Get Started in Writing Erotic Fiction

PART ONE - UNDERSTANDING EROTICA AND ROMANCE. HOW TO BLEND THEM. Erotica roots Defining erotica today What exactly is a romance novel? Is there a secret formula? HEA? What's that and why should i care? Erotica loves romance: a match made in reader heaven? Who reads erotic romance, and why? Is Kinky Better? To menage or not to menage? Don't be shy. Push the personal envelope. Write outside your comfort zone. Body parts are not all created equal. Nor are there monikers. The multi-sensory approach why plot when you have sex? Heroes and Heroines. Do i need a bad guy? Archetypes are not set in stone. Breathing life into your characters. The story lives and dies on character development. Make us care. PART TWO - HOW TO WRITE IT. Write from the heart. Don't be afraid. The first rule in publishing: it's all subjective. Show me, don't tell me. Purple prose is passe. Don't make me laugh, unless that was your intention. Single title? Series? Is one sub-genre more erotic-centric than another? How do it begin? Where do i begin? Story arc? What's that? Goals, motivation and conflict, do i really need them? How do i get to the end? POV It's more than what your character sees. Delivering the promise of a romance. Revisiting the Happily Ever After. PART THREE - WRITING THE BOOK WAS THE EASY PART. PROMOTING YOURSELF, PROMOTING YOUR BOOK. So, i wrote a book. Now what? How to get it read. Should i get an agent? Do i really need one? What do they do for me that i can't do for myself? All agents are not created equal. Should i use my real name? Who publishes erotic romance? Why a traditional publisher and not self-publish? What is a publisher's role in today's digital takeover? Should i self-publish? What are the benefits/ the pitfalls. How do i do it? Do i need an editor? Copy editor? What are they anyway and what do they do? Yay! I sold, now what? Should i promote my book? Should my publisher? How do i promote it? Is it expensive? Swag or not to swag? Are book signings a thing of the past? MY book flopped, should i write another one? Author brand vs book brand. How to develop one. How to use social media to promote yourself. Does it really work? Do you need an author assistant? What is their role? Reviews: love them or hate them, use them. Don't hide behind the cover, stand up for your genre. Authors behaving badly: this should not be you. Final thoughts.