Naughty Professor

I’m so pleased that I’m able to publish this novella on Kindle! This is the original version of one of the seven stories in Bedtime Erotica for Men. It’s longer than the version in the book and contains the gay sex scenes I edited out just before publishing the book. I thought it unlikely that gay men would read the book and all the straight men I asked said that they wouldn’t read the story in its original form. While some of them may have given me true responses (I’m almost sure that my boyfriend spoke the truth), I think that asking them face-to-face was not the best way to go about it. Straight men will not generally admit to reading gay erotica, unlike straight women who will not only admit to reading lesbian erotica but will let you know just how much it turned them on!

This is my preferred version, but I’m not sure what my fans will make of it. If anyone reads both versions please let me know if I did the right thing in not publishing this version in the book. I had hoped to publish it for free on Kindle, but Amazon allows only large publishers to publish free content. So, I have priced it at the lowest possible price of £0.86 on Amazon UK and $1.33 on Amazon US (both prices are inclusive of VAT).

Kindle

There have been several heated debates in Kindle forums about the pricing of eBooks. Some writers feel that they have worked too hard to sell their books below their true worth. Some claim that readers assume that eBooks priced at $2.99 and below are substandard. Some have even reported a drop in sales when they have lowered prices, yet others claim that they have sold significantly more at reduced prices and as a result have accrued greater royalties. It’s a debate that will rage on for a good while yet and I’m not sure that the outcome will be conclusive.

As a writer what I want most is for people to read and enjoy my writing. If pricing my eBooks at $2.99 gives me a larger readership then I’m happy! I’ve never been able to price my paperbacks at exactly the price I wanted due to printing, publishing and distribution costs – Kindle is the first chance I’ve had to do so. These prices won’t stay lowered forever, so if you are thinking of getting one of my books this might be the time to do so. And as always, please download a sample first as my raw writing style may not be to your taste.

Coming Out

When I completed my first romance manuscript in 2005 there was nothing I desired more than a contract with a publisher and to earn enough to write for a living. I thank God every day that my query letter and synopsis were rejected by the major publisher to whom I had sent them. I love the freedom that self-publishing has given me. And though, sadly, I have to still work for a living, I’m making enough to put towards a wonderful retirement even if I’m never able to become a full-time writer.

Using a pseudonym severely limits my marketing potential – most of my friends have no idea that I write much less than I have published books. I have toyed with the idea of ‘coming out’ and aggressively promoting my books, but the urge fades almost as soon as it surfaces. The main reason for staying anonymous is that I would like to reserve my true identity for the literary works I hope to write in future.