Free books for life giveaway and Book Angel program helping kids in need

My November articles (so far) for Forbes.com are below, where I've been covering all things books, publishing, libraries, authors, literary agents, book clubs and more since November 2018, are about some cool things independent bookstores are doing. You can follow me there so you don't miss anything, and I'm now working on January 2021 articles and beyond, so if you're a book publicist, editor, agent, bookseller, librarian or book club organizer or anyone else doing something new and unique in the book world, feel free to pitch me (rachelkb at gmail dot com with "Forbes" in the subject line).

Having this beat has totally changed my freelance writing career and given me a great way to focus my interests, and cover books for other outlets like Publishers Weekly and Washington Post Book World.

Here are two articles I hope you'll appreciate. You can nominate someone to WIN A BOOK A MONTH FOR LIFE from London, UK bookstore Heywood Hill through Sunday, November 8, and you can donate a book to a child in need with Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, New York, either in person or online. More details in the pieces.

"Why UK Bookstore Heywood Hill Is Giving Away A Book A Month For Life"





"Bookstore’s Book Angel Program Ensures Kids In Need Receive Books For The Holidays"

4 sexy Best Women's Erotica of the Year giveaways - act fast!

My anthology of 21 brand new OUTRAGEOUS sexy adult storeis, Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5, came out this week from Cleis Press in print and ebook. I've been busy promoting it all over and will do a full recap next week, but wanted to let you know about four giveaways going on, the first three of which end today. Entry details at links below!

Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5 on any blog tour stop (Deadline: December 13, 2019)

Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5 on any Instagram tour stop(Deadline: December 13, 2019)

Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5 from Sierra Simone on Instagram (Deadline: December 13, 2019)

Win 5 books by Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5 authors from me, for newsletter subscribers only (Deadline: December 18, 2019)
To enter, reply to my latest newsletter, sent December 12; if you're not on my mailing list, subscribe here and be on the lookout for my January subscriber only giveaway

Enter to win my Valentine's Day giveaway of a heart sex pillow and erotica!

This is my year of giveaways, in addition to the ones I do in my monthly newsletter (make sure you subscribe at the left-hand side of my blog or at rachelkramerbussel.com because one is coming up today). I just mailed out 40 books, 10 sets of Volumes 1-4 of the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series to 10 Book Riot winners and now I'm doing a Valentine's Day giveaway where you can win a Liberator Shapes Heart Wedge Sex Pillow AND a copy of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4.



Links to enter are below, and you have to be at least 18 years old and in the United States to win. Enter by Thursday, February 14, 2019 (yes, Valentine's Day). Good luck!

Enter at the Best Women's Erotica of the Year Instagram

Enter at the Liberator Shapes Instagram

Enter at the Best Women's Erotica of the Year Facebook page

Enter at the Liberator Shapes Facebook page

Sexy book trailer for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4

We are just a few days away from the December 11 release of my new anthology Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4! I'm so excited for these 20 brand new stories to be out in the world. If you've enjoyed the novels of Alyssa Cole, Alessandra Torre (who has a new novel out today), Megan Hart, Suleikha Snyder, Tamara Lush, Sofia Quintero, I'm pretty sure you'll love their stories in this volume.



I'm even more excited that my publisher, Cleis Press, made a book trailer for this collection. I've made book trailers before (Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica was the first and has a special place in my heart), and acted in them, but this one is the first that someone else made for me. I feel special. It seems fitting because this is a special, super hot anthology.

Want to help the book succeed? Add it to your Amazon wishlist and put it on your Goodreads want to read list. You can also follow us @bestwomenserotica on Instagram and on Twitter and Facebook for updates and giveaways. Speaking of giveaways, Monday, December 10 is your last chance to win one of TEN AUTOGRAPHED COPIES over at Goodreads! (U.S. only) And here's all the buy links to get your own copy!

Also below: a snippet from our wonderful starred Library Journal review. Early readers are loving the hotness here and I hope you will too. And stay tuned for the audiobook later this month narrated by Rose Caraway! Want free adult erotic stories on audio? Click here for ones from the first three volumes read by Rose.



From our starred Library Journal review. Once the full review is online, I'll share it here.

The entries range from tenderly seductive—Alyssa Cole’s sf human/android tale “Essential Qualities” proves a true standout in this regard—to playfully raunchy, with everything in between. This anthology’s ­inclusion of diverse characters in terms of age, race, kinks, and ability is refreshing and much-needed in erotica; each writer finds a way to adhere to the collection’s theme while blissfully breaking the mold. VERDICT An exceptional volume of quality quickies; highly recommended.

Enter now to get Best Women's Erotica of the Year 4 before it's in stores

I'll never forget the acceptance from editor Marcy Sheiner I received for my story "Doing the Dishes" for Best Women's Erotica 2004. I was so thrilled to finally be published in this major series in the erotica world. And now I get to edit that same series. One thing I promised myself is that I would push myself to be the best editor I could be, to both apply everything I've learned since my own first co-edited anthology was published in 2004 and to push myself to be better, to dig deeper as an editor, to publish more diverse authors than I did when I started and to try to reach as many readers as possible.

I'm so proud of what the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series has become and can't wait to see what you think about Volume 4, which has totally hot, sexy stories as well as heartfelt, also arousing love stories. There's torrid affairs, kinky sex, forbidden passion and much more. Since it's Election Day, I'll share that my inspiration for the outsiders theme (the other theme is risk) was Donald Trump's scary and dangerous rhetoric about outsiders, not just immigrants, but anyone who isn't like him.



I'm giving away 10 signed copies of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4 at Goodreads. Enter to win by November 9 (U.S. only; for giveaways open internationally, subscribe to my monthly newsletter - and yes, after this month's deadline mania is over, my website is getting a much-needed overhaul on Squarespace.) The photo above features galleys from an earlier giveaway, but this is to win finished copies, which will be in my hands and then in the mail very, very soon. And if you have a spare moment, I'd love if you'd add the book to your Amazon wishlist. Entering and adding it help the book reach more people before it's published on December 11, which helps it sell more copies, which helps me get to keep editing this series (yes, if nobody buys it, I'm sure I will be given the heave ho as the editor). But I don't think that will happen.

Stay tuned because I'm working on booking readings for this volume and there will be some fun promos and giveaways, especially on our Instagram, where I'm posting everything from sex toys to sexy women to hot Friday reads. Thank you for reading and supporting this series. I didn't start it and am humbled to be its third editor and honored to publish so many writers from around the world. My dream is to get to edit 10 volumes. I'm wrapping up my initial round of edits on Volume 5 now, for publication next December.

Without you reading, reviewing, following and spreading the word (and, of course, all the amazing bookstores and libraries who stock it!), I wouldn't get to do this, so THANK YOU. I don't take that lightly, and I edit every anthology like it's going to be my last and I need to go out with a bang, because that could be the case. But I hope it's not, and today, on a day when I hope for positive changes in the world, I'm also hoping that the powers that be like my work enough to keep believing in me as editor. In return, I vow to work on this series every day, to make it a little more visible, to bring in more authors from around the world, to have these stories reach the people who need them.

These two erotica book giveaways end tomorrow, May 31!

I finally sent out my May 2018 newsletter and it has an exclusive, subscriber only giveaway at the bottom for my Cleis Press anthology Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories. Follow the newsletter link to enter and if you're a subscriber, you'll be eligible to win! It's open internationally. Not a subscriber? Get on the list at my website or on the left-hand side of this blog. You have until May 31, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST to enter. Books will be sent to winners on Friday morning. In June for Pride month, I'm giving away signed copies of Twice the Pleasure: Bisexual Women's Erotica.

And my U.S. only Goodreads Best Women's Erotica of the Year Volume 3 giveaway also ends on Thursday, May 31, so make sure to enter. Good luck!

May erotica book giveaway at Goodreads - enter soon!

It's new(ish) month, so I've got a new erotica book giveaway at Goodreads open to U.S. readers. The deadline to enter is May 31, 2018. I'm once again giving away five signed copies of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3. I also encourage you to follow me on Goodreads (and all your favorite authors) for updates on my writing and books. Good luck!

April newsletter with BDSM erotica giveaway of Serving Him

Here's my April newsletter. It's got news about my Berlin erotica writing workshop, two book sales this month and two giveaways. The Serving Him BDSM erotica giveaway is only open to subscribers, so if you're not on my mailing list, you can subscribe here. I send one newsletter per month and do book giveaways that are open internationally each month.

Win a signed copy of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

Over at Goodreads, I'm hosting a Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 giveaway for U.S. readers. Enter by April 15 to win one of 25 signed copies. Good luck! And follow @BWEoftheyear on Twitter and bestwomenserotica on Instagram for more giveaways around the year. As always, your reviews anywhere and everywhere (suggested locations: Goodreads, Powell's (where you can sign up to be entered to win a $20 credit if your review is selected to highlight in their Daily Dose newsletter), Amazon, Bn.com, Kobo, Audible), adding the books to your wishlists and sharing posts about the Cleis Press Best Women's Erotica of the Year series help our books reach new readers and ultimately help the series grow and thrive.

I've also posted the Volume 5 call for submissions on the theme of "Outrageous." You've got until August 1, 2018 to get your stories in for consideration! I'm pouring all my editorial energy into making this series everything I've dreamed it could be. Volume 4 will be out December 11 of this year and I'm working on making Volume 5 as hot as can be too!

March giveaway: Win a signed copy of Fast Girls: Erotica for Women

As part of my March 2018 newsletter, I'm giving away five signed copies of one of my favorite anthologies, Fast Girls: Erotica for Women (scroll to the end of the newsletter for the giveaway). Also make sure you mark my address as one you want in your inbox so the newsletter doesn't go to spam, because I do giveaways every month. The giveaway is open internationally; enter by March 22 and make sure you include the same email address you're subscribed with along with your complete mailing address. Many people enter with only something like "123 Main Street" and no town or zip code so I move on and pick another winner.

Here's a taste of the book from the bubble bath book trailer:

Erotica giveaway of Flying High: Sexy Stories from the Mile High Club for newsletter subscribers:

I finally sent out my January newsletter. At the bottom, there's a giveaway to win one of 10 signed copies of my anthology Flying High: Sexy Stories from the Mile High Club. Act fast because the giveaway, which is open internationally. ends on Sunday. You MUST be subscribed to the newsletter to be eligible, so if you're not, head over to rachelkramerbussel.com and subscribe. I'll be sending the books in my pretty new logo mailers! And today, January 31, is the deadline for my U.S. only Goodreads giveaways of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2 and On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories. Good luck!

3 erotica book giveaways - enter now!

I've been busy promoting my favorite thing I've ever worked on, the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series (check out our blog), prepping for my February 13 reading at Politics and Prose at The Wharf in Washington, DC and getting that much closer to launching my new online erotica writing class (stay tuned, it's happening in the next month or two!) so this blog has gotten neglected. But there are three book giveaways happening right now I wanted to share, and I'll be doing a newsletter giveaway for January of Flying High: Sexy Stories from the Mile High Club so make sure you're subscribed. Here's the current places where you can win, all U.S. only:

Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 from Romancing the Book! Enter by January 13.

Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2 signed by me at Goodreads! Enter by January 31.

Win On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories signed by me at Goodreads! Enter by January 31.

And if you've won a book of mine or read it otherwise, your reviews are very much appreciated. They help me reach new readers and guide me in making selections for future books.

3 erotica book giveaways right now - act fast and enter to win!

This week there are three of my erotica book giveaways happening - so act fast and enter to win! And if you know anyone who likes sexy reads, let them know too.

Win Tasting Him: Oral Sex Stories (Deadline: December 14, 2017, open internationally, must be subscribed to my newsletter to be eligible - make sure to include your FULL name and mailing address to be entered. I'm noticing a lot of people putting something like "123 Main Street," which I obviously can't send mail to)



Win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 and The Sexy Librarian's Dirty Thirty, Volume 2 (Deadline: December 17, 2017, U.S. only)



Win The Big Book of Submission, Volume 2 (Deadline: December 21, 2017, U.S. only)

July newsletter and 2 book giveaways

I just sent out my July newsletter (click to read). I do subscriber only giveaways each month so if you want to subscribe, do so on the left hand side of my Lusty Lady blog or at rachelkramerbussel.com.

This month I'm giving away 12 autographed copies of The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories. This one's open to subscribers anywhere in the world. Just make sure to include the same email address you subscribed with (yes, I check) and your full mailing address so I can send it. I often have to pick new winners if the full address isn't included. Yes, technically I could email and get the address but I send the books out right after I package the books so don't have time to wait. Good luck! This giveaway goes through Sunday, July 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Thanks to all of the early birds who've already entered! Next month I'm giving away Women in Lust and I have a whole closet full of books for the rest of the year's giveaways.



I'm also giving away 15 autographed copies of On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories (U.S. only) in this Goodreads giveaway.