One of the most important parts of writing erotica is the research process. If you can research trending erotica niches, you’ll be able to strike gold.
But that’s easier said than done. How do you find these trending niches?
Well, today is your lucky day because I’m going to let you in on a secret that I rarely share with everyone!
This strategy is simple to execute, but can be time consuming. However if you’re willing to put the time in, you’ll get a big advantage over other authors who skip this step.
So strap in and let’s get started 🙂
Step 1: Identify Great Authors!
One of the best ways to identify trending niches is to follow top authors – and by this, I mean follow them CLOSELY!
Read their books, join their email list, and see what they are doing with their marketing, etc.
A lot of people skip this process and it really shows in their story content.
But how do you find successful authors?
Well, here’s my process to identifying them. And this is SUPER important because you don’t want to read books written by authors who haven’t made good money.
You want to follow BLACK belts…not WHITE belts!
Alright, here goes…
First, I’ll search for books various niches and click on a bunch of them from the first 10 – 15 pages on the Amazon search results.Â
Pay close attention to any that really “jump” out to you – as customers will notice them too. This could be something like a cool cover or a nice title that really draws your attention.
Step 2: Snoop Around!
After I have opened up all these tabs, I’ll read the book descriptions and look at the best sellers rankings.
How are the book descriptions? Do they really make you want to buy the book? Or do they put you to sleep?
Next, check the Amazon best sellers ranking for the book.
Ideally I want to see the book under a 150,000 best sellers raking at the $2.99 price point.
After that I’ll look at the author profile on their author central page.
Then, I’ll take a look at their other books. If their book covers look professionally designed that’s a really good sign.
And of course, I will look at the other books they have published. I’ll also make a mental note of how many books they have published and if they are still an active author.
I define “active” if they have published anything within the past 2 – 3 weeks.
One way I judge their success is based on the number of books they have released and the search rankings of those books.
I like authors who consistently have a ton of books under a 100,000 best sellers ranking.
In terms of catalog depth, the more the better. I like to see authors with at least 15 – 20 or more books under the belt.
And if I have someone who matches those criteria, I bookmark their author central page and then start reading their books.
Step 3: Read Their Content!
Okay this third part is probably the most labor intensive.
But hey, if they are a good author at least their content should be somewhat entertaining!
What you want to do is read a couple of their books (at least 3 – 4 of them).
Read them from start to finish.
Try to identify why you think they are successful. And try to see how their books have evolved in terms of themes, writing style, niche/fetish, etc. throughout time.
Also, pay close attention to how their backmatter is structured and anything new an innovative you haven’t seen before.
Further, if they have a website snoop on it. And if they have an email list, sign up – they may give you more insight into how they operate.
And be sure to read all of the emails they send out on that last. Hopefully they are active on that list so you can see how they operate.
Research Trending Erotica Niches: Final Thoughts
Well, that’s it! That’s my 3 step process for identifying new niches and finding good authors to follow.
Overall, researching trending erotica niches and finding great authors to follow is an important part of the money making process.
Remember, good artists copy, but GREAT artists steal!
This search process is super important in your research because reading books by other successful authors will give you an idea of what readers expect of you (in terms of book quality and story content).
Hopefully this quick little guide helps you on your self publishing journey.
Readers, do you have anything to add that you think I missed? Let me know in the comments below!