In my humble opinion, this is THE most important question any writer can ask herself. The second most important question, which we’ll also cover in this post, is ‘Why do you want your stories published?’ These questions are very different and they might have different answers, yet they’ll craft your career, directing you toward YOUR personal definition of success.
Note: The answers to these questions will likely change over time. The reason I’m sending my stories to publishers today is not the same reason I sent my stories to be published two years ago.
Why Do You Write Erotic Romance?
There are many, MANY answers to this question. None of them are wrong or right, better or worse. Agents or publishers or fellow writers don’t need to know your answer. This is YOUR truth.
Here are merely a few of the possibilities
– writing helps you sort out your thoughts or emotions
– you need to see your fantasies in print to fully enjoy them
– it’s fun, an outlet for your creativity
– writing fictional stories reveals real life issues you might be grappling with
– you’re writing erotic romances you can’t find in Romanceland
– you read an erotic romance, didn’t like the ending, so you’re changing it
– you see writing as a possible career or a way to become wealthy
– writing gives you a task to complete while you’re home, caring for your kids
– you want to enter your bookstore and see your name on a book cover
– your mom thinks you should write a book
– you were dared by a buddy to write an erotic romance
– you’ve always written. It is part of you
– writing is a way to vent your emotions
– you love the craft of writing, the manipulation of words
– it’s a way to use the research you love collecting
– your hubby is stationed overseas and loves receiving hot stories from you
– you see writing as a way to become famous
For a long time, I didn’t write for anyone else. I wrote only for myself, simply for the joy of putting my fantasies on paper (I’m a visual person. I have to see something to fully enjoy it). I didn’t need to be published or edited or see my story in a bookstore to be happy… so I didn’t do these things.
I still write primarily for myself. Yes, writing is now my career but I know if I ever agree to write a story I’m not excited about, I’ll be unhappy. I would rather not be published than write a story I’m not thrilled about. Some writers would call that unprofessional and unrealistic. (shrugs) Maybe it is but it’s my truth. It is what I need to be happy.
Just because you’re a writer doesn’t mean you need to be published writer. Ever. Being a published writer doesn’t automatically increase every writer’s joy of writing. For example: If you write to sort out your thoughts or feelings, you might not want anyone else to read your stories. Showing these innermost thoughts to others could erase all of your joy of writing.
Why Do You Want Your Stories Published?
Before you self-publish your first story or send it to an agent or publisher, ask yourself WHY you’re doing this. Again, there are no right or wrong answers.
Here are some possible answers
– working with an editor will improve your writing skills
– you want to widen the diversity of erotic romances in Romanceland
– you need the possible income/it is a way to possibly become wealthy
– you want to enter your bookstore and see your name on a book cover
– your mom wants to show your book to her friends
– you have a message in your stories that you wish to share with the world
– you wish to give back to Romanceland, to contribute to the industry
– you want to introduce yourself as a published writer
– you’re curious as to whether or not your story is good and want a professional’s opinion
– you want to be famous
Your answer to this question changes your options. If you want to see your story in a bookstore, you would only submit your story to publishers that have presences in bookstores. If you need income ASAP, you might look at publishers with short publishing lead times or publishers offering advances. If you want to see your name on a cover of a book, you likely wouldn’t use a pen name. If you want to become famous, you might promote your books by attending conferences or hosting book signings.
Are there some possible answers that I haven’t listed? (I’m certain there are zillions I’ve missed)
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Bee Carter has been offered everything she has ever dreamed of—a caring, lasting relationship with a handsome, often charming billionaire; the permanent home she’s never had but has always craved; and wealth to buy the designer fashions she loves, support her hard-working mother, and ensure her acceptance by Chicago’s elite.
To obtain what she’s desired for so long, she has to do only two things: Walk away from her best friend, a woman who is destined to betray her … and end her passionate nightly encounters with a certain tattooed biker, a former Marine who can never give her what she needs.
Her answer should be clear, but the heart has a way of complicating even the most straightforward decisions.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00JZOVYQG
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards7-1718231-237.html
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-7
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-7-cynthia-sax/1119919841
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_7?id=CGsOBAAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-7/id870582006
