[Greta Christina] The Erotic Fiction Anthology: A Victim of its Own Success
I don’t normally indulge in “It was so much better in the old days” nostalgia. I’m 47 years old, and am highly conscious of the dangers of incipient old farthood. And I’ve felt for years that if you refuse to see anything good in current popular culture, you might as well just start yelling at kids to get off your lawn. Anyone who thinks movies aren’t as good as they used to be needs to start watching documentaries; anyone who thinks hip- hop is just artless noise needs to start watching “America’s Best Dance Crew.”
But when it comes to erotic fiction anthologies, I have to admit that I have more than a touch of cranky old-fart nostalgia.
And strangely, it’s a nostalgia for the days when erotica was stigmatized, marginalized, and dirty.
Here’s what I mean. Back in the old days when I was just starting out as a young sex writer (see? I told you! Incipient old-fart crankhood lurks around every corner!), there was one, maybe two erotic anthology serieses. There was “Herotica,” and then “Best American Erotica.” And for a while, that was pretty much it. Most respectable publishers didn’t want to touch the stuff: they thought it would sully their reputation, put them in league with a seedy element, maybe even get them into legal trouble.
So if you were a good writer who didn’t give a shit about the stigma and wanted to write erotica, your choices were kind of limited: to dirty magazines, and to these one or two anthology serieses.
And as a result, the work that was in those one or two serieses was first-rate.
They became successes. Critically, and financially. “Best American Erotica” especially. And a lovely sort of self-fulfilling prophecy started to happen. The exact opposite of a vicious circle. A happy, friendly, cooperative circle. As erotic literature gained a bit more respect, more high- quality writers decided to play . . . and as the quality of the work went from good to great, the genre gained more respect. Other publishers got in on the action, publishing more anthologies, and offering writers even more venues for their erotic work.
And here’s where the “victim of its own success” thing started to happen.
See, what we have right now in the erotic fiction anthology world is what’s technically called a “glut.” There are approximately eighty jillion erotica anthologies being published every six minutes. And because there are so many, three things are happening — all of which contribute to the diminishment of the field.
Thing One: Because there are so many erotic fiction anthologies, the talent pool is being diluted. It’s like expansion baseball: there are only so many seriously talented players in the world, and more teams means fewer talented players on each team.
Thing Two: Because there are so many erotic fiction anthologies, none of them pay very much. As a result, they tend to be populated by inexperienced writers. Promising newcomers and semi-pros at best; people who should definitely not quit their day jobs at worst. There’s often a smattering of old hands in there, to be sure: folks who can turn out good porn at a good clip, or who just passionately love to write smut regardless of how well or poorly it pays. But mostly, not so much.
And Thing Three: “Best American Erotica” is dead. Its demise was for a lot of complicated reasons, I know; but at least partly, I’m guessing, it was due to competition from the eighty jillion other erotica anthologies that it inspired. And its death makes me so sad I can barely stand to think about it.
Partly, all this bugs me as an erotica writer. I’ll cop to that. It’s depressing to devote a great deal of time and love to a story, and know that you’re probably not going to get paid more than fifty bucks for it. “Best American Erotica” didn’t pay hugely . . . but it didn’t pay insultingly, either. If you’d spent months writing and re-writing a piece of erotic fiction, the hopes that it might get into BAE made it something other than a complete waste of time. I myself often wrote smut for other venues, specifically with the goal of getting it reprinted in BAE . . . and I doubt that I’m the only erotica writer for whom that was true.
But mostly, it bugs me as an erotica reader. I loved picking up the few erotica anthologies that came out each year, and knowing that I was going to find plenty of the stories hot and most of them interesting. It’s depressing to pick up one of the year’s eighty jillion erotica anthologies, knowing that unless I’m very lucky, I’m only going to find maybe three or four stories that are worth whacking off to, and maybe one or two that are worth remembering. If that.
Let me make this clear: I don’t blame the editors. Heck, if I were being offered the chance to edit six anthologies a year instead of one, I’d probably take it, too. The editors are working with tight budgets and are trying to make a living doing what they love, and they’re doing the best they can.
And while it may sound like it, I don’t blame the publishers, either. I do think they’re being short-sighted and are killing the goose that’s laying the golden eggs . . . but if I were a book publisher and had found a reliable cash cow in erotica anthologies, I’d probably run with it, too. The book industry sucks right now, and any publisher who’s keeping their doors open deserves a certain amount of slack.
Besides, it’s not like I have a solution. As both a reader and a writer, I’d far rather see four or five smut anthologies a year with a higher concentration of quality. But given the current economy, and given the loss of “Best American Erotica,” I’m not sure that fewer anthologies would translate into better- paid writers and higher- quality books. And while of course I’d love it if the Internet would somehow magically fix this problem, I’m not holding my breath.
I’m just saying: I’m nostalgic. I miss the good old days, when porn was still dirty, and the anthologies were written by passionately driven writers who didn’t give a damn what anyone thought. Just like cranky old farts everywhere say about rock music or Burning Man, I was into porn before porn was cool, and I miss the good old days before everyone got on the bandwagon and it got all mainstream.
And you damn kids better get off my lawn.
This entry was posted on Friday, 6 March 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
on Friday, 6 March 2009 at 1:13 pm Greta Christina wrote:
Am reading this over, and am realizing I need to amend it slightly. For “Because there are so many erotic fiction anthologies, none of them pay very much,” please read instead, “Because there are so many erotic fiction anthologies, very few of them pay very much.” There are a handful of erotic fiction anthologies that pay their authors decently — “X: The Erotic Treasury” comes to mind — and it shows in the quality of the work. Just so that’s clear.
on Saturday, 7 March 2009 at 11:59 am Stephen Elliott wrote:
Hi Greta,
I have to say there is part of your premise I don’t agree with. In truth, most authors (myself included) will let anybody re-publish their work for nothing or next to nothing. So I don’t think it’s about the money. Really, it’s up to an editor to craft something really good. Susie always did that but I don’t think it was because she paid $200 to each author (at least that’s what I think I got). I think it was because she took the editing seriously, had good taste, read manuscripts closely. There’s more than enough great erotica out there to make a great anthology every year. Yes, you would be republishing most of it, but that’s all Best American Erotica ever did. If you do it well you’ll build a brand and people will trust you and know that when they pick up a book edited by you every story is going to be worth something. If anything, the glut in the market probably makes it harder for an editor to make a living (I’ve edited four anthologies, only one of them erotica, Sex For America). And it’s the editor that is really going to make the collection great, I think, because the great writing already exists. But that’s a lot of work and like most literary work it doesn’t pay well.
Stephen
on Saturday, 7 March 2009 at 6:29 pm Susan St. Aubin wrote:
Oh, Greta, you are so right about this! I have nothing else to say but, yes, yes, YES! (I,too, always wrote with the hope of getting into BAE, and now I just feel kind of uninspired . . .)
on Wednesday, 25 March 2009 at 5:17 pm Craig Sorensen wrote:
Greta, this was a very interesting perspective.
As a relative newcomer to being published in erotica, I do want to see collections of BAE quality. I want to see one or two of these types of anthos per year, but as one of the author’s who has benefited from the higher number of releases (I was in seven or eight erotic anthologies in 2008) the last thing I want to see is a cut in opportunities. The economy the way it is, that will probably happen, but that’s another matter.
I put a great deal of care into the stories that I have submitted to these different anthologies. The number of anthologies I’ve been published in has resulted in my gaining more exposure as an author, and practicing my craft more. I’m not getting rich, but I love what I’m doing. And I like taking on different themes that each of these anthos present.
My desire is that erotica continue to grow; for it not to be such a fringe genre.
Out of necessity, as it grows there will be a large base of writers, and the level of quality will not be the same at the base as it might be if there are fewer opportunities. But by building a stronger base, the top will have the potential to be more substantial.
If there are more acting opportunities, more people will go into acting, and the performance arts at the top of the ladder will be of better quality. More people writing erotica = more quality people writing erotica.
We just need to be sure there is still a top of the ladder to strive for.
Craig
on Thursday, 26 March 2009 at 10:52 pm Jolie du Pre wrote:
If your ultimate goal is to piss off some erotica editors, you’re on the right track. I’ve edited two anthologies, and both of them are excellent. My second anthology, Swing! Adventures in Swinging by Today’s Top Erotica Writers, is one I’m very excited about - just like I was excited about Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica that came before it.
You rave about the Best American Erotica series. Yeah, those were good books. Well, at least two BAE authors are in my book Swing! I don’t put crappy authors in my books. Number one. Number Two, erotica has NEVER paid well. If my second book sells as well as I hope, I’d like to pay my authors more for Swing 2, but it still won’t be more than $100. The most I got from an erotica anthology was from an Italian publisher that paid $300. Well, I can get much more than that writing a non-fiction article.
Jolie du Pre
on Friday, 27 March 2009 at 3:31 am Alessia Brio wrote:
Greta,
I agree that there are plenty of erotica (and “erotic romance”) anthologies available these days. I disagree with your arguments, though, about why this is a bad thing.
At some point, those “old hands” you mention were all “promising newcomers and semi-pros.” They were “inexperienced.” Someone gave them a shot at incredible fortune and glory. *cough* Someone polished their work. Someone took a chance on them.
As an anthology editor (who doesn’t pay anything, by the way, since Coming Together anthologies benefit various charities), I like fresh new voices. I like them balanced with known names. Above all, though, I like an entertaining tale.
I would be happy to send you a review copy of whatever volume of Coming Together interests you. Take your pick.
I’m not saying it will change your mind or turn you into a raving fan of the series. I’m just saying there are far worse things than a “glut” of smut — especially when that smut is helping others.
peace & passion,
~ Alessia
on Friday, 27 March 2009 at 12:40 pm Emerald wrote:
Well, this doesn’t seem very encouraging for a fairly new erotic fiction writer, but I agree with Craig (Sorensen) that I find it an interesting perspective. It doesn’t resonate with me particularly, but that may be because I am indeed a relative newcomer to the field. I hadn’t thought of it as a “bandwagon,” but that may be because I didn’t examine the business aspects of the market (far from it) before starting to write erotica or consider submitting it for publication. It just evolved in me personally as a process.
I’ve been writing since I was seven, and erotica started forming in me when I was in my early twenties. I didn’t think, “Oh, here’s an expanding market for which I should try writing,” but admittedly that may be attributed to my utter inexperience with and disinclination toward business-oriented considerations.
On that note, I certainly don’t write for the money — but I will acknowledge both that that is partly due to the above and also that I can appreciate the importance of the money aspect even if it is not the primary motivating factor for me.
I too am/was sorry to see BAE be discontinued; it was a widely acknowledged “best of the best” series, and that seems neat to see in almost any genre/community. From what little I know about editing, I appreciate Mr. Elliott’s offering that the work of the editor rather than the money may be a greater consideration in the quality of an anthology.
Again, I am a relative newcomer to the field of erotica writing so I have far less experience upon which to base the perspective in me, and I have never been an editor so I cannot speak of that from experience, but as a writer I have been thrilled to be published in the erotica genre. I love writing it, and I feel that writing about sexuality openly and sincerely is important and a service to humanity/society. I have vastly appreciated editors choosing to include my work in their publications and have not taken that for granted.
Thank you for sharing, Ms. Greta, and thanks to all for commenting and for reading.
Sincerely,
Emerald
on Tuesday, 31 March 2009 at 4:44 am Kathryn Lively wrote:
I seem to recall, even back in the day, a multitude of erotic anthologies. Of course, my “back in the day” is the 90s - as a reviewer, it seemed every other month I received a book edited by Carol Queen or another name.
If there is a glut, as you perceive, it could be a product of today’s social media mentality. These days people share their feelings in 140 character increments. Hell, I found out about this post via Twitter. Our attentions spans are short now. Authors write to suit the audience. Is short bad? Maybe in the bedroom (heh), but I have seen many a short erotic story that pushes all the right button. I don’t think the talent pool is diluted at all. You just have to know where to look, and editors like Alessia and Jolie do a great job at that.
on Saturday, 8 August 2009 at 1:17 am C. Riley S. wrote:
Greta
we haven’t met, until tonight when, at age 24, I began to consider working on erotica fiction, short and long, thin and thick, not only for the fun of it, but because I’m a “wanna-be” writer. There I’ve said it, I admit to it, I’m just a wanna-be… and I have never even read an erotica book, anthology, maybe a story or poem or two, but the closest exposure I have to the genre is a scene from Peter Woodruff’s ELEVEN KARENS when he (the main char) is working for a trade company writing erotica. To think I may actually one day publish erotica fiction makes me want to burst out laughing. I think the concept of the genre itself is amusing, but I won’t knock it til I try it. Even without having much insight into the field, at the outset I am already predisposed to writing too heavy and realistic I’m sure, but I foresee that my writing (or attemt) will intend to craft something of the quality of the work mentioned in your “golden days of smut” blog posted here. Can you point a complete virgin in the right direction - so’s I don’t go and blow short-sighted crappy loads all over your lawn and the lovely ladies next door? So I can avoid the silly mass-market strains and hone in my focus of writing decent literature no matter the genre? So I can write a contemporary classic of olden-day lure? I certainly don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks… that’s partly why I have even gotten this far. Maybe you would like to teach a new dog old tricks, help me step into a raunchy world of desire and dreams, romance and misery, a missionary with a simple cause: to write good smut that entertains, arouses, and stimulates my economy package.
Blessings to you and yours. Hope to be in discussion with you soon.
P.S. (a really long post-script- can you tell I’m a writer?) FYI - I’m curious and underdeveloped… I only recently turned my writing focus to fiction (letting poetry come and go as it pleases) and realizing that crafting stories worth publishing takes work. It makes sense to start out in genres that don’t require the kind of veteran skill and understanding of brilliant classic literature like “War and Peace” (of which I still haven’t read more than a few chapters) Do you understand what I’m saying? Since I don’t feel ready to write “A Tale of Two Cities” (another title I have not read or ever cared to) I thought it would be beneficial to practice in genres like Young Adult, Children’s stories, short fiction, and erotica. Who knows? There is some chance I actually get paid for something in these fields yes?