Why Erotic Book Reviewers Are Sexy

By Tina Collins

I’m in the mood for a game 🙂 How about we play word association?

The rules are simple, I choose a word and you must immediately come up with another word that is related to it.

Okay, here we go…

Erotica.

I’ll give you a couple of seconds (no longer than that).

Right…

What did you come up with?

Disgust, shame or perhaps, excitement?

There is no incorrect answer, unfortunately. Do you know what I immediately think of?

‘Acceptance’. Acceptance of an act which is the essence of who we are as a species. As I mentioned in a post on my own blog, without it we would become extinct. So why would it cause disgust?

Over the last 15 years of writing erotica attitudes towards it have not changed a bit. It is still seen as a dirty act to be hidden away under the bedclothes; never spoken of – outside of the bedroom, at least. But, there are those in the literary world, and not just the authors or publishers, who embrace erotica as if their lives depend on it.

Erotic Book Reviewers.

On one hand, they frustrate me (they are so hard to find) but on the other hand, I respect them. They do a job that many would turn their noses up at. They can experience a lot of abuse and people can jump to the wrong conclusion about them. We’re all sex-crazed, immoral beasts, don’t you know.

It happened to me, once.

Truthfully they are, in effect, very sexy people and here’s exactly why I think that:

• They Are Extremely Open-Minded. Nothing ever fazes them. For example, there are many different types of sexuality. How can they possibly be judgmental about anything else in life? I am happy to review erotica that involve acts that I would turn my nose up sexually. Maybe I’m an odd one but I don’t discriminate against genres, authors, publishing methods, etc. and I certainly do not accept a book if I don’t intend to review it. Open-minded, you see.

• They Know How To Get What They Want. I don’t just mean in bed, either! They read about sex in many different forms. Both fiction and nonfiction. They learn how it relates to, mirrors, manipulates and complements other facts of life. Love and passion are very powerful emotions.

• They Have a Wealth of Knowledge. What does reading give you? Knowledge and Insight. They know the how’s, why’s and wherefores of sex. It goes very well with the point above.

• Nothing surprises them. In erotica, there are so many subgenres (although a few of them are no-no’s), that erotic book reviewers tend to come across a lot of weird, unusual acts. We are a very experimental species and as such we don’t tend to say no without trying something first. There are a huge amount of fetishes that involve some element of sex such as ponies, master and mistresses and babies in nappies. They may not appeal to a lot of people but erotic book readers have to be prepared for everything just in case.

• They Have A Good Sense Of Humour. Well, it helps certainly. I mean, some acts in erotica that are widely acceptable can sound really funny if not written well. Incredulous, much? I won’t mention any names but one well-known erotic author really makes BDSM sound laughable because of way it’s written.

• They’re Grown-Up About Things Related to Sex. They may have a good sense of humour but you won’t find them giggling behind their hands on hearing sexual words. It’s a bit like doctors; they’ve seen and heard it all before.

So, there you have it. Erotic book reviewers, authors and publishers are extremely sexy, tolerant, non-judgemental and open-minded. They should be respected for what they do; for doing something that a lot of people wouldn’t, for one reason or another.

One other point, I’d like to mention. Erotica is often not allowed on book marketing sites, newsletters, public lists and the like. The reasons often are do with dislike, running a family orientated business, embarrassment and faith. But there is always at least one way around these problems. Don’t refuse erotica but place it in a section all of its own with a disclaimer attached. That way, you are not discriminating against it and you are supporting authors of all genres.

How about you? What do you feel about erotica? Should it be hidden away underground or embraced?