麻豆约拍

Far more people need to be willing to report hate crimes, say researchers carrying out what is believed to be the UK's biggest study of the problem.

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It is hoped the will "give a voice" to those affected and ultimately encourage others to speak out.

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on the 麻豆约拍 News website.

Barbara Elsborg is an erotic fiction author but it听has not always been that way. Barbara wrote fiction for decades before her work was finally accepted by a publisher, at the age of 54.听

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鈥淚 had so many rejection letters to the point that I cried. Then a publisher said, put sex in the stories because they鈥檒l sell. I did and they were right. That鈥檚 exactly that happened. And everything I鈥檝e written since has been accepted by a publisher. It鈥檚 made a big difference to my bank account.鈥澨�

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She鈥檚 now published more than two dozen books on erotic fiction. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not literary fiction, we鈥檙e not trying to say this is the same as 鈥楲ady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover鈥�, but it鈥檚 fun to read and I have emails from people saying how much they enjoyed it.鈥�

Since the global phenomenon of 鈥楩ifty Shades of Grey鈥� by E.L. James, 听Barbara has seen her own erotic fiction sales increase dramatically.

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鈥淔ifty Shades made a tremendous difference. I was selling hundreds of books a month. Now I鈥檓 selling thousands a month.鈥�

Some of Barbara鈥檚 books are published by Ellora鈥檚 Cave, the world鈥檚 largest publisher of erotic fiction, based in the United States.听 They represent 800 authors and sell half a million books a month. There鈥檚 a big market in the United States.

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Raelene Gorlinsky is a publisher for Ellora鈥檚 Cave: 鈥淧eople are becoming more open to their sexuality, more open to what they鈥檙e willing to read. Stories are driven by the sexual relationships. It isn鈥檛 some story where you just put in some sex scenes. That doesn鈥檛 work.鈥�

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There is a difference in readership tastes either side of the Atlantic, as Raelene Gorlinksy points out: 鈥淭he UK generally prefers modern contemporary romance. In the U.S. there鈥檚 an emphasis on paranormal, futuristic romance, other planets, aliens as lovers, a great variety of alien types.鈥�

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D.H. Lawrence's influence

Barbara Elsborg began writing while growing up in Ilkeston, near the home of the author D.H. Lawrence. He was once a student teacher where she was educated at the local grammar school.听

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It was his final novel, 听鈥楲ady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover鈥�, which was a turning point for the kind of听 sexually explicit material which would eventually be published in the U.K. Lawrence had twelve hundred copies printed in Italy in 1928, as publishers thought it was too racey for the British readership at the time.

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But in 1960 Penguin Books challenged the law on obscenity at the time by printing twenty thousand copies of 鈥楲ady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover鈥�. They were prosecuted, but cleared by a crown court jury in London, who decided the novel would not deprave and corrupt.

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The unedited version of 鈥楲ady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover鈥� was then available for the first time in England. On Thursday,听 November 听10th, 1960, the first听200,000 copies sold out the same day. The novel ensured Lawrence鈥檚 place in literary history.

Dr John Worthen, is Lawrence鈥檚 biographer and a former Professor of English at the University of Nottingham, close to Lawrence鈥檚 hometown of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire.

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Although Lawrence paved the way for today鈥檚 modern erotic fiction authors, Dr Worthen believes he wouldn鈥檛 have been too impressed: 鈥淟awrence wanted to write genuinely and honestly about relationships. He wanted to say it as it is, not just action but also feelings. He would have thought today鈥檚 erotic fiction terrible. It鈥檚 about romance and Lawrence wanted to write books about real things. He would have thought erotic fiction was just fantasy. Fantasy didn鈥檛 interest him very much I鈥檓 afraid. He would have had no time for it at all.鈥�

Publishing books

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In Lincoln, the largest erotic romance publisher of its kind in the UK, Total-E-Bound, is rebranding to develop from a niche to mainstream market. It鈥檚 seen its sales increase by eighty percent in just two years. They鈥檙e producing up to nine books a week.

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In 2007 the business听 started with seven authors, they now publish 270 writers. There鈥檚 even a 鈥楥landestine Classics鈥� series, which includes one of Lawrence鈥檚 lesser known works, The Fox, sexed up for the erotic romance readership.

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Claire Siemaszkiewicz, Total-E-Bound鈥檚 Chief Executive, says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a huge demand for erotic romance. It takes women away from their everyday lives. It鈥檚 a bit of escapism and gives them that little bit of sparkle. We鈥檝e had emails from women who鈥檝e thanked us for introducing something fresh and exciting into their lives and provided new ideas for their relationships. Giving them a new lease of life, which is fabulous.鈥�

Total-E-Bound surveyed 1,800 of their readers. They discovered most are female, aged between 30-50 years of age. Many reading up to ten erotic romance books a month. Just over half work full time and seventy percent of their customers use eReaders.

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Claire added, 鈥淲omen are much more comfortable downloading books rather than the stigma attached to picking up a book off a top shelf in a book store. It avoids embarrassment and it鈥檚 readily available online.鈥�

Book club members who meet at the library in Lawrence鈥檚 home town of Eastwood reviewed 鈥楲ady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover鈥� and听 鈥楽trangers鈥�, Barbara Elsborg鈥檚 best seller.

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Sixty-eight-year-old Ros Tomlinson said: 鈥淚 was surprised by the content,听as the book cover 听is almost like Woman鈥檚 Weekly. It鈥檚 all about escapism. A dream world."

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Janette Martindale, who鈥檚 41 and runs the book club, said: 鈥淪trangers is the type of book which is almost like throw away fiction. You read it very quickly and women would take it on holiday. We are still reading Lady Chatterley鈥檚 Lover to this day. But will we still be reading the same erotic fiction in 100 years time? I don鈥檛 think so."

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Marie Scott, who鈥檚 39-years-old, felt the content was lacking in 鈥楽trangers鈥�, 鈥淟ady Chatterley is a proper story. The plot in Strangers takes second place, just connecting one erotic scene to another.鈥�

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Dr Worthen isn鈥檛 keen on reading the genre, but respects the work of the modern day erotic fiction writers.听

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鈥淏arbara is a professional, she knows what she鈥檚 doing. But erotic fiction is about people having a pretty good time. Lawrence felt relationships should be more serious than that鈥�. Barbara Elsborg accepts that Lawrence, among other authors, is the reason she is able to write erotic fiction today.

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鈥淓ven when I was at school, he was on the periphery of what we could read. If you鈥檇 told me that I鈥檇 be writing this sort of work now I wouldn鈥檛 have dreamt that would be the case."