Why I Built Bothered: Taking Desire—and Fiction—Seriously

The Bothered Blog By Allison Whaley

January 2025

A letter from our CEO

As we launch Bothered Stories, I wanted to share what led me to create it in the first place. This is the "why" behind the platform—and the values guiding everything we’re building.

Why Bothered Stories Exists

Bothered Stories began with a frustration that I couldn't shake—and a growing excitement for what could be.

For all the progress we’ve made challenging long-standing ideas about sex and pleasure, desire is still treated as something unserious—or even worse, something to apologize for. Stories featuring smut, sex, or romance are dismissed as indulgent, niche, or lacking substance, even when they’re beautifully written, emotionally sharp, and culturally resonant.

We believe desire is worthy of serious storytelling

Reading for pleasure is important. Wanting stories that move you is foundational to what it means to be human. And writing that moves you requires craft, ambition, and complexity.

Bothered Stories exists to publish bold, thoughtful, and spicy fiction. Stories that are intentional and well-written. No shame. No coy disclaimers. Just excellent writing that knows exactly what it’s doing.

We’re changing whose stories get told

Too often, the stories we’re offered are narrow in whose desires they prioritize and whose experiences they reflect. Bothered Stories is intentional about widening that lens.

Our library features diverse characters and lived experiences, including queer and trans voices—a direct reflection of how desire actually exists in the world: varied, specific, and deeply human.

In doing so, Bothered Stories challenges outdated ideas about whose desire matters.

We take writers—and their work—seriously

At Bothered Stories, we pay authors for their work and credit them prominently, because great stories don’t appear by accident—they’re the result of skill, time, and creative labor.

Erotic and romantic fiction deserves the same respect as any other literary form. That means compensating writers fairly, highlighting their voices, and giving their work a home that reflects its value. When readers invest in Bothered Stories, they’re directly supporting the artists who make this platform possible.

This isn’t just about reading—it’s about belonging

Bothered Stories isn’t only a publishing platform. It’s a community for people who want to read—and share—what they love. People who want to talk about smut the way they talk about everything else: honestly, intelligently, without apology.

There’s something radical about owning your pleasure—and reading for it. Thanks for joining us in this space.

Our mission, plainly stated

Bothered Stories exists to:

• Publish excellent, unapologetically sexy fiction

• Champion the writers behind the work

• Expand whose stories are centered on the page

• Build a community of readers who value craft and pleasure

Where this goes next

Bothered Stories will grow because readers decide it’s worth sharing. The stories you love are meant to be passed along—to friends, group chats, and anyone who’s been waiting for some excellently written spice in their life, whether they know it yet or not.

If you haven’t joined us, consider this your invitation. Sign up here.

If you’re already a member, help us spread the word. We’re sending out gifts for every friend you refer.

Thank you for being bothered with us.

With gratitude,

Allison Whaley

CEO & Founder, Bothered Stories