My Monthly Writing Magazine: 'Writers' Forum,' and The Society Of Authors 'The Author' quarterly magazine, have not only announced the large increase in books being downloaded, but also that a great many of them are of the adult-themed erotica genre. In fact, thousands of long out-of-print adult novels have been republished on Amazon, as download only books.
There is a very good reason for this; the Kindle. Such books, which in the past had rather obvious pink or black printed plain covers, or a tell-tale naughty photo, can now be read in comparative privacy on a Kindle, and as such, have become the most popular download titles of the moment. Let's face it, if we saw someone reading such an obvious book, we would snigger. But now, the Kindle has brought anonimity to reading such literature, thus saving blushes, and / or clandestine page-turning behind a newspaper on a bus or train.
But it was a surprise when the paperback version of such a book arrived in the post, written by a young woman named Poppy Hayes.
During the numerous creative writing classes and seminars which I have attended over the years, I met Poppy Hayes at one or two. We started speaking, as the friendliness of doing so lends itself to striking up a relationship, when enjoying a cigarette break at such places. That I haven't smoked since 2006, tells you how long it is since we last met, and back then, she was writing Fantasy genre books. But she tracked me down, as we share the same publisher, and asked if I would offer an opinion on her first novel?
The book http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=poppy+hayes is a page-turning tour-de-force unlike anything else that I have read, and other than the odd Fiona Richmond naughty story from my youthful foray into men's magazines, I must say that Poppy Hayes has found her genre more comfortably settled in Erotica, than Fantasy.
So, if the above facts are true, and erotica is the genre which sells, could I write one as good as Poppy, and jump on the bandwagon?
Well, no, as it seems to be the domain of the female writer, and I think, judging by Poppy's first triumph, it's best left that way.
It's an excellent read, and something which I coudn't begin to match.
There is a very good reason for this; the Kindle. Such books, which in the past had rather obvious pink or black printed plain covers, or a tell-tale naughty photo, can now be read in comparative privacy on a Kindle, and as such, have become the most popular download titles of the moment. Let's face it, if we saw someone reading such an obvious book, we would snigger. But now, the Kindle has brought anonimity to reading such literature, thus saving blushes, and / or clandestine page-turning behind a newspaper on a bus or train.
But it was a surprise when the paperback version of such a book arrived in the post, written by a young woman named Poppy Hayes.
During the numerous creative writing classes and seminars which I have attended over the years, I met Poppy Hayes at one or two. We started speaking, as the friendliness of doing so lends itself to striking up a relationship, when enjoying a cigarette break at such places. That I haven't smoked since 2006, tells you how long it is since we last met, and back then, she was writing Fantasy genre books. But she tracked me down, as we share the same publisher, and asked if I would offer an opinion on her first novel?
The book http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=poppy+hayes is a page-turning tour-de-force unlike anything else that I have read, and other than the odd Fiona Richmond naughty story from my youthful foray into men's magazines, I must say that Poppy Hayes has found her genre more comfortably settled in Erotica, than Fantasy.
So, if the above facts are true, and erotica is the genre which sells, could I write one as good as Poppy, and jump on the bandwagon?
Well, no, as it seems to be the domain of the female writer, and I think, judging by Poppy's first triumph, it's best left that way.
It's an excellent read, and something which I coudn't begin to match.
posted by Alan Burridge at 3:15 AM
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