Here's a first pass -- what do you think? Does this make you want to support the book? Good, bad, terrible? Cut it all and start over? Lord.
(And if I haven't said it before, thanks. Thanks to all the folks who have been giving me feedback on the project all day. Appreciated!!!)
Hi! I'm Mary Anne Mohanraj, and I'd like to tell you about my new book project. It'll be a collection of new erotic fiction, linked short stories that fit together to tell a larger story. It's set in a strange, faraway place, amid people who might not always look like the people you're used to. And while every story will have its sexy moments, the stories may not always be about sex. They'll be about family, and history, and memory. They'll be about food, because food can be awfully sexy. Sometimes the stories will be about love, and sometimes they might be about hate. I hope these stories will make you fall in love, a little bit. I know that's what I want when I read fiction -- to meet people so real, you could fall for them.
I've been missing erotica-- I wrote it for ten years, and then stepped sideways into grad school, mainstream lit., several moves across country and state, a partner, two children and a dog. I might technically be bi, but there hasn't been a lot of time for sex in the last few years -- when the kids were babies, I would tell people that my sexual orientation was 'tired.'
But I'm actualy getting to sleep again now, the spark is returning, the twinkle in the eye, and I think I can remember what it actually means to turn someone on with just your words. I'd like to try. If this project gets funded, the money will go straight into extra childcare so I can write for a few more hours every week, and maybe sleep a little later in the mornings, dreaming of sexy things.
The list of my credentials is long, including ten previous books and a scattering of awards. If you're interested in the details, please check me out on Wikipedia, or visit my home page and read my journal, which has the odd honor of being one of the five oldest on the internet. I know, I can't quite believe it either, but the Online Diary History Project says it's true. Come by, visit, say hi.
I've written a lot of erotica, a fair bit of mainstream lit, and a little science fiction and fantasy. My last book was translated into six languages, and at least one story has been print published about half a million times, last I checked. If you'd like to read it, it's titled "Seven Cups of Water," and you can read it for free on my site. Two girls, a string of hot nights, and yes, a little chili powder. Enjoy.
I think you’re missing the sell. Why should this book exist? Aren’t there books like this already? No? Then tell me about that.
Hm. I think the main sell is you like my writing, and you wish I’d write more erotica. I’m not sure there is more of a sell than that. Am I missing something?
I think this is a good start but I agree with Lori. The sell (imho) is that there isn’t enough smokin hot erotica featuring diverse characters, and you’ve got a proven track record of creating it, you were one of the first smut writers to publish off the internet, and now that you’ve come out of these life changes, you’re ready to do it again and here’s what you need to do it.
Then give a taste of the hotness, let us feel it a bit — this pitch is missing the real sensual call. I want it to make me WANT the collection! Is there maybe a working title, a concept, a character you can share? Or maybe a sample from a past story? Get people a little wet for it, no?
If you do a video, how about reading a steamy passage as an intro to talking about the project?
Also right now there are a few too many qualifiers, it feels very tentative, i.e.: “I think I can remember what it actually means to turn someone on with just your words. I’d like to try.” This makes it feel not very real, like funding a writerly experiment that might not really lead anywhere. You’re prolific and hardworking and talented enough that if you try, you will DO, so just say you’re going to do, no?
Finally, I do question if folks are going to want to pay for you to sleep in. That might be a little TOO honest. 🙂 Childcare for writing hours seems totally fundable. Extra dream time, hmm, I’m not sure. (But if it works, what a wonderful precedent you’d be setting!)
Thirded.
Another aspect of the sell is “what’s in it for me, the benefactor?” As written, this amounts to “send me money so I can write,” rather than, say, “send me money in return for a copy of a book I will write for you, and here’s a taste of what you’ll be getting…”