Do erotic short stories sell?

[Piper Brooks]

Someone has told me there is almost no money in erotic short stories. Is that true? I was advised to try to sell to an anthology or magazine instead, but most seem to pay a one time payment per word. I know far more people who would spend a buck on a story no one else can see on their Kindle than would invest in an anthology or magazine of erotica.
Am I wasting time by writing erotic short stories with the idea of selling them on Amazon?

[ShaunaG]

Weeeeeelll, I published 5 short erotica stories, all between 3,500 and 7,700 word (these do not count my novellas which are all over 15k words) and I published all of them half way into August up until August 22nd and between all 5 titles (in two weeks without any promotion outside of tagging) I sold 78 copies between Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Smashwords (only a few there) and All Romance ebooks.

So yeah. I'd say they sell just fine.

Not that submitting to an anthology or magazine is a bad idea, that is a good way to get your name out there, but I wouldn't do only that, you know?

[Sara Pierce]

My 4,000 word short story, published August 5 on Amazon and August 17 on B&N and Smashwords, netted me 43 sales last month. 1 story, and I'm getting ready to put out more.

August is also a slow sales month. VEEEEERY slow.

So, yes. They do. (sell, that is)

[Jackie Barbosa]

I can't really speak to EROTIC short stories, per se, but my first self-published work is a short story (8,500 words). It's a romance (Scottish-set historical), but I wouldn't call it erotic.

Since mid-January, this story has sold over 8500 copies. At one point, it was 223 in the Kindle store overall and #10 in Historical Romance. In its best month (July), almost 4,000 copies sold. Sales have slowed a lot since then (I'm down to the 3,000s in the Kindle store and last month I just barely cracked 1,000 sales on Amazon), but I've been so pleased with the results that I've decided to do more self-publishing. Even at only 99 cents a copy, I've made more money on this short story than on the print anthology I sold to Kensington books (and have sold more copies).

All of this said, I have NO idea why this story did as well as it did and I have no great confidence that I can repeat these kinds of sales. So I don't think large sales of short stories (or really, of any individual book) are the norm.

[Vicky Foxx]

Shorts sell well..but here's the kicker.."compilations"

Sell your shorts at a cheaper rate, but next bundle them up for $3.99 + that's when you start to seeing better sales.

Basically,

-  Look for a Niche.
- Write a d*mn good story
- Make sure your work is copy-edited (minimal typos, etc...)
- Write fast and often
- Sell Single stories inexpensively (.99 - $2.99)
- Bundle up singles into packs (4+ stories) and sell at $3.99 plus.

Hope this helps.

Some of this advice was learned by trial and error (esp the editing). The rest was from other e-rotica writers, who were generous with their advice. 

[ShaunaG]

Shorts sell well..but here's the kicker.."compilations"

Sell your shorts at a cheaper rate, but next bundle them up for $3.99 + that's when you start to seeing better sales.

Basically,

-  Look for a Niche.
- Write a d*mn good story
- Make sure your work is copy-edited (minimal typos, etc...)
- Write fast and often
- Sell Single stories inexpensively (.99 - $2.99)
- Bundle up singles into packs (4+ stories) and sell at $3.99 plus.

Hope this helps.

Some of this advice was learned by trial and error (esp the editing). The rest was from other e-rotica writers, who were generous with their advice. 

I was thinking about offering bundles. If you priced all your individuals (say 3 stories) at 2.99 what would you price the bundle at? I keep arguing with myself about it so some advice would be great!

[heartland]

Erotica sells great.  But don't make the mistake I did when I first started.  I put a picture inside the ebook, and didn't list that it was a short story with the word count.  My first and only review was someone who was peed because she thought the story was going to be longer than it was due to looking at the KB's.

Also, don't assume that just because it is a short story that it won't sell well at a higher price.  I write under SEVERAL different pen names because I want to vary my niches to see what sells the best.

I started with my very first title in June, priced at .99.  After it started to gain ground, I upped the price and it actually sold more.  go figure.

Also, what you think may be your best work, may not sell as well as something you didn't put as much heart into.  That has happened to me on several occasions.

[Carl246]

Someone has told me there is almost no money in erotic short stories. Is that true? I was advised to try to sell to an anthology or magazine instead, but most seem to pay a one time payment per word. I know far more people who would spend a buck on a story no one else can see on their Kindle than would invest in an anthology or magazine of erotica.
Am I wasting time by writing erotic short stories with the idea of selling them on Amazon?

Hi Piper, first of all whoever told you that there is no money in selling short erotic tales is clueless. Having said that, it does take time to get noticed and it also takes more than one story to make it big with erotic lit. So, in answer to your question, no, you are not wasting your time. If you are set on writing short stories though, here are a couple of tips. 1) make sure they are 4000 words or more. 2) make it clear in the blurb that they are short stories, even going as far as telling the reader how many words they hold. 3) wait until you have at least five stories to release before doing so, and when they've all been out for a month release them all as a bundle. 4) never price them above $0.99 as they won't sell well otherwise. 5) release the bundle of five for $2.99. you do this for one reason, the costumer will see that they can save money by buying the bundle over the single tales. 6) go out of your way to find a good cover for all your stories, as nothing attracts a reader more than a good cover.

All the best.

Carl

[AJHamilton]

Erotica short stories sell well.....and they sell at a higher price than other genres.

I agree with Vicky's advice.


Angelina

[Vicky Foxx]

I was thinking about offering bundles. If you priced all your individuals (say 3 stories) at 2.99 what would you price the bundle at? I keep arguing with myself about it so some advice would be great!

Hey Shauna, I'm still learning. I'm thinking of pricing a 4-story compilation at $3.99 to $4.99. That would seem like a great deal for the reader. Somewhere on this board, there's a post by Selena Kitt outlining her pricing structure. It was very helpful. I wish she'd pop in again and offer up some of her expertise. I miss her posts.  

p.s. Listen to Carl! His advice was so very helpful when I was getting started. He's a pro!

[SarahSalari]

Well, let's put it this way...

I sure HOPE they do.

BLISS KISS is the first in a series, and only 99 cents for ~6300 words, and more are on the way.

[ShaunaG]

Hey Shauna, I'm still learning. I'm thinking of pricing a 4-story compilation at $3.99 to $4.99. That would seem like a great deal for the reader. Somewhere on this board, there's a post by Selena Kitt outlining her pricing structure. It was very helpful. I wish she'd pop in again and offer up some of her expertise. I miss her posts.  

I was thinking around $6.99-7.99 because all three would cost $8.97 but I dont want to discount it so much that people who have bought all three individually would feel cheated. But at the same time I'm trying to get the first in the trilogy to go free so I may wait and just put my shorter stories into a compilation. Ah, how we argue with ourselves.

Back to the original post. I do agree with a lot of what Carl has to say, but I disagree with the comment about how much to price them. I decided, since these were erotica and it was my first foyer into the genre I would experiment with price. I have priced all of my stories at $2.99 across the board. I am thinking of raising the cost of my novellas to 3.99 but at 2.99 all of them have sold and sold well, especially since I have done almost no advertising. Just my two cents.

[AJHamilton]

Back to the original post. I do agree with a lot of what Carl has to say, but I disagree with the comment about how much to price them. I decided, since these were erotica and it was my first foyer into the genre I would experiment with price. I have priced all of my stories at $2.99 across the board. I am thinking of raising the cost of my novellas to 3.99 but at 2.99 all of them have sold and sold well, especially since I have done almost no advertising. Just my two cents.

I agree. Carl...perhaps you should experiment with some higher prices.

[SarahSalari]

6) go out of your way to find a good cover for all your stories, as nothing attracts a reader more than a good cover.

All the best.

Carl

Does MY cover work for you, Carl?

[Dianna Hardy]

Carl's advice is great.

I write erotica and erotic romance under two other names, mostly short stories and one anthology bundle -- they sell very well! But as someone else said, it does take time to build your readership. Other genres that sell well are paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult, although if you're ONLY interested in writing short stories, stick to erotica or steamy romance. People buy those for a reason, and sometimes a short story fulfils that reason just fine!

[Steve Richer]

There are also many subgenres -- you could also call them fetishes -- in erotica. If you can zero in on one of them you'll get a faithful audience who'll be ready to pay more. Sometimes what I do is cruise porn video sites to see what's popular with viewers as it can give you tips for stories.

[Carl246]

Does MY cover work for you, Carl?

Yes, that is a good cover and one that I would look at more than once, it catches the eye.

Carl

[Carl246]

I was thinking around $6.99-7.99 because all three would cost $8.97 but I dont want to discount it so much that people who have bought all three individually would feel cheated. But at the same time I'm trying to get the first in the trilogy to go free so I may wait and just put my shorter stories into a compilation. Ah, how we argue with ourselves.

Back to the original post. I do agree with a lot of what Carl has to say, but I disagree with the comment about how much to price them. I decided, since these were erotica and it was my first foyer into the genre I would experiment with price. I have priced all of my stories at $2.99 across the board. I am thinking of raising the cost of my novellas to 3.99 but at 2.99 all of them have sold and sold well, especially since I have done almost no advertising. Just my two cents.

Yes Shauna, but you're talking about novellas and not short stories. Novellas are a whole new ball game. I consider a story to be a novella when it's 20,000 words and less than 30,000. Now with a novella I would start at $2.99 and up with the second and third but $0.99 for the first. If the people like your first story they will look for others that were written by you. That tactic has and does work for me, but you're right that you should experiment with prices until you find the right one for you.

All the best.

Carl

[AdriannaWhite]

My erotic short stories (all 1500 to 5000 words) greatly outsell my main novels, all without any promotion at all.

On Amazon they are 99 cents, on B&N they are 1.99

So far B&N seems to be selling more of them, go figure.

[Piper Brooks]

Thanks, everyone.  I was hoping the advice I was getting was wrong!
I guess I had better get back to work. Happy writing!

[Margo Lerwill]

A question for those who have experience with bundling their stories...Do you ever have readers who are upset that they brought the stories singly only to see that you later released a bundle that was a little cheaper per story?  I did see someone get upset over this (in a collection in another genre), but I wonder if it was because the author included a new story in the bundle that had never been released separately (and people who'd already bought the single stories had to buy the bundle just to get the one new story).

[AKLoggie]

Yes Shauna, but you're talking about novellas and not short stories. Novellas are a whole new ball game. I consider a story to be a novella when it's 20,000 words and less than 30,000. Now with a novella I would start at $2.99 and up with the second and third but $0.99 for the first. If the people like your first story they will look for others that were written by you. That tactic has and does work for me, but you're right that you should experiment with prices until you find the right one for you.

I was just about to ask this question.  Are you in my brain?  IT'S A TRAP.

Ahem, sorry, a little punch drunk today.

I'm working on a 4-piece story arc, and I think they will end up being novellas.  How would you recommend releasing them?  All 4 at once, then bundle a month later?  Release 1 every 2 weeks? I know I should probably, you know, finish them before I get too worried about it, but I'm curious!

Really appreciate you sharing your hard won knowledge with us.

[Andrew Warwick]

Erotica seems to be, if not the best, then one of the best selling forms of short stories.

[Carl246]

A question for those who have experience with bundling their stories...Do you ever have readers who are upset that they brought the stories singly only to see that you later released a bundle that was a little cheaper per story?  I did see someone get upset over this (in a collection in another genre), but I wonder if it was because the author included a new story in the bundle that had never been released separately (and people who'd already bought the single stories had to buy the bundle just to get the one new story).

What you describe is a no-no at least to my way of thinking. People should be aware that a bundle is a collection of stories that they might already own. Bundles in and of themselves attract buyers who see reviews for the single stories and figure that they will save money by going the bundle route. Then there are those that have paid for one short story and have liked it so much that the bundle looks attractive to them. It's all dependent on the prices as well.

Good luck to you.

Carl

[Carl246]

I was just about to ask this question.  Are you in my brain?  IT'S A TRAP.

Ahem, sorry, a little punch drunk today.

I'm working on a 4-piece story arc, and I think they will end up being novellas.  How would you recommend releasing them?  All 4 at once, then bundle a month later?  Release 1 every 2 weeks? I know I should probably, you know, finish them before I get too worried about it, but I'm curious!

Really appreciate you sharing your hard won knowledge with us.

Personally, I would release them as and when they are finished. That way you get exposure for your work before getting to the bundle side of things. I also cannot stress the importance of having at least one story set free in the course of your journey. As far as free goes, I would wait until you have your first bundle out before setting the very first story you wrote free. Believe me when I say, that first free story will help your sales, assuming of course that your stories are worth reading. Readers will let you know the answer to that one long before you get to the bundle.

Good luck to you.

Carl