Conflict of Interest?

I have been reading several erotica stories from the Amazon bestseller list. It's always a good idea to check out the competition, right?

Erotica isn't an easy place to get reviews. Self-published authors also have trouble trying to get someone to write about their books. I've been writing down my thoughts on a file, trying to get a better idea of what is out there. It's almost like a review.

Except then a friend of mine explained why he thought it was a conflict of interest to post reviews of another author's books. Those words weigh in my mind as I try to figure out all the details.

I don't know how many other authors write reviews. I ought to head over to a writing forum like Goodreads to see who is out there reviewing. But writing isn't quite like a lot of industries out there. I don't expect a customer to buy books from one author only. I don't even expect customers to buy in only one genre. A lot of brands look for that kind of loyalty - buy only BMW or Dyson or Energizer. Use only Pandora or State Farm for your service needs.

When I look over the books I own, several authors have been my favorites. Each of them has a different strength (and weakness). All of those books have held my attention, though some do keep me up to read later than others. When does sharing my opinion about another author's books (in my genre) become a conflict of interest?

The other half of that would be that I can't simply put out five stars for something I read. It has to really move me to get that kind of glowing review. Many of them get three stars to mean I enjoyed it, but not enough to ever read again. If I don't finish a book because I get bored or annoyed - it's would probably earn one, but possibly two, stars.

Sometimes that kind of system really affects the author. They think their work is awesome and should always earn five stars. Yet there are a wide variety of people who read, and each of them looks for something different. It's impossible to earn five stars from everyone.

I think it feeds in from everyone wanting to be exceptional and also not wanting to make waves. Like the unfortunate children who all get the highest marks because no one wants to say they failed until they're older. You can't fail Kindergarten, so we'll pass you on to first grade, second grade, third grade... Then in sixth grade, or maybe seventh, we'll give you real grades. If you don't know you're failing until you're twelve, how can you possibly expect to learn to deal with it and change the pattern? If you're afraid to cause someone the slightest bit of discomfort, how can you be honest?

If I can't feel like I can be honest in a review, I would rather not do them. It isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to the other readers. It hurts the author, too, to make someone else think they might like a book when they would prefer to read something else.

What are you looking for in a review? Would you follow what an author says in that genre? I assume an author in the genre keeps reading a lot of things to know what's out there and what is allowed within the rules of that genre. Where would that conflict of interest lie between getting reviews of other works out there and promoting your own work?

Conflict of Interest

Erotica isn't an easy genre to get reviews. Self-published authors as a rule also have trouble trying to get someone to write about their books. I've been writing down my thoughts on a file, trying to get a better idea of what is out there. It's almost like a review. I have been thinking about changing those thoughts into actual reviews.

Except then a friend of mine explained why he thought it was a conflict of interest to post reviews of another author's books. Those words weigh in my mind as I try to figure out all the details. His point comes from his experience in cars. One company might be looking for your loyalty to be only to that company for as long as they can.

I don't know how many other authors write reviews. I ought to head over to a writing forum like GoodReads to see who is out there reviewing. But writing isn't quite like a lot of industries out there. I don't expect a customer to buy books from one author only. I don't even expect customers to buy in only one genre. A lot of brands look for that kind of loyalty - buy only BMW or Dyson or Energizer. Use only Pandora or State Farm for your service needs.

When I look over the books I own, several authors have been my favorites. Each of them has a different strength (and weakness). All of those books have held my attention, though some do keep me up to read later than others. 

What are you looking for in a review? Would you follow what an author says in that genre? I assume an author in the genre keeps reading a lot of things to know what's out there and what is allowed within the rules of that genre. Where would that conflict of interest lie between getting reviews of other works out there and promoting your own work?

Market Research

There are a lot of reasons to do market research. I've been delving deeply into it for a few weeks now as part of the end of my hiatus.

One of the coolest parts of market research is getting to read what else is out there. Sometimes it's not so cool, when you run into tidbits that make you think: what the hell?

I have found a couple authors I admire. I have found a couple authors I'd rather not read again. I have found a couple stories that don't seem to stand alone, where each piece is needed for the whole, but by itself it doesn't grab me enough to want to read more. I also found a few stories that make me want to read the entire series.

But my other reason for what I'm doing is seeing where my stories fit into the greater scheme of things. How I write versus how they write. How much I can get away with as far as word count and price and all the rest. I'm also thinking about reviewing several of the things I'm reading. Maybe those authors will have something to say about mine when I get it out there.

Yes, when I get it out there. I'm putting together a plan, and I happen to be tenacious once I get a plan in place.

Then I wonder about reviewing the other authors. I'm not one of those people who is able to just say 'oh, this is hawt!' like I've seen a few other reviews doing. It matters to me about the greater story that brought them to the erotic scenes. What are you looking for in a review of a book, say on Amazon or in a blog like this one? What do other authors see when someone new comes along and leaves a review, whether it is stellar or dismal?

I think what I would look for is either constructive criticism or something that would help a reader decide that, yes, this is the book for me. So it would include bits about characters, plot, and all the other pieces that create stories in every genre, not just erotic scenes.

Feedback...

Sometimes, all I can say is thank you. Today, it was a stretch even for that.

Erotica is an interesting niche to write. There's something about the intimacy of the characters and setting that will repel some readers and attract others. Normally attraction is a good thing, but there is a line between what is welcome and what isn't.

Most of my readers are people I know. I love that I've learned so much about these people. Sometimes I write things specifically to titillate them. All I ask in return is that I get feedback from them about what they thought - even if it amounts to "I hate it." Mostly it keeps my inner needy writer assuaged from thinking my muse must be dumped down a well and never see the light of day again.

Of course, when these friends send flattery my way, I know it's not going to amount to anything. It's just their polite way of telling me to keep going and keep my self-esteem from dragging. My friends are wonderful this way and I hope they know how much I appreciate that.

On the other hand, there are people I don't know. One today who referred to himself by a male name while not only praising lesbians but calling men incomplete... Well, he left me some interesting comments, including a nickname and an instant message and two apologies for being so forward with the disclaimer that he doesn't do that much.

Seriously? Mostly it just makes me shake my head. I should send him to a piece of mine featuring gay males instead. I write so many different things, yet he wants to believe that I am one of those characters featured in the story (neither of which is a proclaimed lesbian). I could point him to several heterosexual characters I've written.

I don't know how to get it across to people that the details of the characters I write are not something I'm trying to express about myself. I write fiction. I love fiction. Sometimes I'll change things about a character to make it fit the story better or to get my message across. If that means creating a man where there was once a woman, changing the color of eyes or hair or skin, or making up mannerisms where none existed previously, so be it. Nothing is set in stone. Actually, that's one reason I love writing - it isn't set in stone! I can tweak things endlessly until they fall the way I need them to.

All the writers I know have heard the phrase 'Write what you know.' That isn't always a literal thing - writing what you know can take many forms, and it doesn't have to be just writing things from your past. It can be morphing them into messages to make readers think.

I can't think of a single story I've written where I've poured all of myself into it. There's always something changing, taking one small piece of truth and draping it with a bunch of fiction. That's the only way it works for me. It's like this phrase that I'm trying to weave into a story: "I write fiction because fact hurts too much." That quote will describe how I feel about it, but when I'm done nothing else about the story will be true about me.

Please regard the writer as a creator of many stories, not simply a regurgitator of what happened. I don't just mean me - most of the writers I know have a separation between self and characters. Don't be afraid to ask. You just might get an answer.