Sensual attraction, passion, niches, and why the 'market', hacks and sales tricks don't matter as much as your authentic and personal erotic libido
Rule #2: Your Truth Is Your Superpower
When I asked thirty erotic authors to tell me about their career high point, I expected to hear about chart toppers. About the day they hit No.1 on Amazon, or the month they finally went full-time, or the review from a big blog that sent their sales soaring.
I heard some of those. But the answers that came up most often, and most passionately, were about a single message from a reader. Just one. Something they hadn’t expected. Something that reminded them why they were doing this at all.
The Email That Changes Everything
Writing erotica is, as Sophie Pert puts it, “a bit of an isolating career at times, because you’re basically sitting in a room all by yourself silently typing on a keyboard.” You release a book into the world. You watch the sales numbers go up and down. You work on the next one. And then, one day, an email arrives.
“To know that there are people out there who read and enjoy my work reminds me that I’m not just silently shouting into the void.”
Sophie Pert
Sophie described one particular afternoon when the single person who knows her pen name, her most trusted reader, settled in to read one of her novels. Sophie was in a nearby room. She heard them laugh. She heard them cry. She heard them read the entire novel, cover to cover, without stopping, because they couldn’t put it down.
“I heard them laugh. I heard them cry. I heard them read the whole thing, a full-length novel, cover to cover without stopping on a lazy afternoon because they couldn’t put it down… They loved it and I felt like I was on cloud nine for weeks afterwards.”
Sophie Pert
Weeks. Not hours. Weeks.
Why Erotic Fiction Readers Write In
The readers of erotic fiction, particularly of niche, gender-bending, transformation and LGBTQ+ themed erotica, are not a passive audience. They are often people who have searched for a long time for stories that speak to who they are or who they want to be. When they find those stories, they feel it deeply. And sometimes they write in to say so.
“The first message I got from someone telling me my books had helped them ‘accept themselves’ and explore who they were in a positive, mindful way, really touched me.”
Keary Hayes
“It fills my heart to think that I’ve created something that has a positive impact on someone’s life.”
Kenzie McKay, trans author and transgender romance specialist
Kenzie McKay writes explicitly for trans people and gender-diverse readers who she knows “can have challenging lives at times.” She wants to give them “a temporary escape from those difficulties and a hope that things can be better.” That is not just entertainment. That is care. And readers feel it, and they write in to say so.
“I’ve had a few people tell me that my books gave them the courage to embrace their inner self and, really, I can’t think of a higher compliment than that. I don’t know if my silly little books are really worth all that, but it’s lovely to hear that people think they are.”
Sophie Pert
Silly little books. Courage to embrace their inner self. That is a remarkable gap between how an author sees their work and what that work can mean to a reader.
“My Latest High Point”
Jennifer Sweet gives perhaps the most elegant answer on this subject. When I asked about career high points, she said simply that each time she gets a review or email from someone saying they loved a book, it “becomes my latest high point.” Not the biggest high point. Not the most recent. The latest. Because there will be another one. And another after that. The reader connection is not a milestone — it is a continuous, renewable source of joy.
“I absolutely love hearing from my readers. Each and every email I receive really makes my day.”
Madison McCall, international bestselling author
“I love it. I get a vast amount of emails and it’s always fun and fascinating to hear from them. It’s always fun to talk about the stories and hear their takes on things, and it’s really interesting to hear about their lives. It’s also really fascinating when I hear from people in countries I never expected.”
Ann Michelle
That last detail from Ann Michelle is delightful: being surprised by the geography of your readership. The specific emotional corner that your stories occupy turns out to be inhabited by people everywhere, in places you never imagined.
The Business Case for Reader Engagement
Beyond the emotional value, reader engagement is also genuinely useful for the business of writing. Several authors mentioned that readers had inspired new stories, new series, or new directions they hadn’t considered.
“Sometimes they suggest fantasies or ideas and I try to include these in future stories.”
Charlie Quinn
“Yes… when they’re saying something nice! It can be very helpful too. I don’t take commissions, but several of my stories have been inspired by a reader’s suggestion.”
Madeline Dusk
Anna Ritter is particularly open to reader dialogue, she loves “discussing my stories and fantasies” with readers, whether they’re offering feedback, sharing ideas, or requesting commissions. This is a living, breathing creative relationship, not a one-way broadcast.
And Sadie Thatcher, who has published over 400 titles and has a very businesslike approach to authorship, is clear: “I love hearing from readers. When someone likes one of my books and chooses to tell me about it, it definitely helps stroke my ego. But hearing from readers also helps me better develop my craft and story ideas.”
When Feedback Is Hard to Hear
Not every reader email is a love letter. A few authors mentioned the complexity of reader feedback, particularly the unsolicited and occasionally boundary-crossing variety. Nikki Crescent noted, with characteristic dry wit, that she could do without “the unsolicited photos of readers attempting to insert melons and gourds into their rectal cavities.” Which is, I think, fair.
Sadie Thatcher acknowledged that one reader had crossed a boundary she had set a new experience for her, but it had not stopped her from engaging with readers more broadly, because the value of that connection far outweighs the occasional awkward moment.
The consensus is that reader engagement, done on your terms, with clear boundaries, as one of the greatest joys of being an erotic author. It is also, not incidentally, how you build the kind of loyal readership that sustains a career.
These Stories Are Not Just Hot. They Help People.
I want to end this post with the thing that struck me most across all thirty interviews: the profound underestimation that erotic authors often have of their own work’s impact.
Author after author described their books as “silly little stories” or “just smut” or “nothing special”, and then described reader messages that spoke of self-acceptance, of courage, of finally feeling seen. Vanessa Lockridge wants her readers to “leave any shame and anxiety behind them when they read.” Kenzie McKay writes happy endings because “we all deserve that.”
“There’s really never been anything like putting out something that started as being for me and realising I was connecting with — and entertaining — others. I’m deeply humbled.”
M.L. Paige
That humility is touching. But I’d like to push back on it, gently. These books are not silly. For many readers, they are the only place where a particular part of themselves is reflected back at them with warmth, pleasure, and acceptance. That matters. It matters enormously. And every author in this community should know it.
The Bottom Line: What This Means for You
- Engage with your readers. Set up a newsletter, reply to emails, be present on at least one social platform.
- When a reader reaches out, read carefully — they are often telling you what to write next.
- Don’t underestimate the impact of your work. For some readers, your stories are genuinely life-changing.
- Set clear limits around reader contact so that engagement remains a joy, not a burden.
- Let reader connection refuel you when the writing feels hard. It’s one of the purest reasons to keep going.
If you’re new to Jenny’s writing series, start with Rule #1: Write What Makes YOU Hot, or read real stories from her crossdresser community in the 2025 Community Survey.
The Complete Guide: All Ten Posts
- Introduction to the series.
Where the data came from and what you can learn as erotic author. - Rule #1 Write What Makes YOU Hot
On passion, niches, and why following your own desire is the only reliable compass. - Rule #2 Write Your Truth
And How One Reader Email Can Change Your Whole Day, Or Your Whole Life.
This list will be updated as new posts go online.
I live for all things feminine—stockings, heels, scarlet nails, and above all, the intoxicating touch of another woman. A translesbian muse and unapologetic hedonist, I share my most divine and wicked misadventures in words and now as a podcaster too. All gurls welcome. You are gorgeous. Just like me. xxx
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