We've got zombies and space operas--

[helgaleena]

Over at Dark Roast Press, we specialize in erotic romance, but we also have fine paranormal and Science fiction titles with little to no sex.

I am even now polishing the upcoming epic of the alternate world Terah, BOUND BY BLOOD by C H Harris. For your holiday chills, try UPRISING by Chris Newman, or snicker through SHE of the FORBIDDEN ZONE by Nera Ragno.

Or if you enjoy a little sex with your sci-fi, try the work of Tyree Kimber, Angelia Sparrow, or JC Natal. Paranormal? That would be Chris Newman and Jesse Fox...

Helgaleena writes Star Wars fanfic, but she's learning to be more original by editing the products of our authors' fine minds.

 

[Kevin]

Howdy!

Sci-fi for the 'adult' crowd is a niche market, but I know several online friends who enjoy it.

Do you see the market oriented more towards women over men or is it pretty evened out?

 

[helgaleena]

I would say the patron saint of our 'niche market' is Piers Anthony, and he's also a staunch supporter of e-publishing. He was available through Venus Press until they went under. Now he's at Phaze. Since technically we are grouped under romance and erotica, the huge popular genre that sells overall more than pure sci-fi, we hope to cash in on that more feminine market.

That does not mean the stories lose anything in intellectual rigor! Take my role model Catherine Asaro's works. She's a physics Phd. and never lets you forget it; though the erotica is the main story focus, it would not work without the science underpinning her universe.

At Dark Roast many of us started out in fanfiction. Me, it was Star Wars. George Lucas is so ******ed about social relationships and writes them so badly that our revisions screamed to be made. Yes you may now throw the 'bantha eggs' -- I didn't say he couldn't write myth. Obviously he can and we subscribe in our millions to it. The romance of existence is what we celebrate, no matter how outlandish or extreme its forms, as it is what makes our stories worth telling.

 

[astonwest]

Do you see the market oriented more towards women over men or is it pretty evened out?

I've personally witnessed erotica itself being mostly a for-the-women market. I haven't dabbled or tried the sci-fi versions, and really have no basis for a guess...but would have to figure that it would be a bigger hit with the guys.

But then, most of them are probably too busy searching for free stuff to be buying it.

Maybe I'm missing out on a niche market...

 

[Ghost Of Gernsback]

I've personally witnessed erotica itself being mostly a for-the-women market. I haven't dabbled or tried the sci-fi versions, and really have no basis for a guess...but would have to figure that it would be a bigger hit with the guys.

But then, most of them are probably too busy searching for free stuff to be buying it.

Maybe I'm missing out on a niche market...

Back in the good old days erotic science fiction was called slash fiction. A suprising amount of it was written by women and read by them. Most of it could never be published because the authors borrowed from mainstream universes, such as Star Trek, Blake 7 etc

 

[helgaleena]

Exactly, Ghost. Though we have male and female authors at our press, the founders are 'crossovers' from the world of fanfiction. We got original.

Slash is generally about two characters from some canon or other paired up with a / in between their names. Some like it to include all stories with sex, some whether the characters are merely involved socially (genfic) and some are so picky that they think it should be only used for male-male hookups. I think that was because the oldest known examples (circulated by mimeograph, good grief!) involved Kirk and Spock.

Fanfiction often involves other genres than sci-fi, such as long-running TV series or big box films or those damn Japanese animations where their mouths don't work properly. (throw the sushi now, go ahead...)