If you write spanking novels or short stories and publish them as e-books, the question of profit is one that cannot be kept away from one's thoughts from time to time.
The first reason simply to know whether you could make a living just out of writing your favorite material. And here's the rub: the average self-published e-book makes its author(s) an average of $300 a year.
Your typical first time author, selling at the average Kindle store price of $2.99 may expect to see 12 volumes a month move from the bookstore into the customer's shopping cart. (We shall look at the the word to price ratio in another post - for now, assume 30,000 to 40,000 words as an average).
So - to make a minimum-wage-sort of income of $15,000 a year, you need about 100 titles in print.
Wow. It would take about 9 months to write a 40,000 word book - or 75 years to hit 100. The prognosis is not good.
But wait - it might not be that bad.
We writers of spanking tales have a much smaller audience than the general reading population - but our audience routinely comes looking for us to fulfill their reading desires.
I am egotistical enough to think I am a competent writer - if not, I would never have published - and all 4 of my works are beating the 12 volumes a month average by a big margin. One by over 10 times that amount. And I do not think that I am that special. (OK - I hope I am, but I have no evidence as yet to support it).
Maybe we spanko authors have an edge that other authors do not.
So - how about this? If you are an author of spanking fiction, and are willing to share with me your publishing figures, I shall build a small summary (with assured anonymity when requested) so that our fellow newbies have an accurate guide to show them what to expect when they join us, and where they stand in the spanking author league.
If you are interested. drop me a line at davids.holly@yahoo.com and I'll let you know what detail makes sense. If nothing else, you are guaranteed to get some links to your works embedded in future articles in this blog.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Spreading the word
When you have penned your masterpiece, getting it sold in any quantity requires one of two things: the money of a publishing house to carry out a marketing campaign to bring it to the attention of all those who can influence the public at large. Getting reviewed by, say, the New York Times is going to result in a lot of sales, even if the review is less than a rave.
But if you are self publishing, there is no big vault of an advertising budget. You rely, in the main, on the luck of the draw.
Whatever its literary faults, "Fifty Shades of Grey" started life as a modest self-published e-book. And despite those faults, netted its author a small fortune, All from the power of people chatting to each other - in hushed tones - about what a good read it was.
All we spanko authors dream of writing the next "50 shades", but our chances are very slender indeed.
If we turn up in "Goodreads" - the internet equivalent of the NYT LS - with a new work, containing half a dozen rave reviews, the response is more likely to be that of dealing in spam pop-ups than having a best seller in the making. Too many first timers turn up with such books, and the reviews are so uncritical as to be almost certainly from friends and family - that the existence of such praise causes all sorts of alarm bells to ring.
So you need to go the slow and ordinary route - first get a name first as someone who gives fellow authors helpful advice. And when the time comes is never pushy about how wonderful one's own work is. If they like it, it will get read. And the more who read the introduction, the more who will buy the full version.
Internet users tend to hate spam with a vengeance. Being seen as a spam producer is absolutely guaranteed to kill off a promising career.
But if you are self publishing, there is no big vault of an advertising budget. You rely, in the main, on the luck of the draw.
Whatever its literary faults, "Fifty Shades of Grey" started life as a modest self-published e-book. And despite those faults, netted its author a small fortune, All from the power of people chatting to each other - in hushed tones - about what a good read it was.
All we spanko authors dream of writing the next "50 shades", but our chances are very slender indeed.
If we turn up in "Goodreads" - the internet equivalent of the NYT LS - with a new work, containing half a dozen rave reviews, the response is more likely to be that of dealing in spam pop-ups than having a best seller in the making. Too many first timers turn up with such books, and the reviews are so uncritical as to be almost certainly from friends and family - that the existence of such praise causes all sorts of alarm bells to ring.
So you need to go the slow and ordinary route - first get a name first as someone who gives fellow authors helpful advice. And when the time comes is never pushy about how wonderful one's own work is. If they like it, it will get read. And the more who read the introduction, the more who will buy the full version.
Internet users tend to hate spam with a vengeance. Being seen as a spam producer is absolutely guaranteed to kill off a promising career.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
My Amazon Profile
Here is a link to my Amazon Profile. It could become a portal for all sorts of question and answer threads that are a tad more difficult to conduct on a blog.
Friday, April 25, 2014
"Willing Victims" - a new e-book
I have put 15 of my edgier stories into an e-book called Willing Victims. Since a couple of the tales already appear in the free stories section of this blog. when it becomes available in Smashwords I'll give a 50% discount for you on that site. (There is no way that I can see of making a similar offer for Amazon readers -if you happen to know the secret, do drop me a line).
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The punishment program
I have added The Punishment Program to the list of free stories.
A young lady has entered into a contract that has transformed her life into one that she really approves of. But at times, she cannot help asking herself if the program is not a little too savage, despite its good results.
A young lady has entered into a contract that has transformed her life into one that she really approves of. But at times, she cannot help asking herself if the program is not a little too savage, despite its good results.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Why are we so shy?
We spankos are very shy people. No - really, really shy.
According to the survey, 59% of us have told no one but our partner of our interest, and a staggering 15% have never told anyone at all. The percentages are slightly higher for the over-50 age group: 19% have never once revealed their interest in spankings. Only 3% of respondents state that it is not a secret at all.
Over 20% of spankos, of all ages groups, have never been in a spanking relationship ever.
That suggests to me that we have a deep seated need to keep our interest very personal.
The first clue as to why that should be so comes from the question "As a spanko, how do you think Vanillas view us?" Among the choices, some significant ones were:
Spankos are perverts 42%
Spankos need medical treatment 18%
Spankos are a danger to children 14%
Well, that might explain why nearly 20% of us are petrified of the reaction we would get if we told anyone that we are a spanko.
Not many vanillas have taken our survey (not that surprising, really) but let us look at the 15 responses we got when they were asked the identical question"
Spankos are perverts 0%
Spankos need medical attentions 0%
Spankos are a danger to children 0%
Not enough responses to be statistically significant, but there does seem to be a trend emerging. Particularly when one considers the ever widening acceptance of all things spanking in main stream media. In general, vanillas look on us as pretty ordinary people who should not be censured for activity between consenting adults. There will be exceptions, of course - just look at how much hostility homosexuals get at the hands of that declining group of bigots - the homophobic and the repressed.
Back to our spanking secret. I have a hypothesis, but no hard data to back it up - as yet. About 70% of us acquired our taste at a very early age: under the age of 9 according to 45% of survey respondents. And as young children, we really had to keep such an odd trait very secret indeed: enjoying punishment seemed so bizarre that admitting it was going to mean an automatic trip to some sort of asylum or another. By the time we reached puberty, keeping it a secret was totally ingrained. It had become one of our defining characteristics.
Which is why for some of us, it will be a secret that will last an entire lifetime.
According to the survey, 59% of us have told no one but our partner of our interest, and a staggering 15% have never told anyone at all. The percentages are slightly higher for the over-50 age group: 19% have never once revealed their interest in spankings. Only 3% of respondents state that it is not a secret at all.
Over 20% of spankos, of all ages groups, have never been in a spanking relationship ever.
That suggests to me that we have a deep seated need to keep our interest very personal.
The first clue as to why that should be so comes from the question "As a spanko, how do you think Vanillas view us?" Among the choices, some significant ones were:
Spankos are perverts 42%
Spankos need medical treatment 18%
Spankos are a danger to children 14%
Well, that might explain why nearly 20% of us are petrified of the reaction we would get if we told anyone that we are a spanko.
Not many vanillas have taken our survey (not that surprising, really) but let us look at the 15 responses we got when they were asked the identical question"
Spankos are perverts 0%
Spankos need medical attentions 0%
Spankos are a danger to children 0%
Not enough responses to be statistically significant, but there does seem to be a trend emerging. Particularly when one considers the ever widening acceptance of all things spanking in main stream media. In general, vanillas look on us as pretty ordinary people who should not be censured for activity between consenting adults. There will be exceptions, of course - just look at how much hostility homosexuals get at the hands of that declining group of bigots - the homophobic and the repressed.
Back to our spanking secret. I have a hypothesis, but no hard data to back it up - as yet. About 70% of us acquired our taste at a very early age: under the age of 9 according to 45% of survey respondents. And as young children, we really had to keep such an odd trait very secret indeed: enjoying punishment seemed so bizarre that admitting it was going to mean an automatic trip to some sort of asylum or another. By the time we reached puberty, keeping it a secret was totally ingrained. It had become one of our defining characteristics.
Which is why for some of us, it will be a secret that will last an entire lifetime.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
The Gleam in Her Eye
You may find this minor masterpiece at Amazon It is in the process of being released at all major ebook retailers, but each has its own timetable to follow.
Monday, April 14, 2014
I have added the short story Emily to the Free Spanking Stories page. Sometimes the need for atonement might not be what it first seems.
Friday, April 11, 2014
The writer's journal
As an author of spanking fiction, I have found the most useful tool to assist me in writing is my writer's journal.
It is a devise used by writers of all genres, so I cannot claim it is my own unique idea - just one that is worthy of sharing.
My "journal" is simply a document folder on my word processor. Usually that folder has one document per piece of work in progress.
The reason for having a journal is that our muses very rarely deliver complete manuscripts to our minds and we simply transcribe the thoughts into printed words. Sometimes that happens: it is rare, but two or three times I have sat down at my keyboard with virtually an entire tale ready and only needing to be transcribed.
But is far more likely that you get your pieces of inspiration in dribs and drabs. A single sentence of dialogue for example, such as "If you move from that position, I shall really hurt you." And that's it. No context, no character, nothing. A tempting morsel, so many possible different meanings, which needs to be chewed over slowly.
And that is where the journal comes into play, If the drib belongs to a specific work in progress, it can be jotted down in the appropriate document. If the drab has no logical home, then it can go in some sort of "General" document, so that it can be retrieved when the home for it is finally identified.
Just reading a work in progress documents can result in a nudge to add some more bits and pieces. Until you have enough to do the first write. (We shall talk about rewrites some other time).
I find it useful - for me - to put new stuff in a journal in red text. When perusing a document, those red ones stand out as being the newest (and most likely to trigger new avenues of thought). Before adding any fresh items, I select the whole document and change the font to black. Then make any new addition(s) in red. And a periodic review of everything in the journal folder has been known to get one or two tales from outline to first draft in fairly short order/
The 40,000 word novel "The Gleam in Her Eye", about to hit the stands, started as single line of dialogue. So the method sure works for me. And if you do not have a writer's journal, you might like to try one for a while. Nothing ventured, and all that.
It is a devise used by writers of all genres, so I cannot claim it is my own unique idea - just one that is worthy of sharing.
My "journal" is simply a document folder on my word processor. Usually that folder has one document per piece of work in progress.
The reason for having a journal is that our muses very rarely deliver complete manuscripts to our minds and we simply transcribe the thoughts into printed words. Sometimes that happens: it is rare, but two or three times I have sat down at my keyboard with virtually an entire tale ready and only needing to be transcribed.
But is far more likely that you get your pieces of inspiration in dribs and drabs. A single sentence of dialogue for example, such as "If you move from that position, I shall really hurt you." And that's it. No context, no character, nothing. A tempting morsel, so many possible different meanings, which needs to be chewed over slowly.
And that is where the journal comes into play, If the drib belongs to a specific work in progress, it can be jotted down in the appropriate document. If the drab has no logical home, then it can go in some sort of "General" document, so that it can be retrieved when the home for it is finally identified.
Just reading a work in progress documents can result in a nudge to add some more bits and pieces. Until you have enough to do the first write. (We shall talk about rewrites some other time).
I find it useful - for me - to put new stuff in a journal in red text. When perusing a document, those red ones stand out as being the newest (and most likely to trigger new avenues of thought). Before adding any fresh items, I select the whole document and change the font to black. Then make any new addition(s) in red. And a periodic review of everything in the journal folder has been known to get one or two tales from outline to first draft in fairly short order/
The 40,000 word novel "The Gleam in Her Eye", about to hit the stands, started as single line of dialogue. So the method sure works for me. And if you do not have a writer's journal, you might like to try one for a while. Nothing ventured, and all that.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
The Dark Side
I suppose the biggest single difference between sado-masochists and spankos is that while the first have spankings as one of the ways pain may be inflicted, for spankos it is almost the only way that guarantees to give a buzz.
But it goes far deeper than that.
Sadism and Masochism are defined as mental disorders (the exact definition of which has changed over time and is still in a state of flux). Spankos are seen to be members of that group who have algonalia - which is considered to be totally harmless.
Researchers find that sadists enjoy inflicting actual distress on non-consenting people and animals. Masochists desires for self pain have led some of them dying of asphyxia or other causes.
It is the notion that there is non-consent that stops the spanko dead in his or her tracks. It is not the legal aspect, it is the ethical and moral one. Sadists enjoy their lust come what may - but spankos enjoy sharing a mutual idiosyncrasy with a like minded participant. Take away the consent, and you take away all the pleasure. When dealing with real participants in real life.
If we draw a scale with spanko at one end, and sadism/masochism at the other, it is impossible to draw a line which cleanly delineates those who lie in the middle as being on the harmless side or the potentially harmful one. Some spankos, but not all, find bondage may add to the fun. Some, but not all, find fetish wear is a big plus. Others, but not all, find that pain in other parts of the body can be a turn on - whipping the back, strapping the palms of the hand and so on. Such additions give no clear indication.
So let me digress for a moment. There was an experiment last year in which researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted on what they call "everyday sadists" - people who have sadistic tendencies but not to such a degree as to require medical intervention. Initial tests identified some participants who displayed traits consistent with being "everyday sadists". That group all selected "the unpleasant job experience" of putting bugs into grinders to destroy them. Other groups selected chores like "cleaning toilets" etc.
Causing distress to bugs gives a sadist a slight buzz. I don't know about you, but that is not part of my make up.
And in an fMRI study, a female masochist was unable to avoid getting sexually aroused regardless of where a slightly painful shock was administered to her body: be it forearm or calf.
When a sadist and a masochist agree to participate in a session of mutual arousal, there is invariably a safe-word chosen to end the session. And a true sadist will whale away with full vigor until the safe-word is said. About 40% of spankos also have safe-words: but they consider it a disaster if it has to be used.
We spankos find much pleasure in the world of fiction and fantasy, where the non-sensual nature of a spanking adds spice to the rendition. To such a degree, that many of us play out such scenes so that the pretended protests might add to our enjoyment. But we do know it is all play.
For sadists and masochists none of it is play. Power, distress and any sort of pain: those are the essentials.
We may fear that our spanko urges could lead us into full blown sado-masochism. If we should end up there, it was a destination we were always going to reach and our spanking interlude was just a way station.
All the research so far undertaken gives no hint at some slippery slope we may be heading down. We just need do a reality check from time to time, and continue to enjoy our harmless pastime.
But it goes far deeper than that.
Sadism and Masochism are defined as mental disorders (the exact definition of which has changed over time and is still in a state of flux). Spankos are seen to be members of that group who have algonalia - which is considered to be totally harmless.
Researchers find that sadists enjoy inflicting actual distress on non-consenting people and animals. Masochists desires for self pain have led some of them dying of asphyxia or other causes.
It is the notion that there is non-consent that stops the spanko dead in his or her tracks. It is not the legal aspect, it is the ethical and moral one. Sadists enjoy their lust come what may - but spankos enjoy sharing a mutual idiosyncrasy with a like minded participant. Take away the consent, and you take away all the pleasure. When dealing with real participants in real life.
If we draw a scale with spanko at one end, and sadism/masochism at the other, it is impossible to draw a line which cleanly delineates those who lie in the middle as being on the harmless side or the potentially harmful one. Some spankos, but not all, find bondage may add to the fun. Some, but not all, find fetish wear is a big plus. Others, but not all, find that pain in other parts of the body can be a turn on - whipping the back, strapping the palms of the hand and so on. Such additions give no clear indication.
So let me digress for a moment. There was an experiment last year in which researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted on what they call "everyday sadists" - people who have sadistic tendencies but not to such a degree as to require medical intervention. Initial tests identified some participants who displayed traits consistent with being "everyday sadists". That group all selected "the unpleasant job experience" of putting bugs into grinders to destroy them. Other groups selected chores like "cleaning toilets" etc.
Causing distress to bugs gives a sadist a slight buzz. I don't know about you, but that is not part of my make up.
And in an fMRI study, a female masochist was unable to avoid getting sexually aroused regardless of where a slightly painful shock was administered to her body: be it forearm or calf.
When a sadist and a masochist agree to participate in a session of mutual arousal, there is invariably a safe-word chosen to end the session. And a true sadist will whale away with full vigor until the safe-word is said. About 40% of spankos also have safe-words: but they consider it a disaster if it has to be used.
We spankos find much pleasure in the world of fiction and fantasy, where the non-sensual nature of a spanking adds spice to the rendition. To such a degree, that many of us play out such scenes so that the pretended protests might add to our enjoyment. But we do know it is all play.
For sadists and masochists none of it is play. Power, distress and any sort of pain: those are the essentials.
We may fear that our spanko urges could lead us into full blown sado-masochism. If we should end up there, it was a destination we were always going to reach and our spanking interlude was just a way station.
All the research so far undertaken gives no hint at some slippery slope we may be heading down. We just need do a reality check from time to time, and continue to enjoy our harmless pastime.
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