SAVANNAH, Ga. - Technology has become a blessing for Sounds Publishing, a premier provider of "passionate audio." With the estimated sale of 700,000 iPhones during the new device's opening weekend, Sounds Publishing's owners Brian and Catherine OliverSmith witnessed an increase in sales, including a 25-percent spike in downloads."
What this says to me is that people are using the iPhone to buy and download our products," Brian OliverSmith said. "This exposure has taken our success to the next level.
"We have more exciting news: We are now in negotiations with Borders Book Stores," he added. "They seem very interested in carrying our Sugar and Spice sensual audio CDs for the holidays. I should receive a definite answer within the next month."
The history of the company embodies a story to which many couples can relate, OlvierSmith said.
"After a long day at work, you tend to the children," he explained. "By the time you hit the sheets, energy levels have depleted; unfortunately, any creativity for passionate foreplay has disappeared and the idea of sex seems like, well, just too much work."
The OliverSmiths said they had grown to know this tale all too well: Their sex life was great, yet they wished for it to be spectacular. They found it difficult to get in the mood quickly when jumping from the roles of parents to playmates. Telling sexy bedtime stories to each other was their solution; however, one person always was holding a book, leaving the "touch factor" out of the equation.
Longing to keep their fires burning in a hands-free environment, the couple compiled collections of erotic audio books, called SoundsErotic and SoundsRomantic, and founded the company Sounds Publishing Inc. in April 2004.
The idea exploded within and outside the industry, Brian OliverSmith said. Sounds Publishing products became one of the highest-ranked erotic audio books on Audible.com. The invention of iTunes helped expand the company's reach, and the launch of the iPhone only fueled its success, he added.
SoundsErotic has more than 70 erotic tales available directly, and OliverSmith commented that 70 percent of the company's business is non-adult distribution.
Sounds Publishing plans to introduce a few more products soon, including 25 additional digital erotic stories for the companies Spank line. The new products will be available for the holidays. Jenna Jameson 's Jenna Tales -- Erotica for the Woman on Top! also is in the works.
The OliverSmiths also are interested in approaching adult website owners about featuring Sounds Publishing products.
