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Interesting phenomenon in book trends

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BrindleChase
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So I thought I might pose this question about erotic romance and erotica.

Currently, the highest sales figures are still with traditionally printed massmarket paperback books and in erotic romance, this is dominated by straight M/F stories, although its dominance it weakening every day.

But in eBooks, through publishers like Ellora's Cave, Loose Id, Samhain, Siren/Bookstrand, Breathless Press, Ravenous Romance, Liquid Silver Publishing, Phaze and many many more... the top sellers are M/M (not to be confused with gay fiction) and M/F/M menage (which is different than F/M/M)... Straight M/F still does well, but F/F does not (which I thought was strange, but the statistics prove its true)... Additionally, they've noticed that their readers are 75% or more female.

So what's going on? Why is M/M and M/F/M surging up through the ranks? Any theories?

paranormal • erotic • romance
www.forlorn-hope.net
Guest
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I know a MFM menage is a fantasy for many females, judging by polls and questions we've had here. It puzzles me why F/F isn't surging more, though. Maybe women would rather experience it than read about it.
BrindleChase
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Quote by roccotool
I know a MFM menage is a fantasy for many females, judging by polls and questions we've had here. It puzzles me why F/F isn't surging more, though. Maybe women would rather experience it than read about it.


Right. Same as many guys fantasize about two women... but I wonder why M/F/M is more hot right now, compared to F/M/M (the diffence is that in M/F/M, the female is not the central character and both men are bisexual. In F/M/M, the female is the central character and the males are not necessarily bisexual)

I know alot of straight women who are curious, and alot of women who a bisexual, and alot of women who are lesbian, so I was surprised that F/F isn't doing better.

paranormal • erotic • romance
www.forlorn-hope.net
nicola
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Very interesting Brindle. Where do you get those stats from?
BrindleChase
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Quote by nicola
Very interesting Brindle. Where do you get those stats from?



It wasn't easy and I won't claim them to be completely accurate except in generalizations. Part of it comes from editors and publishers I know personally/or virtually and have talked about this subject. They are intrigued as to why too, but unlike me, they simply are marketing on it to the best of their ability. Why ask why, right? Additionally, I've been watching the top sellers lists of all the ePubs I know. Now that I'm signed with a few of them, I've been curious about where my stories might fit. Then there are sites like EREC, which shows sales comparisons as reported by authors, between different ePublishers. Combined with articles from the RWA and RT and even Harlequin has chimed in, all talking about the unexpected sales from M/M erotic romance. Please note, this is not gay romance or gay erotic romance. its M/M which is different. Its written by and for heterosexual females, not for gay men, and you can tell the difference in most of it. Some of its well written, you'd be surprised it wasnt a gay male author. But I digress...

Anyways, my data comes from over a hundred sources, none of it containing real hard numbers, but I've had enough authors, agents and publishers all say M/M and M/F/M menage is hot right now. But no one seems to know why.

paranormal • erotic • romance
www.forlorn-hope.net
nicola
Matriarch
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To get to the bottom of it, you'd need to do a reader poll.

Perhaps it's the Brokeback Mountain effect in action. The wider acceptance of "alternative" lifestyles in mainstream cinema / media? Gay marriages, the internet.

The M/M figures do really surprise me though. Maybe it has something to do with the fact they are eBooks - people don't have to go to the store where they might be embarrassed picking up books in a certain genre, they can just download them without anyone knowing about it.
PirateKitty
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Quote by BrindleChase
Quote by roccotool
I know a MFM menage is a fantasy for many females, judging by polls and questions we've had here. It puzzles me why F/F isn't surging more, though. Maybe women would rather experience it than read about it.


Right. Same as many guys fantasize about two women... but I wonder why M/F/M is more hot right now, compared to F/M/M (the diffence is that in M/F/M, the female is not the central character and both men are bisexual. In F/M/M, the female is the central character and the males are not necessarily bisexual)

I know alot of straight women who are curious, and alot of women who a bisexual, and alot of women who are lesbian, so I was surprised that F/F isn't doing better.


Isn't MFM where the female's the center? And both guys have her and not each other? FMM is with the bisexual males.
Eutopia
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M/M or as it's know hardcore little weeaboo's "Yaoi" is all the rage in the teenage female age-group; anyone who's anyone is into it. I published a series of short stories based on a friends two gay male characters. They've recieved more views, comments and what-not then any story I've written before. It's just the new "in thing." I, personally, put it down to curiosity that drives that beast. Women don't have prostate, after-all.