LUSTY LADY: My erotica audiobook <i>Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex</i> is 8 times more popular than the print version

April 2014 update: Until April 30, 2014, you can get the audiobook for just $3.99 with the purchase of the Kindle edition for $1.99, a huge savings from the regular price of $19.95. Purchase the ebook first at Amazon.com. Look under Whispersnyc for Voice for this text: "Add the professional narration of Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex for a reduced price of $3.99 after you buy this Kindle book."

When you have a world class, genius narrator and promoter like Rose Caraway, it's not that surprising that, if I'm reading my last royalty statement correctly, the Audible audiobook version of Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex sold over 8 times the number of copies as the print and ebook versions in the first ~~second~~ quarter of 2013.

When I first saw this, I was actually kindof bummed: does that mean the print version sucked? Is it worth editing 69-story collections? What did I do wrong? It's depressing when a book you've devoted your time and attention and passion to bombs, even if it's a temporary nosedive. For me, and I'm sure I take it way too personally, but that's how I roll, when it happens repeatedly it makes me question whether I should find a new way to make a living, whether my books have simply run their course and readers are looking elsewhere for their smut. It was a shock to me since the sales dropped drastically from the first quarter of the year. But then I started looking at it a little differently, concluding instead that the audiobook kept the print book alive. That audiobook, which I believe has been my bestselling audiobook, has been in the Audible erotica and sexuality bestseller list for quite a while. It's garnered many reviews and I'm pretty sure has brought new listeners to my work, listeners who just might seek out my other stories and books. Those sales, in fact, made Gotta Have It my second bestselling book that quarter, after Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories (click through to read the introduction and more about it).

That is amazing, and awe inspiring, and makes incredibly grateful to Rose Caraway for being so good at her job that she helped pave the way for my future books. I'm seeing as I browse my Audible listings as well as those of other authors that the narrator pretty much makes or breaks the audiobook. The reviewers there can be pretty scathing. What I love about it too is that there is no way on earth I could produce an audiobook myself, but thanks to Cleis Press and Audible and Rose, this book has been given a new life, one I'm incredibly proud of. So thank you for listening, and thank you Rose for working your magic on my big little book (which is what I'm calling these 69-story collections, since they look and feel differently in my hands that my usual proper paperback sized ones).

For those who haven't heard Rose's narration, here's some samples. And a bonus for those who read this far: if you've enjoyed any of my Audible audiobooks, leave a new 5-star review today or tomorrow and send me the link at rachelkb at gmail.com with "Audible" in the subject line and which of my audiobooks you'd like and I'll send it to you free! Offer expires September 17 at 11:59 p.m. EST and applies to reviews dates September 16 and 17.

Laugh by Sommer Marsden

Click here to listen to the free mp3