Smut Sales are Booming

[Smuttyandfun]

"Smut," generally referred to as romance or "romantasy" fiction, is a booming segment of the publishing industry, with annual sales of the overall genre reaching approximately $1.44 billion. This genre, primarily read by women, has seen massive growth in recent years, largely driven by social media platforms like TikTok.

 

[TheLobster]

Behold, the evolution of romance:

 

[old_prof]

Attempts to ban things almost always create extra demand. Look at prohibition. More people drank coming out of prohibition than did going into it.

 

[crookedletter]

Attempts to ban things almost always create extra demand. Look at prohibition. More people drank coming out of prohibition than did going into it.

D.A.R.E. backfired for me big time.

I mean... for some people... I read. In a book.

 

[old_prof]

I've never understood why people don't understand the effect of so much propaganda.

BTW, I always thought an effective anti-smoking campaign for teenage ales would be something that plays on the research that smokers in the 18-25 age range are hundreds of times more likely to not get it up than non-smokers. Still small numbers, but I can't imagine much that would get the fear factor going for a 16-18 yr old male, when they start smoking, than not being able to get it up when they are about to get lucky.

 

[WittyUserName]

D.A.R.E. backfired for me big time.

I mean... for some people... I read. In a book.

Yes. We would like to once again congratulate drugs for winning the war on drugs.

 

[cw5523729]

"Smut," generally referred to as romance or "romantasy" fiction, is a booming segment of the publishing industry, with annual sales of the overall genre reaching approximately $1.44 billion. This genre, primarily read by women, has seen massive growth in recent years, largely driven by social media platforms like TikTok.

Wait, so you mean to tell me that people on TikTok figured out that sex sells and people like porn?!

WOW! Does the mainstream media know about this?!

 

[FrenchLopBunny]

"Smut," generally referred to as romance or "romantasy" fiction, is a booming segment of the publishing industry, with annual sales of the overall genre reaching approximately $1.44 billion. This genre, primarily read by women, has seen massive growth in recent years, largely driven by social media platforms like TikTok.

Ah, yes. Book Tok we call it. I'm a contributor to that $1.44 B

 

[Bramblethorn]

"Smut," generally referred to as romance or "romantasy" fiction, is a booming segment of the publishing industry, with annual sales of the overall genre reaching approximately $1.44 billion. This genre, primarily read by women, has seen massive growth in recent years, largely driven by social media platforms like TikTok.

This seems like a quote from something. But "smut", "romance" and "romantasy" are all different words with different meanings, even if there's considerable overlap. Which of those three is it actually talking about?

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

This seems like a quote from something. But "smut", "romance" and "romantasy" are all different words with different meanings, even if there's considerable overlap. Which of those three is it actually talking about?

Ooh… some of these “romantasies” are so graphic I feel like a fraud calling myself a smut writer.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Romantasy is Fantasy's Episodes 7-9. Way to ruin a genre.

 

[JCSTREET]

Attempts to ban things almost always create extra demand. Look at prohibition. More people drank coming out of prohibition than did going into it.

Adjusting for natural population increase? Though your point is well taken.

 

[JCSTREET]

I've never understood why people don't understand the effect of so much propaganda.

BTW, I always thought an effective anti-smoking campaign for teenage ales would be something that plays on the research that smokers in the 18-25 age range are hundreds of times more likely to not get it up than non-smokers. Still small numbers, but I can't imagine much that would get the fear factor going for a 16-18 yr old male, when they start smoking, than not being able to get it up when they are about to get lucky.

16-18 year olds do not have the capacity to imagine not getting a hard-on.

 

[Britva415]

Attempts to ban things almost always create extra demand. Look at prohibition. More people drank coming out of prohibition than did going into it.

Where did that tangent come from? I didn't see anyone talking about bans.

Unrelated, what I wondered was whether this "booming" trend is only in nominal figures, or if it was controlled against other fiction. Do we know that book sales, including and especially self-published and digitally shipped ones, aren't "booming" overall?

 

[old_prof]

Where did that tangent come from? I didn't see anyone talking about bans.

There are lots of efforts right now to clamp down on smut, mostly by select states in the US, but there are movements here at the federal level and someone was complaining about similar pushes in the UK recently. This has been an intermittent topic across multiple threads for the last six months or so. An uptick in consumption is the natural response to that pressure.

 

[old_prof]

Adjusting for natural population increase? Though your point is well taken.

A significantly higher percentage of the population drank after than before.

 

[Britva415]

A significantly higher percentage of the population drank after than before.

Well, this is what's totally absent from the conversation, though:

A number was given ($1.44 billion) without being compared to anything. And it was called a "boom" with zero context given.

We have no idea whether it's clampdown pressure manufacturing new demand, or totally organic growth being spun as a smut boom by flacks for the genre within the industry, trying to create some FOMO demand that way. "See, everybody's reading it!"

I'm very skeptical that it's a boom compared to other categories of fiction consumption, because of how conspicuously absent any other data is. It's utterly hollow, so, any attempts to draw inferences are too.

I'm not blaming @Smuttyandfun for these shortcomings, but wherever she got this from (we already know: TikTok) it sure smells like publicists huffing marketing vapor to me. Or influencers: probably even worse.

 

[old_prof]

I do know that overall book sales (including audio and e-books) is slowly declining, so I am aware of some context. I have no idea what any of the invidual categories are doing (other than textbook sales are tanking -- even without that, the rest of publishing is slowly dropping.)

 

[Theatreslut]

Well, this is what's totally absent from the conversation, though:

A number was given ($1.44 billion) without being compared to anything. And it was called a "boom" with zero context given.

We have no idea whether it's clampdown pressure manufacturing new demand, or totally organic growth being spun as a smut boom by flacks for the genre within the industry, trying to create some FOMO demand that way. "See, everybody's reading it!"

I'm very skeptical that it's a boom compared to other categories of fiction consumption, because of how conspicuously absent any other data is. It's utterly hollow, so, any attempts to draw inferences are too.

I'm not blaming @Smuttyandfun for these shortcomings, but wherever she got this from (we already know: TikTok) it sure smells like publicists huffing marketing vapor to me. Or influencers: probably even worse.

While anticdote is not the same as data, I have seen an uptick in groups openly discussing reading smut, and issuing reviews with opinions of how spicy the book is

 

[Bramblethorn]

Ooh… some of these “romantasies” are so graphic I feel like a fraud calling myself a smut writer.

That would be the "overlap" part!

 

[Nynah]

Romantasy is Fantasy's Episodes 7-9. Way to ruin a genre.

They're two different genres.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

They're two different genres.

Romantasy isn't an official genre as far as I know. It's a subgenre. As far as I've seen, those books are still listed as fantasy most of the time, at least in the bookstores I frequent.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Romantasy mostly feels like YA fantasy authors trying to write grown-up to me.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Where is this supposed "cracking down on smut at the national level" stuff coming from. People are always jumping at shadows with that kind of thing.

 

[Dodola]

Where is this supposed "cracking down on smut at the national level" stuff coming from. People are always jumping at shadows with that kind of thing.

A quick Google search for "crackdown on sex websites" will answer your question.
Dozens of articles about new legislation and restrictions.