Erotic Books like "Candy Licker" and "Thong on Fire" are a bright spot in a struggling publishing industry. Erotic Books The popular novel is by Noire, a “twenty-something” writer of urban erotic fiction who has sold hundreds of thousands of books since she started publishing just a few years ago. Her book sales are huge numbers in the world of publishing and have made her something of a minor celebrity. Seventy-seven years ago it took an order by a federal judge, John Woolsey, to overturn the government’s obscenity ban on James Joyce’s classic novel "Ulysses. Much of the new erotica is simply porn moved to the printed page, only smarter and largely aimed at women. At a time when overall book sales have been flat or declining for several years “we saw it as a growing opportunity; it has exploded,” Karen Auerbach, Kensington’s director of publicity told me. Cleis Press, a San Francisco Bay area publisher of erotica and other works has seen its sales rise by more than 56 percent over the past three years. For example, writers of erotica read their works at the In The Flesh reading series organized by writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel once a month at the appropriately named Happy Ending Lounge in Manhattan. The Erotic Literary Salon convenes every third Tuesday at a bar in Philadelphia. This month, Cleis started its own online book club. The romance genre, which has traditionally featured passion in the context of adventurous love between one man and one woman and was rarely explicit, has expanded over the past several years to include bondage, fetish, multi-partner sex and same sex scenes. Lead author Kate Douglas created the Wolf Tales series about human/wolf shape shifters and the series became a breakout hit. Even in the late 1800s erotic tales circulated widely; Victorian novels like "The Pearl" and "The Romance of Lust" were popular on both sides of the Atlantic. But erotica was always underground because it was illegal. Don't miss these Health stories Image Source via Getty Images stock For smoother, nick-free shave -- oil your razor. To extend the sharpness of your razor and prevent product buildup, drizzle some olive oil on the blade. Lawrence and Henry Miller’s "Tropic of Cancer" in the U. But novels and short stories in which erotica was the point were relegated mainly to fringe players. She won't reveal her real name and while she has a career outside of writing books, she won't say what it is. They are cautionary tales, but the sex is off the hook. Noire, it said, “… delivers everything that lovers of this emerging micro genre — black urban erotic chick lit — are coming to expect: cribs full of music, sex, drugs and criminality; many dollars flying by; and an honest, often abused girl just trying to make it through. She’s been so successful she has turned herself into an industry, including a Cinemax series, an online store (where you can buy bras and body creams), and frequent appearances in Essence magazine. Growing number of men reading eroticaWhile the typical reader of erotic literature apears to be a middle class woman under 40, there is a male audience, too, say both writers and publishers. The readers of mainstream erotic fiction expect the sex to be interwoven and integral to the novel or story “and that’s hard to do,” Gleason said. Other than that requirement, though, readers seem willing, even enthusiastic, to read about all kinds of sexual experimentation. We have a warning on the back of the Aphrodisia books, a little box, that says ‘This is a really hot book. Many say yes Porn trade group has plan for actor health care Premature ejaculation drug shows promise Nein. Third of Berlin students mull sex work Top health stories Nurse's suicide highlights twin tragedies of errors Blue-eyed slugger blames batting woes on peepers Should Jared Loughner be forcibly drugged. Rejuvenate your sex life Search Most popular on msnbc. Popular stories currently unavailable Top videos Popular videos currently unavailable msnbc. Jump to discussion Erotica gives book publishers surprising boost Jump to related Sexploration.