Book Covers

Audiobook Dean Chills H. K. Kiting Podcast

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[14-01-04: Corrected and uploaded the correct audio file… Sorry!]

If you find enjoy this podcast or find it helpful then review us on iTunes.  Also, check out our books at SexyFic.com

Forbidden Winter 200x300

What’s your most recent release?

H. K. Kiting: The Funhouse

Dean Chills: Forbidden WInter

 

Episode 15: Book Covers

We’ve talked a bunch about the act of writing itself, but we’ve never touched on one of the most important aspects of your book: The Cover. In many ways, the cover is more important than the contents of your book: it’s the first thing a prospective reader sees, and if they hate the cover, your book has zero chance of being bought.

 

The Funhouse 200x300What should be on an erotic book cover?

  • Shirtless men and Fabio clones?
  • Half-dressed women
  • Faces or just bodies?

Amazon’s UNOFFICIAL rules:

  • –Naked female torso including front view or sometimes side view.  Side boob inappropriate.
  • –Arms or hands across breasts.
  • –Naked butt.   On one occasion, upper thigh close to lower butt cheek was unacceptable.
  • –No naked people in a clinch even if they aren’t “fondling”.
  • –Any sexual position that implies penetration (Missionary, doggie-style, etc).
  • –No naked characters straddling each other.
  • –No handcuffs on wrists.  Handcuffs being held is fine.
  • –No “O” faces.
  • –No nudity.
  • –No women on their knees in front of men (as in implied fellatio).
  • –No men between women’s thighs (as in implied cunnilingus).
  • –No men’s faces on breasts.

Still there is NO official list of rules other than a vague statement that their content guidelines are “About what you’d expect.”

Hanging Out in the GarageWays of getting a book cover made:

  • Buy a premade book cover
  • Hire someone to make a book cover
  • Do it yourself

Doing it yourself:

  • Tools (Photoshop, Pixelmator, etc.)
  •  Abtract?
  • Photos- Taken yourself or purchased from Stock Photographers [Jason’s Mummification]

Legal considerations:

  • Model release (and especially decency clauses)
  • Photo licenses and royalties. Not as simple as just buying from a stock site.

 

We really want to hear from you. If you have a comment, complaint, or topic suggestion, mail us at sexyfic@gmail.com or stop by SexyFic.com and leave a voicemail on the tab that allows you to record a message. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and leave a review for the show if you like it.

Audio Books

Audiobook Dean Chills H. K. Kiting Podcast

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Episode 14: Audio Books

 

What’s your most recent release?

Dean Chills: Forbidden Winter

H. K. Kiting: Riding the Tide

 

Audiobook Samples:

Scuba Lessons #1: Pool Time

Scuba Lessons #2: The Quarry

 

 

Episode 14: Audiobooks

Dean: I mentioned a few episodes back that I had a few audio books out, and I got several emails asking how that works.

 

Question 1: Where can you sell audio books?

ACX – CreateSpace – Your own website – CD Baby

 

Question 2: Should I narrate my own books or not?

Doing it yourself:

Are you the same sex as the narrator?

Are you comfortable doing it?

Do you sound natural doing it?

Can you do the voices or accents?

Paying someone else to narrate your story

Paying outright

Where can you find narrators?

Revenue split through ACX

 

Question 3: What do I need to do it myself?

Equipment

Quiet space

Question 4: How much can I make?

40% on ACX sales. The Author and Narrator each get 20%. Pricing varies depending on length.

Createspace charges $4.95 + 15% of the sale

Your site: The Sky’s the limit

Sites Mentioned:             

ACX

Createspace

Audible

Gum Road

CD Baby

Jumping off the Cliff into Erotica

Dean Chills H. K. Kiting Podcast

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Episode 13: Jumping off the Cliff

Michelle wrote in way back in October and asked:

I am a freelance writer and aside from blog posts I have ghost written, my true passion has never had exposure. I am often asked by female friends and family members to write erotica and romance stories for them.  This has turned into a Christmas and birthday tradition.  I have to limit them to one story request per month.  

I want to take the plunge into my career as a publish author of romance and erotica but I find myself at the edge of the cliff looking out. There are so many others out there like the vastness of the sea.  I want to jump, but I need some one to come up behind me and push.

What would you recommend as far as a sounding board?  I used to practice on fanfic sites but I was not as happy with the quality of the critique.  More often it was the way I handled a character and not the composition of the scene itself. 

I want to hone the craft but in all honesty, I am ashamed to admit I am not totally sure how to do that.  When I taught myself to crochet, I spent hours on getting the stitching right, but as I write my stories, I can’t seem to find the same cohesion.

Maybe I am my own worst enemy, with a devil on each shoulder so to speak.    

I love your podcast; I listen to podcasts while I am working around the house or siting down at my computer working on articles. Please continue your podcast.  

I will write every week with my trials and tribulation if it will give you material to continue- the starting author from their perspective.

 Thank you for the wonderful and informative podcast.  

 

OK then. We’d love to hear you trials and tribulations as a beginning erotica author, Michelle, and that applies to yours and anyone else who would like to share with us.

 

Discussion Points:

  • So how to get started?
  • How did you get started? (Dean, Henry)
  • What are your thoughts? Blog comments.

We really want to hear from you. If you have a comment, complaint, or topic suggestion, mail us at sexyfic@gmail.com or stop by SexyFic.com and leave a voicemail on the tab that allows you to record a message. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and leave a review for the show if you like it.

Sales and Making Money

Dean Chills H. K. Kiting Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:42 — 32.8MB)

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From this episode of the podcast:

 

Episode 12: Sales and Money

Henry: Let’s check the mailbag.

Michael wrote in way back in July and asked:

Hey guys,

Just found the podcast last week and I have listened to all the episodes already.  I’m impatiently waiting for the next episode.

Just a question for the show, as an unpublished author who is considering writing erotica, I’m interested in what the likely hood of making a living from erotica is.  I understand that you’ve mentioned the price of $2.99 selling more copies than cheaper listings, but how many sales do you average per book per month?  Did writing 20+ books increase the number of sales of your older books?  I am interested in how well erotica writing will allow a person to spend the time to work on their other lines of fiction.  I understand you can not guarantee what any other author’s writing will or won’t sell for, but if you can just give ball-park numbers of what you’ve experienced would be really great.

Thank you for your time.

 

Discussion Points:

  • Are you making a full-time income from Erotica?
  • Do you ever expect to?
  • Is there something you could be doing to make more money?
  • What are your thoughts? Blog comments below!

We really want to hear from you. If you have a comment, complaint, or topic suggestion, mail us at sexyfic@gmail.com or stop by SexyFic.com and leave a voicemail on the tab that allows you to record a message. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and leave a review for the show if you like it.

 

Check out SexyFic.com

Titles mentioned:

Poseidon’s Plaything, by H. K. Kiting
My Second Date with Santa by Dean Chills

Audio (Amazon, Audible, Apple):

Scuba Lessons #1: Pool Time by Dean Chills
Scuba Lessons #2: The Quarry by Dean Chills
Scuba Lessons #3: Going Deeper by Dean Chills

My Turn in the Barrel by H. K. Kiting (Paperback only on Amazon)

Bound for Happiness by Dean Chills
The Biker and the Rose by Dean Chills

The Knock Out

Breath Control H. K. Kiting Non-Series

by H. K. Kiting

Buy now from Amazon

Checking into a Vegas hotel alone, Olympic gold medalist Johnny Lewis meets lightweight boxing champion Rico Mendez in the lobby. It turns out the two gay athletes have been fans of each other for quite some time. 
When Rico invites Johnny up to his top-floor suite later, the two of them have a very steamy time in the hot tub. It’s Johnny dominating Rico, but then the tables suddenly turn. 

Johnny finds himself taking the place of Rico’s punching bag, and Rico is aching for a workout. Then Rico grabs a roll of plastic wrap… 

Find out how things end up for the new lovers in this gay adult tale of sex, bondage, peril play, breath control, domination and romance.