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Writing For Sex Markets

Written by Katy Terrega

Tuesday, 12 July 2005

Many professional freelancers will never once write
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 most
of them 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 characters.

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 professionalism 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.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

About The Author:

Katy Terrega is a successful freelancer and she edits a free newsletter and a paid subscriber site, Sex-Writer.com, for sex writers. Both feature articles, market
listings, reviews, calls for submission and more, all geared toward fledgling as well as professional sex-writers.

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