KOCHI: Throughout the history of printing, erotic writing and illustrations were often banned or censored. Erotic books were published clandestinely, produced cheaply, and hidden behind false publishers’ names and printing locations. Even today, large book publishers and online booksellers catering to mass markets restrict what they consider erotic content from their authors and illustrators, regardless of the genre.
Ironically, Romance/Erotica has long been the highest-selling genre, surpassing others like Self-Help, Mystery, Thriller/Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. Everyone has heard of Stephen King, yet the Horror genre generates only $80 million annually compared to Romance/Erotica, which brings in over $1.5 billion!
After World War II, the romance genre evolved to reflect cultural norms. The 1950s featured virginal heroines who limited themselves to kisses. By the ’60s, romance grew more heated. In the ’90s, heroines had sexual pasts and weren’t ashamed of them. By 2000, erotic romance incorporated elements of mystery, suspense, sci-fi, and more. A storyline featuring sex and a billionaire male protagonist became a surefire seller.
No one anticipated the success of Fifty Shades of Grey. Originally written in 2010 as a piece of Twilight fan fiction and posted online, it eventually sold over 100 million copies, taking erotica mainstream. But women didn’t just read erotica in large numbers—they also wrote it. In the aftermath of Fifty Shades, a cottage industry emerged around self-published romance novels. Many women who once lived paycheck-to-paycheck are now New York Times bestselling authors with their own merchandise lines and die-hard fans.
The documentary Naughty Books follows three such women: an Air Force vet, a telemarketer, and a hospital administrator who became millionaires in under a year by using pen names to sell erotica online. They garnered thousands of fans and secured lucrative book deals with major publishing houses. However, the market quickly became saturated, with hundreds of romance novels published every month, making sustained success difficult to achieve.
Anais Nin is often hailed by critics as one of the finest writers of female erotica. She was the first prominent woman writer in the modern West to fully explore the realm of erotica. Nin initially considered the characters in her erotica to be extreme caricatures and never intended the work to be published, but she changed her mind in the early 1970s. Driven by the need for money, she allowed them to be published as Delta of Venus and Little Birds. Her enduring set of lurid stories is guaranteed to seduce anyone. It’s no surprise that Nin’s work directly inspired Madonna when she wrote the text for her 1992 photo book Sex.
Two books whose covers are as sensational as their content are Tampa by Alissa Nutting (2013) and Inside Madeleine by Paula Bomer (2014). Nutting’s controversial book is about a female paedophile—a teacher who seduces an underage student. But what’s so engaging about Tampa is its acutely observed portrayal of intense female obsession, a brilliant twist on Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert. Bomer’s stories are honest and fearless.
From sexual kink to the power of menstruation, the author delves deeply into the human body and all the pleasures and pains it holds. Other contemporary erotic bestsellers include Audrey Carlan’s Calendar Girl and Trinity series, Anna Todd’s After series, and Sylvia Day’s Crossfire novels. I remember reading pirated copies of Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden in college—an analysis of the sexual fantasies of both women and men in the ’70s and ’80s. Now, I’m looking forward to reading Gillian Anderson’s Want, a collection of anonymous sexual fantasies of women from around the world!
A recent study of what motivates readers of this genre cites erotic pleasure, sexual arousal, and the pleasure of online exchanges with other readers. According to mental health and sexuality educator Sarah Jane, reading sexy books or arousing material can help shift your stress or anxiety into positive emotions, like feeling excited and hot instead of scared or overwhelmed. I’m no expert in this genre, but I’ll acknowledge that I have read some quality erotica over the years!
(The writer’s views are personal)