UK, August 17, 2012: Total-E-Bound Publishing — Europe’s leading publisher of erotic romance eBooks — has appointed ePublishing veteran Tina Burns from Liquid Silver Books as the company's new Editor-in-Chief.

As publisher with Liquid Silver Books, an imprint of American company Atlantic Bridge Publishing, Burns was responsible for the smooth running and growth of the business.

Burns — who is this year celebrating her 10th anniversary within the publishing industry — brings with her extensive experience in full editing and copy writing, marketing and ePublishing.

The mother-of-two will work remotely for Total-E-Bound Publishing from Arizona, USA, with immediate effect.

She says that as editor-in-chief, her focus will be on taking the publisher — which recently made headlines worldwide after launching a “Clandestine Classics” line of  'eroticised' classic novels including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights — from “strength to strength”.

She said:  “I am thrilled to be working with Total-E-Bound. I met TEB CEO Claire and publisher Nicki Richards a few years ago at the Romantic Times convention and immediately liked them and their vision for their business. It was a bit of kismet that led me to Total-E-Bound and I’ve never been one to shut the door on fate.”

“My first goal is to get the lay of the land. Total-E-Bound is successful but there’s always room for improvement, so it's about getting to know how the TEB wheel turns and then work with the team to oil any squeaks, and then work to improve and make it greater. 

“This is a big change for me personally as I’m leaving a day job to work for TEB full time, so of course, succeeding is high on my list of achievements.”

Burns, who began in her career back in 2001 as a book reviewer for an online review website, firmly believes that building a strong relationship with a core team of editors is the key to success.

She added: “They are the 'pulse' of the publishing house.  They’re the buyers, the cleaners, the shoulders to cry on, and the ones with the leather crops. 

“I’ve been told in the past that I ‘crack the whip’, which is probably true. I have high expectations of myself and my performance, and I expect the same from my team.

“To maintain a dominant position within this ever-changing industry it is essential to publish quality erotic romance, and so it is vital to fully work as a team to achieve our ultimate goal of providing the best stories, with quality editing and amazing covers, to readers the world over.”

Claire Siemaszkiewicz, CEO of Total-E-Bound Publishing said: “We are very excited to welcome Tina to the Total-E-Bound Publishing family.

“She has a wealth of experience in our market and is very well respected in the industry. I’m sure that she will fit in wonderfully at TEB and we look forward to working with her.”

Lusty Liverpudlians are the UK’s biggest consumers of erotic fiction – that’s the verdict of the UK’s largest erotic romance publisher Total-E-Bound, who have listed the top 10 British cities who love a spicy bedtime read based upon five years of sales.
The top ten was published to celebrate the launch of the publisher’s brand new series Clandestine Classics, which sees classic literary titles including Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Northanger Abbey re-imagined by erotic writers to include the ‘extra’ steamy scenes. The series, which are available as eBooks can be downloaded from today at www.total-e-bound.com.
Topping the list of sizzling cities was Liverpool, where saucy Scousers downloaded or bought a whopping 14% of all of the erotic e-books sold since the publisher launched five years ago.  The favourite genre for these feisty fiction fans included ménages and multiple partners.
Mad-for-it Manchester came second in the list consuming a bonk-busting 11% of the books sold closely followed by the not-so-sleepy West Country city of Exeter whose residents were on a par with sales in London (10%).
The top ten cities rated by their consumption of erotic fiction and favoured genres are listed as follows:

1. Liverpool  14%  (Ménages and multiple partners)
2. Manchester 11% (BDSM)
3. Exeter 10% (Male on male and BDSM)
4. London 9% (Older woman, younger man)
5. Birmingham 8%  (Ménages and multiple partners)
6. Edinburgh 7% (BDSM)
7. Cardiff 6%  (Ménages and multiple partners)
8. Glasgow  5%  (Male on male)
9. Leeds 3% (BDSM)
10. Belfast 2% (Men in uniform)

Further insights from the leading publisher include the fact that 95% of erotic fiction purchasers are female and that ‘male on male romances’ are primarily bought by Exeter and Glasgow based heterosexual female readers (90%).
‘Ménages’ proves to be the most popular genre (21%), with Liverpudlians, Brummies and Cardiffians readying themselves for multiple partner action, whereas residents of Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds and once again Exeter can’t resist a bit of ‘BDSM’ (bondage, dominance, submission and masochism) – which comes second in the genre list at 15%. Caroline Flack certainly seems to have left quite an impression on the ladies of London, with the most popular genre amongst urbanites proving to be ‘older women and younger men’ (12%).
Further genres include the unsurprising ‘men in uniform’ (11%), the Robert Pattinson enhanced ‘vampires’ (6%), and bizarrely ‘horror’ (2%).
The top 10 genres are as follows:

1. Ménages and multiple partners (21%)
2. BDSM (15%)
3. Male on male (14%)
4. Older woman, younger man (12%)
5. Men in uniform (11%)
6. Historical (8%)
7. Vampires (6%)
8. Timetravel (4%)
9. Horror (2%)
10. Gods and Godesses (1%)

Claire Siemaszkiewicz, founder of Total-E-Bound says, “Erotic novels are enjoyed by ladies the length and breadth of the UK and help to provide readers with a sexy escape from reality. A good erotic novel gives readers the chance to enjoy the attentions of a fictional suitor who satisfies their every need for 100 pages or so.  Reading erotic romance is similar to having an affair in which no one gets hurt!”
The Clandestine Classics books are available to buy from the 30th July from www.total-e-bound.com
Clandestine Classics will include ‘scorching hot’ new versions of Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.  Further classics will follow fortnightly with Dracula, Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights, The Three Musketeers and the Phantom of the Opera set to follow. Each novel will retain the original author's plots and prose but be expanded with the insertion of 'new' scenes featuring adult content such as straight, gay, ménage and BDSM relationships.

www.total-e-bound.com / www.clandestineclassics.blogspot.co.uk

Classic novels including Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice are to get a steamy 18-certificate make-over from some of the world’s leading erotic fiction writers it was announced today.

The much-loved works of literature  by famed authors including Charlotte and Emily Brontë have been re-imagined for the very first time as works of adult fiction by the UK’s leading specialist publisher Total-E-Bound, complete with graphic sex and fetish scenes.

In the ‘scorching hot’ new versions — available as eBooks from the 30th July - eponymous heroine Jane Eyre has explosive sex with Mr Rochester, and Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy smoulder with unbridled passion in their erotic romance.

Other books being re-worked by erotic romance specialist publisher Total-E-Bound for the launch of the new Clandestine Classics collection are Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by early science-fiction writer Jules Verne.

The re-worked versions of the classics include the full text of the original books spiced with a series of specially written new scenes featuring adult content to provide a seamless reading experience.  While 19th century society demanded that novels only went so far when it came to depicting the true passionate nature of love and romance, the new series, released under the banner ‘Clandestine Classics’ invites readers to put the old-fashioned pleasantries to one side and enjoy the sensual scenes that were only ever alluded to in the original versions. 

Total-E-Bound, the UK’s largest e-Book publisher of erotic romance fiction believes the bold new collection is a major step forward for the genre. Claire Siemaszkiewicz, founder of Total-E-Bound Publishing, comments;   

“Whenever I read classics from authors like Jane Austen, I often think about the potential 'uncensored versions' that the original authors were unable — or unwilling — to include.  After all, a lot of these stories are, at the heart, romances.  With the launch of Clandestine Classics, readers will finally be able to read what the books could have been like if erotic romance had been acceptable in that day and age, redefining the boundaries and bringing the classics to a new generation of readers.

“As the first erotic romance publisher to bring out a line of re-imagined classics, we recognise it's a bold move that may have a polarising effect on readers.  We’re keeping the works as close to the original classics as possible. It's not our intention to rewrite or distort them but to create a whole new experience, enhancing the novels by adding deeper relationships, character development, and the 'missing' scenes for readers to enjoy.”

The erotic romance genre has experienced a dramatic revival in recent months, thanks to the rising popularity of e-readers and record-breaking success of “mummy porn” novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

According to experts, people are increasingly buying erotic romance eBooks because the e-reader allows people to read erotic books without embarrassment of being “caught out”.

This view is backed up by sales figures. The market for erotic romance fiction has increased by around a third in the last 12 months, with 50 per cent of sales through e-books.

Total-E-Bound, which sell its books worldwide, has drafted in some of its most popular authors to co-author the new eBook adaptations, with writers Sierra Cartwright, Amy Armstrong, Marie Sexton and Desiree Holt — at 76, the world's oldest erotic romance writer — launching the series at the end of July.

Award-winning British born author Sierra Cartwright, who is penning the new version of Jane Eyre, said: 

“Jane Eyre is a breathtakingly beautiful story which has withstood the test of time. Jane is multi-dimensional, brave, committed to her course of action, and Rochester . . . sigh . . . he's such an engaging enigma. The love story is captivating, real, rich, complex, and fraught with real conflict.
 
“There are so many joys of working on Jane Eyre to add erotic content. The biggest challenge it to be sure it's in fitting with Jane's character and that the additions don't change the beautiful flow of the story.

“I'm very excited by Total-E-Bound's vision for retelling the classics. The Clandestine Classics imprint is intriguing, giving a modern audience access to amazing stories they may have missed.”

Further classics will follow with Dracula, Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights, The Three Musketeers and the Phantom of the Opera set to follow. Each novel will retain the original author's plots and prose but be expanded with the insertion of 'missing' scenes featuring adult content such as straight, gay, ménage and BDSM relationships.

The Clandestine Classics books are available to buy from the 30th July from www.total-e-bound.com

www.total-e-bound.com / www.clandestineclassics.blogspot.co.uk

One of the world's best-selling authors of erotic romance was yesterday revealed to be — a grandmother of 76.

Silver-haired Desiree Holt qualified for a free bus pass in 1996, but has spent her retirement writing over 100 “scorching-hot” sexually explicit novels to the delight of fans around the world.

Until now, many readers believed the author of such steamy works as “On the Prowl” and “Carnal Caresses” was a buxom heroine like the ones featured in her books — released by British erotic romance specialist Total-E-Bound Publishing.

But Holt — whose 'behind-the-bedroom-door' stories often involve kinky sex play such as bondage, dominance and threesomes — yesterday decided to come clean about her age, insisting that erotic romance was “nothing to be ashamed of”.

She is now believed to be the world's oldest author of erotic romance.

The author, who cites the runaway success of British author EL James's number one bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey as helping the genre gain mainstream acceptance, said: “When I first started writing, erotic romance was still looked down on by many people as nothing more than a form of porn.

“But the incredible popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey has really opened readers' minds to the genre, to the point where it's fine to admit that I am a pensioner in my mid-seventies who just so happens to write about passionate, erotic relationships.

“I'm one of Total-E-Bound's best-selling authors of this genre and the demand for my books is growing all the time. I think that's because erotic romance is a powerful form of fantasy — women, and men too, can read it and imagine themselves in place of the characters, doing and feeling things they might be too shy about in their everyday existence.

“Many readers have told me that my stories give them confidence to spice up their sex lives, experiment and express their sexuality. I guess in that respect I'm a bit like an agony aunt, only more graphic.”

Claire Siemaszkiewicz, founder of Total-E-Bound Publishing, said: “Desiree has been with us for four years now and in that time has become a firm favourite with readers.

“We believe she is the oldest writer of erotic romance in the world, but I’m sure none of her fans will be concerned with her age. The quality of the stories and characters is the important thing to them, not how many candles the writer blows out each birthday.

“If anything, Desiree should be seen as an empowering figure in the fight against age discrimination. There's no reason why sex should be taboo for older people.”

Born in 1936, mother-of-three Holt carved out a successful career for herself in journalism, PR and music management — looking after a number of small-time rock bands — before retiring in 2000 at the age of 64.

At first she planned to spend her golden years fulfilling a life-long ambition to write mystery novels — but became “hooked” on erotic romance after buying a “racy” novel to see what it was like.

With the full support of late husband David, Holt “threw” herself into the underground sex scene to research what would be her first erotic romance novel, 2007's Candy Caresses, joining online forums for the BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadomasochism) and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual) communities.

Since then she's published 105 novels, novellas and short story collections, building up a network of regular contacts ranging from mistresses, swingers, and fetishists to Army soldiers  — for her latest book, Unconditional Surrender.

Last year, she even visited a bondage club at the age of 75 to gain a better understanding of the worlds she writes about — though, she insists, as “an observer only”.

She said: “The inspiration for the stories comes from every place and research is always ongoing. I based the hero of one book on my doctor — simply because he’s so sexy.

“Another book, my novella All Jacked Up, I wrote for my son, because I wanted him to settle down. It's about a man reaching forty who’s still waiting for the woman of his dreams only to have the most unexpected female walk into his life. I think he appreciated my motherly concern.

“Though I've not tried all the things I write about, I do find them all fascinating — far more so than traditional granny pursuits such as knitting. I'm treated well because I respect everyone as individuals, regardless of whether they express their love through kisses and cuddles or whips and chains.”

Holt, who lives in Texas Hill Country, near San Antonio, America, says that though her family refuse to read her books, they approve of her writing and affectionately call her the “Queen of Hill Country Erotica”.

But, she adds, there will always be some people who find her choice of career “distasteful”.

“I was nervous in the beginning because, while my kids are all adults, I am still 'Mom' to them and therefore shouldn't know this kind of stuff. But they are my biggest supporters and brag about me a lot. Even my 20-year-old granddaughter thinks it’s exciting.

“But I do live in a very conservative community and occasionally someone will look at me as if I have a contagious disease when I reveal what I do.

“I always tell them that maybe they should read one novella and see that it’s really not what they think. At its heart, erotic romance is still about exploring characters' relationships and emotions — the sex just helps reveal the intensity of their feelings.”

Desiree Holt’s latest novel, Unconditional Surrender, is available now from Total E-Bound Publishing. Visit www.total-e-bound.com.