As an author who writes fantasy smut and sci fi smut (plus comedy and Shakespearean Smut) it is often difficult for me to market my books, and it doesn't help that some authors out there are gatekeepers who consider my work to be "low brow".
Take for example the website stuffwithfantasy.com, which promotes fantasy authors by arranging "Stuff Your Kindle" events for fantasy books. Or at least they used to do that. Now they mostly just promote themselves and the few authors that they allow in to their group.
They used to allow anyone to join in on the event, so long as you had a fantasy book to promote.
But now they have decided to curate which books get in, and which do not.
Which means authors like myself, who write fantasy smut and comedic fantasy, are left out in the cold because the people doing the curating see my work as being "too low brow".
Historically the book snobs who curate such things often also refuse to allow in books by women, people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc.
These days various promotional websites are frequently run by women (fantasy is currently dominated by the romantasy subgenre, which makes up 80% of fantasy book sales), but that still leaves out a variety of other people.
Including, unfortunately, writers like myself who write spicy smut fantasy.
There are exceptions however.
For example some of my books were was recently added to a website called ArcaneTomes.Org, which allows in all fantasy books, regardless of whether you are writing LGBTQ Fantasy, Afro Fantasy, Arabic Fantasy, Asian Fantasy, and other subgenres.
Romantasy is still there, and a dominant force, making up 30% of the titles on ArcaneTomes.Org, but you can tell that the people running the website are actively seeking out authors who write a variety of different subgenres, and they're not gatekeeping.
And that, in my opinion, is the way it should be done.
I get that some authors are really just out there to promote themselves, and the few other people they let in due to gatekeeping, because that is more profitable for themselves personally, but it creates a system in which the snobs benefit from being gifted the "best fruit" off the tree and the rest of us are stuck with lemons.
And if you've ever made lemonade, you know that it can be quite hard, difficult, and annoying. Not all of us is cut out to make lemonade, and so it is nice to see websites like ArcaneTomes.Org that shares the best fruit equally with everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual preferences, and whether they write high or low brow fantasy.
Also... Since when is Shakespearean Smut considered to be low brow???
