Read A Book Day Special: The Emergence Of Smut Novels And Short Series

It’s Read A Book Day today! What was the last book you read? Was it a thriller mystery? Or a mushy rom-com? Or an insightful self-help book? While there exist a variety of genres, ‘smut novels‘ have proved to be an upcoming niche that has readers hooked. “Romantasy” it’s called. With predominantly women readers, there’s a growing demand for these smut books given the bold storytelling that explores intimate themes.

A July 2024 ELLE article referred to a report by Lovehoney. It stated that searches for ‘smut books’ have increased by a whopping 78% in the past year alone with unprecedented sales in the ‘romantasy’ genre. The Cut recently dedicated an entire week to celebrating what it has aptly dubbed ‘The Summer of Smut.’ With the advent of e-books and digital content, these novels have found a thriving space in online platforms, allowing readers to access a wide variety of stories with just a click.

Also Read: Decoding The Evolving Reading Habits With HarperCollins’ Poulomi Chatterjee

What Is A Smut Novel?

It is a story, usually a book or fan fiction, that includes sexually explicit scenes. Smutty books are characterised by their focus on sexual desire and passion, sometimes at the expense of a deeper emotional connection or plot. These books are typically written for an adult audience and can range from steamy romance novels to hardcore erotica.

The term ‘smut’ can also refer to magazines, pictures, films, or jokes that are considered offensive. It comes from a 16th-century verb that meant “smudge” or “blacken“. The noun “smut” was derived from the verb, and came to mean “stain” or “soot“. The word’s underlying ideas of decay or darkness became a metaphor for “indecent or obscene” content, especially in early history.

The Emergence Of Smut Novels

Historically, people liked to keep their lustful desires hidden, but smut has existed for centuries. In 1725, author Eliza Haywood published a book called ‘Fantomina.’ This novel demonstrated a woman’s desire that became widely appreciated many years later. In the 20th century, romance books with a glimpse of smut became more popular. Sexual liberation during that era made way for spicy novels and stories of forbidden romance.

The Wattpad Fanfiction Era

Wattpad has been ‘the place’ for readers and writers. Fanfiction emerged as one of the most popular reading categories. It has also become a large source of popular smut literature. In fanfiction, millions of amateur writers are describing their dream scenarios taking their favourite characters/ public figures. These scenarios tend to be romantic as well as sexual.

In conversation with my colleague Manisha, she mentioned how deeply invested she was in fandoms on Wattpad. She followed the One Direction fandom religiously and came across smut stories about the band members. She then learned about the book “After” by Anna Todd, a Wattpad writer. It is a hugely popular romantic smut novel that also got adapted into a film by the same name. The book is rumoured to be based on Harry Styles’ fanfiction.

Fifty Shades Of Smut

One of the main ways that smut and romance came into the mainstream was through the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy by E.L. James. This series is about Anastasia Steele, who is immediately captivated by the seductive Christian Grey who is a dominant with a fondness for BDSM. This series hooked millions of readers. The series was even turned into a popular movie franchise, which capitalized on a smutty book making it big.

Fun Fact: Fifty Shades of Grey originally started as fanfiction for the popular book series Twilight. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas has also been hailed a publishing sensation, selling millions of copies worldwide. Its abbreviation ACOTAR boasts an astounding 8.9 billion views on TikTok.

Another recent example is The Idea Of You by author Robinne Lee which was adapted into an OTT film starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. It is rumoured to be based on the romance of Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde.

The Modern World Of Smut

The world has become more sex-positive and vocal about pleasure. Media has aided this development to a great extent. From explicit movies to music to sexual and romantic literature, there are viewers for every genre. All of these factors are what have led to a wider acceptance of smut and romance in society.

Booktok and SmutTok can also take credit for the modern normalization of smut and romance literature. Many social media influencers who recommend books on TikTok and Instagram have started to recommend some sexual literature. This can be in terms of comparing how sexual different books are, bringing in new readers by writing out some saucy lines or describing plots in ways that create intrigue.

When recommendations for these types of books show up on someone’s feed, they become more interested as more of these videos pop up. It is one of the ways social media has reflected modern attitudes, and it shows that the reputation of these books will only go up from here.

Smut Apps

We now have apps that create and release short web series from this genre! Apps like Reelshorts and Mini Shorts are capitalizing on this trend, offering short versions of these novels in bite-sized, visually engaging formats. This shift towards digital has made smut novels even more accessible, catering to a modern audience seeking quick, on-the-go entertainment.

Smut books seem to be more widely talked about now than ever before. Readers feel less restricted and embarrassed and rather prefer this emerging category. It looks like The Summer of Smut is extending to all seasons for readers who enjoy reading spicy stories. Have you tried any? Let us know if you have any recommendations in the comments below!