The Smutlancers

Author: Kayla Lords

purple image asking about imposter syndrome 2

Erotic Authors / Freelancers / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Smutlancer Life

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I kidding? I’m not a…” Fill in the blank: real writer, good writer, good enough to get paid, don’t know what I’m talking about. What about this one? “One day they’re all going to figure out I’m a fraud.” Assuming you’re not actually committing fraud, let me guess. You received praise. Someone was kind to you. Your boss showed appreciation. You impressed someone. You, my friend, are likely suffering from Imposter Syndrome. Some call it insecurity or anxiety, but it’s a pervasive belief that you’re not smart enough, good enough, talented enough, or...

sex writer keyboard to help build relationships with adult companies 2

Freelancers / Making Money / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers

How to Build Relationships with Adult Companies

So you want to make money writing about sex, through your blog, or by selling a ton of erotic fiction, right?  Welcome to the smut club! Most, if not all of us, start writing because we have thoughts we want to express, views to share, or words floating around in our brains we need to get out. When you write online and can get near immediate feedback, it’s not long before you realize you want more. Is this a potential career? Is there money to be made? The answer is: Maybe, if you work for it. You already know you...

blue sign about how to build relationships with readers on sex blog 0

Erotic Authors / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Smutlancer Life

How to Build Relationships with Your Readers

Relationships matter in everything we do. Without good working relationships, day jobs are miserable. A bad relationship – romantic, parental, friend – wreaks havoc on our confidence and mental health. The rapport you build with people can open up new opportunities in life, make connections with strangers, and move your goals forward. Writing about sex is inherently personal. When you build relationships with your readers, you create a connection that can change lives. Once you decide that you want to take your ability to write and connect and turn it into income, relationship building becomes even more important. Without readers,...

purple square to teach writers that relationships build audiences 5

Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Smutlancer Life

Why Relationships Matter as a Sex Blogger and Writer

The online world is a strange place. You can be whoever you want to be. Use a sexy avatar that looks nothing like you. Create a fake name. Say you’re from anywhere in the world. Anonymity is (mostly) yours if you want it. Even as sex bloggers and writers, we can be whoever we want to be. Some writers personify their characters. Others create entire personalities out of nothing but their deepest desires. It’s hard to know who’s real and who isn’t. All we have, as writers, are our words and our deeds. I feel fairly confident in saying we’ve...

Turquoise keyboard says adult content for a sex blog 2

Blogging / Erotic Authors / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers

Why You Really Need a Blog, Even If It’s Not a Sex Blog

To blog or not to blog, that is the question for so many writers. Of course, the inverse of that for sex bloggers is “to pitch or not to pitch.” When you’ve already got a sex blog, you wonder if you’re “qualified” to pitch ideas to websites or charge for your writing. When you write for publications or publish books, you wonder if you really have anything to say in a blog. Or, said another way, do you really need a sex blog? Does anyone need a sex blog? Well, some of us will tell you it keeps us sane,...

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Freelancers / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Smutlancer Life

Writing for Free vs. Getting Paid for Your Work

In the world of creativity, many writers – of any and all genres – have to fight tooth and nail to squeeze money out of companies who don’t “budget for content.” It’s frustrating and, most of the time, it devalues the very hard and very real work that writers do. When it comes to sex writing, this is one of those constant problems that can leave some writers demoralized and dejected. Because so many of us blog about our personal sex lives or the sexy fantasies in our head without ever receiving compensation for our time and effort, some companies...

Purple background that says writing about sex isn't easy money 4

Erotic Authors / Freelancers / Making Money / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers

Writing About Sex Isn’t Easy Money, No Matter What Anyone Says

Back in 2015, when I decided that maybe writing about sex was a legitimate career choice (spoiler alert: it totally is), I did the only thing I could think of. I Googled “how to make money writing about sex.” Big mistake. My results were filled with articles of “legitimate” writers who decided they’d try this whole erotica thing out for themselves. Some said they made a few pennies. Others said that for an hour of work, they made a few hundred dollars. Most of the “advice” I read centered on the idea that writing about sex is a joke, no...

Do You Need a Pen Name if You Write About Sex? 10

Erotic Authors / Freelancers / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Smutlancer Life

Do You Need a Pen Name as a Sex Writer?

The question of whether you should select a pen name (or pseudonym) tends to be a topic left most often to erotic authors. Of course, they aren’t the only ones who need to consider it. When I started my blog, I chose one because I wanted to write about my sexuality and experiences freely. The last thing I wanted was to have my innermost sexual thoughts found out by a potential employer or my mom. If you don’t have a sex blog or an erotic writing career (yet), you may be wondering if you need a pen name. The decision...

Keeping Your Writing Ideas Organized 2

Smutlancer Life

Organizing All Your Writing Ideas

It doesn’t matter what kind of writing you do – personal blog posts, freelancing, or fiction – when the ideas start flowing, life is good. Until, of course, those ideas flow like water through your hands. I can’t be the only writer who’s ever thought she had a brilliant idea only to forget it the next day because I said, “I don’t need to write this down.” Yeah right. Amazing ideas have come and gone for me, and it only took a few times before I realized I had to organize my writing ideas – and fast. Don’t Rely on...

Submitting Pitches to Websites 2

Freelancers / Making Money

How to Pitch Your Idea to a Website

If you’ve never written for a website other than your own, it’s easy to wonder how in the hell all those names show up on websites you like to read. Do they have a massive staff of writers, all working 40 hours a week, writing about sexy, kinky things? Uh, no. In reality, writers just like me and you (yes, you) pitch the company or website an idea, and it gets accepted. If you’ve ever seen content on a website and thought, “I could write about that!” then it’s time to pitch your ideas and see if anyone bites. A...