Xcite Books has announced the winners of its inaugural Xcite Awards 2012. Launched in November 2011, the Awards set out to celebrate and recognise companies, reviewers, bloggers and sexperts who value and support the erotic fiction market.
Lovehoney was named Best Internet Retail Site and head buyer Bonny Hall commented: “At Lovehoney we love erotica and are passionate about great sex writing, so we’re thrilled to be named Best Internet Retail Site in the Xcite Books Awards 2012.”
The Best Publication category was won by ETO magazine, which pipped Cosmopolitan by just four votes. ETO editor Dale Bradford said: “Xcite Books has championed the cause of erotic literature over the last five years and introducing its own awards to highlight, support and promote the market is the latest in a long line of initiatives from the company. We are humbled, surprised but most of all delighted to be the inaugural winners of Xcite’s Best Publication award. We were up against five very well respected titles so we’d just like to say a very sincere ‘Thank You’ to everyone who voted for us and express our congratulations to all the other category winners.”
The Best Blog category was won by Cara Sutra who, on hearing the news, commented: “I am completely stunned that I won Best Sex Blog in the fabulous Xcite Books Awards, I am so pleased to hear that people enjoy reading my blog as much as I do writing it!”
Nominations and voting, which closed on February 13th, were open to the general public and Xcite customers.
Hazel Cushion, managing director at Xcite Books, said: “We have been delighted by the response – these are the winners from thousands of votes and it demonstrates the growth in support of the erotic fiction market.”
The winners of each category will receive a specially commissioned glass book to mark their achievement. The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Internet Retail Site: Lovehoney.co.uk
Also shortlisted: AllRomance.com, Amazon.co.uk, AnnSummers.com, Sextoys.co.uk, Sh-womenstore.com
Best Blog or Author Page: CaraSutra.co.uk
Also shortlisted: kdgrace.co.uk, LucyFelthouse.co.uk, sommermarsden.blogspot.com, tonyakinzer.blogspot.com, victoriablisse.co.uk
Best Reviewer: Sexytoytesters.co.uk
Also shortlisted: coffeetimeromance.com, darkhavenbookreviews.com, eroticaforall.co.uk, simplyeroticreviews.com, theromancereviews.com
Best Sexpert: Violet Blue
Also shortlisted: Dr Gabrielle Morrissey, Dr Laura Berman, Julie Peasgood, Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Tracey Cox
Best Publication: Erotic Trade Only (ETO)
Also shortlisted: Attitude, Cosmopolitan, Diva, Jade Magazine, Skin Two Magazine
