(Maybe NSFW) Will writing erotica hurt my chances of being published elsewhere?

If you are worried about it, you could write under a pseudonym for your erotica and your real name for your other writings.

Use a pen name.

I can only tell you what has happened to my neighbor, that use to be a stripper. Her name and drug addiction has ruined her life. Men still meet and know her today as a stripper.

This may not happen to you, but it has with her.

I’m really just curious as to how publishers will view my other work if I have published erotica. Will they look less favorably on my other work? Will an erotic story be the same for a publisher as any other story? Will some publishers just refuse to deal with me?

@john65pennington: So writing erotica is the same as being a drug addict and a stripper…?

It all depends upon how well you write… and how often! Before she wrote the vampire novels ( including “Interview With the Vampire” ), Anne Rice wrote some of the steamiest erotica I have ever read! : )

I agree with @chyna and @marinelife. Use a pseudonym/pen name for your erotica writing. This is, I think, a fairly decent discussion/introduction to the practice of using pen names to write erotica.

Write under a different name…

Writing erotica has absolutely nothing to do with being a stripper…...and most assuredly nothing to do with drug use.

When would a drug addicted stripper find the time to write….?

SashaLove…I was going by association. The men knew her face and body from the past. I was just wondering if people would do the same for you, if you used your real name in two different writing categories?

This was my only reason for this comparison.

For those of you who are telling to just write under a different name, believe it or not, but I have considered that. What I want to know is how if I publish under my name for both my erotica and non-erotica will publishers react? I would prefer to have all my writing under one name, which is why I asked this question.

@john65pennington: Well, with all due respect, it was a terrible comparison.

@SashaLove I don’t know if the problem of wanting to publish both types of writing under your own name would be so much a matter of the fact that you are writing erotica as it would be of you being possibly pigeonholed as a genre writer maybe. If you’re good enough it won’t matter, I don’t think. I would just err on the side of caution.

….If we thought you could successfully use the same name, We probably wouldn’t have suggested using a different one….Anne Rice uses a couple different names, so does Nora Roberts and about a million other authors in the world. Just focus on getting something published first, that’s all you should be worried about for now.

@cheebdragon: That still doesn’t answer my question. I asked something specific and I put it in General so people would answer it. If I wanted to know about pen names, I would have asked about them. What I want to know is how much of a calculated risk I can take. I appreciate that you all are suggesting using a pen name out of concern and desire for me to be successful, but I am seeking specific information so as to make as informed a decision as possible.

@SashaLove I don’t really know how much risk you can take. It probably depends a lot on what else you’re writing (other than erotica – a book on the neurobiology of the crow might lend itself more to being taken seriously as an author than “chicklit”), how much of a reputation you’ve built up, how much you personally can deal with, and exactly what’s in your erotica. However, I do know this – you can always reveal later that you were the real author under that pen name, but you can’t really go back if you do it all under your real name. So pen names give you more control, whereas real names give you less.

If you’re really worried, you could also try to get in contact with someone like Anne Rice and ask her. Or ask publishers.

@SashaLove None of of here are mindreaders or psychics. No one here, or anywhere, I don’t think, can give you a definitive answer to your question. If you are a good enough writer it probably won’t matter. If you have concerns that I might make people not take you as seriously as a “real” writer if you write erotica, then you should write it under a pen name. If you are only at the stage that you are “considering trying your hand” at erotic writing then you should be more concerned about finishing both your erotic writing and your “real” writing so it gets to a point that someone, somewhere might consider publishing either one. If you have already been published then my advice might be different. Have you already been published? Many very good writers have published under pen names for various reasons. It is not an unreasonable thing to bring up considering your question.

[Mod Says] Please remember that this question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic. Thanks!

[mod says] As the previous mod stated: Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

The biggest problem with using the same name is that if you do manage to have more than 1 book published, it’s going to confuse readers if you suddently switch genres….how many people would be dissapointed to pick up the newest Stephen king book only to find out its actually a preteen drama about middle school kids who love Justin beiber or some other lame celebrity. Once an author gets associated with a genre, anything outside of that genre is probably going to fail. My magic 8 ball broke last week so I can’t give you a definitive answer. I can however suggest that you actually think it through for a few minutes and you might actually notice the truth in every single answer we have given you.