Advertising Erotic Romance

Have you ever tried to run an AMS ad for an erotic romance? It's not easy. First, your cover can't be suggestive in any way. No couples in bed or looking as if they are about to rip each other's clothes off. Oh, and your blurb...make sure there are no mentions of 'alpha' males or 'Dominance' or 'submission'. But that's just Amazon.

Marketing anything remotely sexy comes with it's pitfalls. And the sexier it is, the more of a challenge it becomes.

 

I've tried to market my stories, even the tamer ones, on Amazon, but they always get rejected. If not for the cover, then for the blurb.

 

Of course, I could always use a different cover or tweak my blurb, and sometimes that's a feasible option. Sometimes it's not.

 

The last thing you want is to attract the wrong readers to your story. Your cover and your blurb should let the reader know what to expect. A cover photo of a couple holding hands doesn't exactly scream sexy book with explicit content.

 

Amazon isn't the only advertising platform that has restrictions when it comes to sexy books. Facebook is another platform that makes authors jump through hoops in order to run ads. While they are a bit more lenient on the covers themselves, they will still sometimes reject them on the initial submission. 

 

But it isn't the cover that will usually get you on Facebook. It's the background photo. Again, you're setting a mood to let readers know what to expect when they pick up your book. However, Facebook is as strict as Amazon when it comes to background pictures. No couples in bed, not even a steamy embrace.

 

With all these obstetrical, what are erotic romance authors to do?

 

First, have a newsletter. There is no greater marketing tool than a newsletter full of readers that enjoy the types of books you write.

 

There are a few effective ways to build your newsletter. Just adding random names or getting involved in blanket promos to gain subscribers isn't a great way to go about it.

 

1) Write a newsletter magnet. This is often a short story or novella, but it doesn't have to be. As long as you're willing to give it away for free in exchange for a newsletter sign up, it will work. However, in order to get the biggest bang for your buck, it should also tie into your books.

 

My newsletter magnet is the prequel to my Serpent's Kiss series, Welcome to Serpent's Kiss. It's a 12K story that introduces readers to the club, the club mistress, and some of the club members...including Beth and Drew, the couple featured in the first novel of the series, Burning for Her Kiss. 

 

The story can be purchased on retail sites, but readers can get it for free if they sign up for my newsletter. And the best part is you can advertise this reader magnet on your website, in groups, and even through Facebook Ads.

 

2) Join Promos. I know I just said don't join random promos and that's true, but targeted promos are another thing entirely and Bookfunnel is a great, and cheap, way to do it.

 

Depending on the features you want, Bookfunnel costs anywhere from $100-$150 a year and with that you get a lot. When it comes to building your newsletter lists, there are group promos you can join that are filtered by genre and trope. There are also newsletter swaps you can join with authors who write in the same heat level and genre in order to find new readers.

 

There are other ways besides your newsletter to advertise your books even if write erotic romance. Bookbub Ads and newsletter aggregators such as Freebooksy and The Fussy Librarian are a few. But by far the most cost effective way to advertise, erotic romance or not, is through  your own newsletter.