A good editor is hard to find

... especially if you write erotica.I want to share with other beginning erotica authors a good experience I had with erotica writer/editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. Rachel is probably best known for her "Lusty Lady" sex column in the Village Voice and her "Best of" erotic anthologies published by Cleis Press. I've been reading them for years; they're always collections of very high quality erotic short stories. She always includes one of her own stories in each book.

Rachel went over my 15,000-word manuscript very thoroughly, making many suggestions (word choices, pointing out areas I need to expand, cutting stuff that wasn't needed, and the occasional "I really like that paragraph!" which is great for the ego). It's a much stronger book as a result. I had given her a copyedited ms that I had gone over extensively, so she didn't have to waste any time on my inability to figure out where to place commas, etc. (only half kidding).

As part of her editing package, she spent an hour on the phone with me and we mostly talked about marketing. (We didn't need to go over her notes and suggestions in my book; they were self-explanatory.) Rachel gave me lots of solid advice and recommendations on how to market my erotica and build a readership base.

She also made suggestions on how to entice readers by creating likeable characters that they'll want to come back and read about more. I think I knew that intuitively, but Rachel put it in perspective and gave me some specific advice on how to make it happen. She looked at my website, twitter feed and other social media and, again, made some solid suggestions.

I'm new at erotica, but have been writing nonfiction professionally for quite a few years. I've had good editors and not-so-good editors (being generous here). Based on this first experience, Rachel is the former. For more info and pricing, go to her website: http://rachelkramerbussel.com/

Just to be clear, Rachel didn't ask me to post this review. She's a solid pro (and a nice person) and I found her services invaluable. I want to let other erotica writers, especially new ones, know that her editing services are available.

And if you're an erotica reader, I highly recommend her anthologies. It's all top-notch stuff.