Work

I’ve been prowling around a little here lately. And what I mean by that is I’ve been checking out to see how authors with multiple works fare. Do all of their books sell well? Do one or two books sell better than others? Here’s what I’ve found out from my very informal research. Yes, it seems that when authors have many books under their belt, there are those stories that just simply seem to sell much better than others.

Take erotic author Selina Kitt, for example. She has over fifty books out for sell, and if you look at the rankings, there are some books that land low on the list, some in the middle, and some are selling like hotcakes. And I’m really not sure why that is, really. Her erotica is what I enjoy reading, yet I only have one of her books (and I got a free one not too long ago). I haven’t bought another one. Now this isn’t to slam her writing at all. Personally for me, I don’t have author loyalty, I hate to admit. I just buy books when I feel like buying them, having to be “in the mood,” more or less.

On the other hand, there are those readers who’ll purchase everything an author puts out, like Nora Roberts or John Grisham or Steven King or Anne Rice. When it comes to trilogies, some readers will purchase and read the whole series, whether they actually love the first book or not. Something compels them to buy the remainder of the story.

Then there’s E. L. James and the Fifty Shades Of Grey series. For as many who loved the trilogy, there were as many who hated it. People complained about her horrible writing, people hated the first book, yet read the rest of the work, and of course there were others who started to read the first book, and put it down with disgust, vowing to never read another one. But I’m really talking about those who bought her work anyway, whether they liked it or not. Why? Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty Trilogy is the same. As for me, I have that series, but I’ve never read another one of her books.

So maybe there is something to that author loyalty thing, or maybe readers are just persnickety, buying what attracts their attention at the moment. Perhaps it’s idle curiosity to see what the hype is all about. When I review a collection by an author, I tend to look at the title first, then the cover. I tend to go more for a title indicating there’s new twist to a set of fairy tales or a catchy title indicating some romance, perhaps. I tend to steer away from smutty titles, like “Doing Daddy’s Best Friend,” or “Doing Daddy.” “Best Smutty Stories” probably won’t get a buy from me, either. Again, for erotica, I have to be in the mood to want it, and when I buy something in this genre, I don’t mind a light, fun, lusty read. I’m looking for the sexual adventure tied up in at least some form of a storyline, but I want lots of sex. I’m a high-heat kind of gal.

How about my readers out there? What compels you to buy an author’s work? Do you buy everything an author puts out? Do you select only titles that strike your fancy? What makes you buy one story in an author’s collection, but not another? I’d love to hear from you, so drop me a line!

Okay, a funny thing happened on the way to the day job–I’ll call it work. I happened to be stopped at a traffic light and looked over to the car on my left–when what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a good living example of two of my characters in Pleasure House! I was stunned, not to mention smitten at the same time. You see, in this black car (failed to catch the make or model, but it looked nice and neat) sat a young man and woman. I couldn’t see their faces, but the backs of their heads left a lot to my immagination. They looked like they were in their twenties, and the guy had bright red hair, and his girlfriend had long blonde hair falling over her shoulders.

I sat back and chuckled to myself. Just think, Rose and Daren personified. Of course in Pleasure House, these two didn’t drive cars, but they spent time together during a few chapters in the book. In one of my posts, Getty Images Has Nothing On Me! I mentioned how difficult it was to even find good pictures of models who even remotely resembled your characters. Now, in living flesh, were two living, breathing specimens! Perhaps if I’d seen their faces I might have felt differently, but I didn’t; so I can always carry the experience with me that I saw two people who could have been my novel characters.

Just imagine what those two would have thought if they’d been told what their character likenesses did in a book such as mine! Oh, the blushes–not to mention some squirming, I believe. I wonder who dominates who between the two? Do they practice the kinky stuff behind closed doors? What’s the kinkiest or naughtiest stuff they’ve ever done? Believe it or not, I have not obsessed over those last questions. I only thought of them now as I write this post.

What about you other writers out there? Have you ever seen who could have been your characters in your writings? If so, I’d like to hear about it. What was it like to experience that? Was it good for you too? Well, that question was uncalled for, but I couldn’t resist! As far as how it was for me–it made me smile. I still think about that couple, wondering where they were headed off to, what they had planned for the day. Were they dating, married? What part of town were they from? In this modern day and age, what did the female do for a living? Were they both going to a college?

The modern gentleman and his lady–whatever she is to him–were different from the couple in my book. The young girl is now living in an age where she has choices, rights, and cannot be hauled off to the local insane asylum just because she wants to exert her rights or explore her sexuality or sex in general. She won’t be called a hussy or slut because she’s with a male unchaperoned. Heck, she could be living with her flaming red-headed companion for all we know.

The bottom line is, those two beautiful, real creatures live a totally different lifestyle this day and age than Rose and Daren did in my novel. And as for me, I’m glad I caught a brief glimpse of them, even for just a few seconds before we all three headed of into the morning sun.

The Pick Of The Litter: Authors and Multiple Works

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To . . . Work!