Interesting Poll

[erastes]

Erec blog (which you really need to add to your flist if you haven't already) has a poll asking about your publishing experiences.  General questions about what covers you like, what your aspirations are etc.

Interesting answers so far, everyone (except me) seems to object to having their work classes as pornographic, and it's good to see that most of the answers to question six have people being honest and saying that yes, success and a major publisher is part of their game plan.

Comments

[kalitakasar.livejournal.com]

I liked your answer to the last question. Have answered the poll also.

[ggymeta.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I have no issues with how people classify my work - just as long as they read it. :) What I find funny are those who get into an absolute snit by the word 'porn' associated with anything they write. Honestly, my books tend to have 1 sex scene...which is sparse for GloBL or BL manga...but when they go looking for my work-- they want man porn. 0_0. It's porn. It's smut. It's erotica. Tomato - Tamato - red-round-thing.

^_^

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I agree, and it surprised me how many people (everyone except you and I so far I think) found one term acceptable and one term not. I've read a lot of so-called erotica (e.g. labelled such) which was nothing but what I'd call porn, and there's no reason on earth why pornography can't be erotic as hell. Perhaps the dividing lines were very rigid once upon a time, but they are blurring daily, and I think a lot of that is to do with women buying it and writing it.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you - and excellent! *goes to see*

Long and Windy.

[ggymeta.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I fully understand the stigma that the word porn carries. It's an indication of less savory status – uncomplicated reading by shallow fans. :/ In my opinion, the reaction to it is a bit of an ego thing. Now before anyone jumps on me for saying they're a being egotistical let me say that there's nothing wrong with a little ego; in moderate doses, it's quite healthy. ^_-

But some do protest too much, and I think I understand why—even if I wish they would stop.

I think plenty of authors realize that they write work that's actively marketed to an audience looking for erotic romance—and of course some works are more sexual than others--but who's going to start categorizing by smut-level? An umbrella term is necessary because in the end, we’re all marketing our work to readers looking for some form of story that has a m/m hook-up. Be it chaste, softcore, hardcore, or not the central focus of the plot—makes no difference; it has the m/m element that all our readers are looking for…levels of eroticism can and will vary—readership will always have the same goal.

This means, of course, that if you write a great book—you’re going to find yourself up there with other best selling fare, even if that fare sells well because it’s PORN! Let’s say you write something that has two steamy sex scenes in about 300 pages of plot - and yet your book makes it to a list called 'HOT PORN READS FOR 2008' and it’s sandwiched between 'Freshman Magazine's Horny Hung Hunks: The Novel' and 'Spice Boys Do Brazil: A Fictional Tail of Love'. Ok. Personally, I would take pride in the fact that my sex scenes were hot enough to get attention for money spending crowd that loves PORN. Would I call attention to it…likely no. ^_- Would I be assy about it and decry 'MY WORK IS NOT PORN' to all who'll listen? FUCK NO. I can pretend to take the high-road, and accept that fact that 'porn fans' love my sex scenes and take a pride pill in knowing I’ve played a tiny part in provoking thought in what is otherwise an aspect of storytelling that isn't meant to provoke anything except an orgasm.

[Then I would go out and buy 'Freshman Magazine's Horny Hung Hunks: The Novel' and 'Spice Boys Do Brazil: A Fictional Tail of Love' and read them.] ^_^v

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

As someone said in the survey, there's often (usually) an element of exploitation in porn--best typified by the downright ugly "hot horny bitches want sex" sort of ad that start infesting mailbox if one orders so much as an erotica catalog over the Internet. Porn is a word with different meaning to different people, of course--to the sexually constipated, anything with m/m is porn even if they never take their clothes off. But in general terms, it is not a word with positive connotations.

Also--I don't know what the laws are in the UK, but in the US and Canada, the label 'erotica' or 'romance' as opposed to "porn" can mean the difference between your books reaching the store, or being detoured into Customs and never coming out. (www.gladdaybookshop.com/news.htm ) It also makes a difference where in a bookstore your work is shelved--or if it's shelved at all. Most reputable stores don't stock porn.

To a lot of people, "porn" means wankfic--getting it in and getting off, and nothing about human connection beyond that. And yeah, I do object to my work being classified that way. I don't read fic that's written only from the waist down, and I don't write it. I don't care what words anyone else uses to describe their work, but ... even if no one else sees it this way, surely writers should recognize that words do have power.