Which category do you think readers prefer the most?

[ElectricBlue]

Likewise incest. Any story with incest in it, even if very minor, will end up in Incest.

Not true. I've got two long stories with incest sub-themes, but I said to Laurel, I don't want these stories in the I&T category because that's not the primary theme.

She put them in my categories of choice, and put a note at the top, "This story contains incest themes."

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I happen to be working on a story now (it's open as I type) that has incest, but mixed in with lots of other stuff (anal, medical, sort-of noncon, even a bit of Mature). I wonder if Laurel will force it into Incest and Taboo.

-Annie

 

[Britva415]

Erotic Couplings on average does not do that well because it's a grab bag without a clear identity

To me it’s the opposite of a grab bag and has a very clear identity. Maybe it’s just one which people aren’t looking for, as much.

“Vanilla” is pretty definable.

If EC is a grab bag, it’s only because people do put stuff in it which belongs in another category. This happens a lot. They’re usually very new Lit authors.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I happen to be working on a story now (it's open as I type) that has incest, but mixed in with lots of other stuff (anal, medical, sort-of noncon, even a bit of Mature). I wonder if Laurel will force it into Incest and Taboo.

-Annie

You could assess its primary theme and try for that category, whatever it might be. Laurel might veto your preferred choice, but there's precedent for incest in other categories.

I'd be a bit cautious of too much of a smorgasbord in I&T, though. One gets the sense the hard core fans are a bit vanilla, don't much like writers who stray too far of the range.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

To me it’s the opposite of a grab bag and has a very clear identity. Maybe it’s just one which people aren’t looking for, as much.

“Vanilla” is pretty definable.

If EC is a grab bag, it’s only because people do put stuff in it which belongs in another category. This happens a lot. They’re usually very new Lit authors.

That's totally false.

Where does a story that centers on seduction go if the actual sex is vanilla? There is no seduction category.

Where does a simple blowjob story go? There is no oral category.

Where does a vanilla teacher/student story go if you don't want it to get completely thrashed and hate-voted in Incest/Taboo?

Where does a story on tantric sex go? There is no tantric category, not even a (non-magic) rituals category.

Where does a young woman and a priest story go if the sex is vanilla and completely consentual?

EC is a MASSIVE grab bag. You make it sound like there is a dedicated vanilla readership who know exactly where to find their vanilla fix. There is not, or if there is, it is the smallest demographic here. 95% (or more) readers search by kink and vanilla is literally kinkless sex, so pretty much no one is searching it. EC's real name is miscellaneous vanilla. It is the smallest draw, yet the lack of proper categories throughout the site make it a huge catch-all for stuff that is only found through tags, an endless landfill of miscellaneous tags.

If you want your story to be seen, the best scenario is a small pool of stories and a large readership. This is difficult to find, as all of the categories with large readership are bombed with stories going after those eyeballs. But one thing for certain is that EC has the biggest pool of stories and very few eyeballs. It is the worst eyeball ratio bar none, not really close since any other category with low readership also has a small story pool to match.

 

[SimonDoom]

To me it’s the opposite of a grab bag and has a very clear identity. Maybe it’s just one which people aren’t looking for, as much.

“Vanilla” is pretty definable.

If EC is a grab bag, it’s only because people do put stuff in it which belongs in another category. This happens a lot. They’re usually very new Lit authors.

Take a look at the "new story" list for the Erotic Couplings category, and check out the titles and taglines. There's no clear, defined kink for this category. It's sexual encounters that the author for whatever reason doesn't think fit easily within other more well defined categories. But a quick scan at the stories shows they include elements of incest, older-younger, threesomes, interracial, anal, exhibitionism, crime, you name it. It's a large category, in that it has 78.8 thousand plus stories, more than any other category, which indicates it's a big tent rather than a well defined one. Not all the stories are by any means what one would call "vanilla." It may be that many of the stories there "should" be put somewhere else, but they're not, and that's something to think about if you are an author thinking about where to publish your story and you want it to be read. There's a greater chance of it getting lost in the crowd in Erotic Couplings than anywhere else because of the sheer quantity and variety of stories there. Which is not to say it's not sometimes the correct place to publish the story.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Not true. I've got two long stories with incest sub-themes, but I said to Laurel, I don't want these stories in the I&T category because that's not the primary theme.

She put them in my categories of choice, and put a note at the top, "This story contains incest themes."

Thx EB - I didn't realize that was possible. Good to know for the future!

 

[Bramblethorn]

Yes, I totally agree with you. I think the biggest turnoff for a reader is your story's name and its description. If they do not find it erotic, then they will not even think of clicking it. And be honest, everyone, the maximum time a reader spends reading something is to jerk off themselves.

Not really. There are plenty of readers who are here for the story.

Some of them came here looking for a quick wank and then got sucked in; stories are sneaky that way.