Writing For Sex Markets
Many professional freelancers will go their entire career
without ever once writing a story about sex. Oh, they may craft
a racy scene or two in the course of writing the next Great
American Novel, or they might someday write an article about the
latest in sexual research, but that's about as far as many
writers will ever take the concept.
Then there are those freelancers who, for a variety of different
reasons, have actually chosen to write (and publish) in the sex
genre. Societal notions of perversity aside, these writers are
of the same ilk as those who write about horses or gardening or
education, it's just that their subject matter is often more
controversial. Still, the act of writing as a profession is the
same no matter what the genre, although sex writing does require
more of an open mind and is not, as a rule, for the more prudish
among us.
But the basics - a bit of skill, a professional attitude, plenty
of perseverance and a whole lot of research - are the same as
for any genre.
Sex markets offer great opportunities for writers at all
different levels of experience. For the fledgling writer there
are many digest magazines that buy a lot of fairly well-written
(but rather formulaic) stories. The pay for these pieces is, of
course, lower than for other, higher-quality, markets but they
do give the beginner a chance to earn money while honing his or
her craft.
On the higher end of the scale are markets that demand
excellence in plot structure and characterization. These
magazines usually pay fairly well and are for writers who are
experienced at more advanced techniques like dialogue, subtle
humor and deftly nuanced characterization.
In addition, the sub-classifications of the genre - letters,
articles, stories and personal accounts - offer plenty of wiggle
room when it comes to a writer's ability and/or experience.
Letters and essays are more of a train-of-thought process, and
thus much easier for the beginner to write (and sell) than
full-length stories or non-fiction.
This means that in sex markets, as in no other genre, a writer
really can earn as she learns, starting at the lower paying
markets and working her way up to the higher paying (and higher
quality) fiction and non-fiction articles.
But don't make the mistake of thinking that, because the level
of "quality" varies, you can be more lax in presentation and
attitude when submitting to sex markets. Most of these editors
appreciate rofessionalism just as much as their mainstream
counterparts. Writers wanting to break into this market need to
make sure that manuscripts are presented professionally and that
phone calls (or emails) are returned promptly.
There are, however, some markets that operate in a more "casual"
fashion. While this can occasionally work in your favor - a
query for an article, for example, can be as simple as a
one-sentence email - it can also be frustrating. You'll have to
get used to the idea that not all of your submissions, queries
and requests for guidelines will be acknowledged. Perseverance,
so useful when writing in any genre, is even more of a
requirement when writing for sex markets.
Another requirement is an exhaustive knowledge of your market
and your audience. Sex markets tend to be even more specialized
than mainstream markets; each magazine often targets a very
specific personality as well as predilection. What this means is
that in order to sell you have to do your research; you'll need
to study the magazine cover to cover and yes, that means the
pictures, too. (Of course, some sex writers look at that as a
perk of their profession rather than a hardship, but that's
another story.) It's also imperative to request guidelines when
possible because sex markets often are very specific as to
style, point of view and word count; it's important that you
know exactly what they're looking for before you submit.
Of course, the most important requirement when it comes to sex
writing is that you enjoy doing it. It's an excellent choice for
those writers who relish a challenge as well as those who enjoy
stretching their imagination. Yes, it's a job, as is writing for
mainstream markets, and it requires the utmost in
professionalism and commitment.
But writing about sex is also a whole lot of fun. Getting paid
to do it, well, that's even better.