Christians as a whole, have a difficult time with the biblical cases of incest within their holy book. As society as a whole chooses to examine the depths of our sexual morals, the religious standards can’t help but be brought up. Taking a step back, we can start to examine where our ethical values started. If they happened to start with a nomadic tribe that practiced incest, we may need to take that into our consideration. While we may not often like to think of Christ as the product of incest, we cannot argue the fact isn’t true. The implications of such a fact though, are often up to the individual.

Highlighting Taboo Erotica

Over the years, erotica has become a growing industry. Publishers can afford to publish only erotica eBooks, drawing an author base easier than before. With such a presence growing within the industry, many authors have found certain topics taboo. The boundaries within erotica have become increasingly shortened, leaving many wondering what happened. Taking a brief step back, consumers can see the gaps within the growing market. Missing in the erotica market are some surprising categories many readers would never be opposed to buying. Examining at quick glance these left out categories, we can better understand the need for such materials. Whether publishing companies decide to include such topics remains up to them, however, no publishing company should be censored to not include a topic they wish simply because it’s taboo. In fact, many of the categories would be quickly accepted, were it not for such extreme efforts of censorship.

Barely Legal is a category that given the society we live in, is surprisingly unrepresented in erotic eBooks. Taking an honest look, this really shouldn’t have to be a category. Authors are find it increasingly more difficult to involve younger adult characters, especially involving relationships to older partners. This is a relatively new distinction, one that was never expressly forbidden, but actually quite accepted within publisher guidelines. The reason for the censorship regarding this topic often leaves authors frustrated. Many authors are more than eager to stick strictly within company guidelines, especially within legal parameters, but yet this legally permissible topic has become an erotic eBook taboo. For those curious about this erotica topic, or just want to see what books of this nature include, check out the following books.

       

Incest erotica is a category that has recently taken off, and become increasingly popular. Unlike pseudo-incest stories, the incest category focuses on consented sexual acts committed by biological family members. The censorship regarding the topic of incest could never be greater, with almost every publishing company forbidding it outright. Manuscripts that so much as mention incest are instantly rejected. What’s so confusing, is the market for incest erotica could never be greater. Many cultures have even come to accept incest, leaving it outside the taboo category. For the United States however, incest continues to be taboo and extremely censored by publishing companies. If you’re looking for some incest erotica, try the following titles published by Lot’s Cave. .

        

BDSM is a massive category covering a wide range of subjects. Over the years, this topic has grown in popularity. What’s surprising is how different aspects of BDSM are getting censored. While the category could never be stronger, or more relevant, the scope is slowly being narrowed. Topics like mind control, reluctance, and sadism/masochism still carry a taboo stigma. While readers are consuming these eBooks at an ever increasing rate, the market is seeing a stand still. The stand still is not due to a lack of authors, but merely censorship of publishers. If you’d like to explore the many different scopes of BDSM check out the following titles.

         

Questioning the Ethics of Incest

When it comes to the topic of incest erotica, nothing could be more forefront than parent-child relationships. There’s no relationship more debated or controversial than that of parent-child. In the public perception of incest, parent-adult child relationships bring only negative connotations. Often, such relationships are perceived as abusive, and many picture younger children forced into sexual acts. In erotica however, only consented parent-adult child incest is allowed and published. So why then, is the relationship so controversial? Parent-adult child incest should be a topic that is debated freely, expressed freely, and certainly published without negative consequences. Something about such an incestuous relationship however, often leaves only consequences and a cautious approach.

The main objection to any parent-adult child relationship, biological or not, is an abuse of position. A parent is supposed to do what is best for the well-being of their child. In most situations, a sexual relationship is seen as contrary to that standard of well-being. Taking a closer look however, the situation isn’t always as clear as society would like. In most cultures and societies, the age of consent, particularly with this kind of age difference, is around eighteen. Conveniently, eighteen is also the age where a child becomes a legal adult. Many children leave for college, live on their own, and start pursuing a more serious avenue for their future. To what degree then, does the responsibility of the parent to their child change and should there be the same standards regarding sexual relationships?

Looking at the standards applied to a non-biological parent, while often not advised, a sexual relationship is allowed to take place upon the child turning eighteen. Society is often quick to shake their heads in disapproval of the relationship, but it is still legally permissible. The relationship of biological parent to their biological child is under the same standard of societal rules. If the only issue with parent-adult child incest is the sex itself, then one has to wonder, what is expressly so wrong? Just because a sexual act is a cultural taboo, does not mean it should be legally impermissible. When it comes to parent-adult child incest however, that’s exactly what we find. There is a different standard placed on incestuous relationships, simply because of the cultural sensitivity to incest.

Incest erotica tries to often examine this different standard, even in the smallest of ways. Erotic eBooks try to make the reader think, and challenge common perceptions or ideas. Out of all the incestuous relationships, parent-adult child incest sells far better. What part of readers wants to examine this cultural taboo? Perhaps there is the acknowledgement that something within society doesn’t quite make sense. A story that allows societal norms to be challenged can only make such a society better long-term. Erotica not only examines the parent-adult child incest, but it examines the relationship itself. Authors often try to capture what for some people, is a mental struggle of sexual desires and ethical behavior.

While parent-adult child incest may not be approved of, that isn’t the end of discussion. Examining the cultural taboos, whether in writing or in conversations, can only add value to the situation. The bonds between a parent and child are often absolute, yet extremely complicated. Once a child becomes an adult, feelings of intimacy and love don’t simply cease to exist. Examining the responsibility a parent has to their child’s well-being will always be a critical part of better understanding incestuous relationships. Until society starts to open up though, the most common place to gain a better understanding will be incest erotica. This is why authors need to have a place to publish their work, and publishers need more awareness of the many censorship issues for such business topics. in the end, we have to do a better job of starting such discussions.