Discussing Excerpt Five | Marketing Mondays

One of the problems with writing Erotic Science Fiction is the fact that many potential readers assume the focus is on the erotic elements rather than the underlying science fiction and general plot. To try and overcome this perception, I’ve started posting excerpts from my books that highlight some of non-erotic elements to show characters and conflicts that hopefully appeal to the more mainstream readers. These excerpts will be shared on Mondays and I’ve created a tag “MarketingMondays” to track the postings.

As the excerpts run, I’ll watch sales numbers and see if they are helping.

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My fifth posted excerpt was for subscribers only since it covered one of the explicit scenes from Cosimo, a Families of the Empire Story . I debated whether to include a spicy scene in my MarketingMonday’s effort, since I realize it could be off-putting to some readers. Also, by making it available only to subscribers, it’s unlikely to have sufficient reach to improve sales.

So, why did I do it?

A couple of reasons. The excerpt is the opening scene from chapter seven of the book. This chapter was first published online as a stand-alone short story entitled “Seventh Day”. It won the Short Erotic Story of the Year 2023 in a reader based competition. I was surprised the story was nominated for the Clitorides competition, let alone that it won its category.

I also think that a lot of the erotic science fiction being published recently is focused much more on the female point of view. That may be due to the target audience those authors are trying to reach or it could be something else, but this scene and book is written from Cosimo’s point of view. As such, it tries to portray a man’s view of the sexual acts described. Your own reactions to Cosimo’s feelings and thoughts may differ.

Finally, this chapter is pivotal for the characters’ development as it addresses Lexi’s family’s involuntary indenture and her father’s arrest for treason, a crime punishable by death in their culture. It also explores Cosimo’s perspective on his family’s role in the empire and their responsibilities in dealing with crime.

I’ll forgo my standard FAQ format for this discussion, since the obvious questions are answered in the prior chapter of the book, or within the remainder of this chapter. I encourage you to read the story and judge for yourselves. Cosimo is available on Amazon, as well as Smashwords and other ebook channels.

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