I thought this would be more instructive. Bright focuses too much on sexual politics and not enough on how to.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of an author friend, and was pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of information contained within. Susie Bright has been a famous (infamous?) writer of erotica since the 1970's, when "dirty stories" were not considered literature worthy of review or criticism, other than general condemnation and derision. She includes a fascinating history of the genre with liberal autobiographical information, and then proceeds to provide a brilliant tutorial on the process of writing, the importance of being genuine, and the elements necessary to successfully publish. She provides passages of various erotic sub-genres with analyses of why they are successful in creating a particular mood or response.
Her dissertation on how to find, recognize, and retain a sympathetic "personal" editor, and how to navigate the relationship with the publisher's editor, would be worth the price alone. But wait, there's more! You also get a complete breakdown of what success means for the writer of erotica - and really, for any writer. Are you writing for the purpose of expressing yourself? For the enjoyment of a partner or a small group of friends? For the control of self-publishing? For the thrill and fame of producing a blockbuster?
Tips are provided on the pros and cons of small vs. large publishers, and for the math-challenged there is advice on contractual percentages that will help ensure long-term financial success (assuming the work is written for sale).
Susie writes in a friendly, balanced tone that feels like a comfortable chat with a friend who cares about your success as a writer. She even describes ways to avoid illness and exhaustion during a book tour!
I recommend this book to anyone who writes, wants to write, likes to read, or is involved in any aspect of publishing. Susie Bright goes far beyond the title of this book and provides comprehensive information and advice from the moment you pick up your pen or laptop to the moment you're called for a TV interview.

An eye-opening and simple look into writing erotica. I have always loved Ms. Bright's work, and found this to inspirational and quite helpful...

I'm a thriller writer. Sex scenes are virtually required by the industry to give the novel some "juice". Sex scenes are about the toughest thing to write, because sexual descriptions are either too weak, too trivial, too grotesque and above all cliched. Balance is hard. I thought that Susie Bright's book might give me some useful technique in addressing these problems. Instead I found a generic writing book discussing writers block, publishers and agents, and such. Not as much on writing technique, although there are numerous very interesting writing exercises that are helpful. It wasn't quite what I was looking for, but it does give lots of encouragement to someone who is thinking about becoming an erotic writer.

As a male, I purchased this book because I wanted to learn how to write very good erotica instead of porn. I was very disappointed in that the material in how to write erotica was limited.

Subjects like publishing your story, finding an editor, and the history of erotica were covered well. However, I felt that these topics were better suited for another book instead of one that's supposed to teach you how to write.

A positive aspect was the writing exercises that the author proposed. They were fun to work with and gave me more insight into writing "proper" erotica.

I feel that this book is good for those people who just want to know what is involved in writing erotica. However, if you want an instructional, in-depth book on how to actually write erotica, you should look elsewhere.