My first paperback, Stripper or Nurse?, came out a while back and didn’t do much for my bottom line. The story, which I personally consider one of my top ten, has sold well in electronic format for digital readers such as cell phones, tablets, PCs, and Macs. Yet struggled in paperback format.

I entered the paperback market with some trepidation as I wasn’t convinced that porn on paper was a viable alternative these days, especially with Millennials and their two opposable thumbs. But, it’s still probably safer to drop your book in the toilet rather than your cell phone as you attempt to grab a kleenex while holding two other objects precious to your image.

Several months ago, I threw caution to the wind and embarked on a quest to publish my other smut stories in print. I rationalized this to my wife as a hedge against another toilet paper shortage. Luckily, I don’t need baby formula; however, I enjoy nursing!

When the dust settled, I had published fifteen of my catalog in paperback. I tend to write longer stories than average, which helps as it’s hard to publish something under 40,000 words in paperback format. The spine is too thin with short stories.

This month my paperback sales are at 7% of my total sales at Amazon, with 78% digital and 15% KU. After I started pushing out paperback versions of my stories, my monthly percentage of paperback sales have cycled between 5% – 15% of my total Amazon sales volume. I’m not sure if print sales will ever go over 15%-20%, but it’s another avenue for those who like to hold something stiff while reading.

I’ve published over thirty stories and have approximately half available in print format. My moving forward plan is to publish a new story in electronic (digital) format and then follow it up with a print version.

My current cross to bear is converting my previous generation of computers to Hewlett Packard file servers. Switching to Xeon CPUs has allowed me to up the RAM memory to 128 Gb on my computers. While this may seem excessive, I like to think everything I have is big!

During my drive to publish print books, I discovered that running Scrivener, Quark Xpress, CorelDRAW, and PhotoShop simultaneously created issues with my old 32 Gb machine. It was a pain to have to save files, close a program, and then load a different program over and over. So far, it appears that extra memory is helping. The 12-core Xeon processor is a little slower than my previous i7 CPUs, but processing speed doesn’t help if the program goes Tango Uniform.

I’m also a photographer and having lots of memory helps my image processing programs run smoother. So it’s a win for everyone except my credit card, which is still whimpering in my wallet.

As a side note, the first half of the House Party Series is now available on SmashWords. I’m still waiting for final approval on premium status for HP2. SmashWords will publish virtually any piece of drivel yet restricts premium status to those stories you have to read with your little finger stuck out.

A fair percentage of my stories is sold through the Apple iBooks Store, and once premium status is bestowed on House Party 2, it will join House Party at Apple. For those of you who have drunk the Kool-Aid, the House Party Series is required reading!

As Larry always says, “My stories are great, especially if the only strange stuff you’re getting is your left hand or it’s been so long since you’ve had sex that you can’t remember who gets tied up!”

I’m Larry Archer, and I write erotic stories for the huddled and yearning masses. Foxy and I are swingers in real life. I write erotic stories based on the things we do and see. My smut is explicit and hardcore but with a somewhat plot. My porn novels are generally positive and fun, reflecting how enjoyable swinging has been for us. If you’re interested in checking out my stories, I publish them at all the popular outlets.

Kinky Literature
Amazon Kindle
SmashWords
Apple iBooks
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
Scribd