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Over the past couple of columns I've been writing basically for newcomers to this industry in an attempt to help you guys not only survive these tough times but grow as well. And hopefully today's column will help you survive too.

I know that so many of you come into this industry because you think that it's a quick and easy way to make bucket-loads of money and that's nothing new. Most people, even in good economic times, come into this industry thinking that they're just a few hours away from making their fortune.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if making money in this industry ... or in any other ... were that easy? Undoubtedly there was a time when making money here was quite easy but we're at least 10 years past that date and now, whether the times are good or bad, making money in adult is definitely not so easy.

Not only is making money in this industry not easy but it's getting harder and harder as the consumers become more sophisticated and less prepared to accept anything but very high-quality niche based content. But that's not to say that it's impossible to make money here in adult and I'm not trying to suggest that newcomers should be discouraged from establishing a presence here.

However, if you're a newcomer to this industry you need to be aware of the realities and those realities include the fact that, while many may start in the industry, not so many will still be around in 12 months time. And that stark reality is a constant regardless of what the economic climate might be.

So how do you survive and grow in this industry? You survive by getting rid of all the misapprehensions you might have about adult online.

Well the very first idea to get rid of is the expectation that you're going to make easy money here. Basically it's just not going to happen and the sooner you accept that fact the more chance you have of surviving and growing.

The second idea you need to get rid of is the view that this is some sort of glamorous industry to be in. The fact is that there's nothing glamorous about this industry at all. It's hard work and long hours day in and day out so if you're a newcomer and you're looking for something that will let you work a few hours a day and party the rest of the time then this is not the job for you.

Sure there may be some parties at some of the Webmaster gatherings but the big parties that were around a few years ago have gone. The industry is maturing and if you're a party animal then you will find that we're becoming a lot less party-orientated than we used to be.

The third idea you need to drop is the belief that anyone can make money doing adult online. You simply cannot walk into this industry and start making money ... no matter what your background might be.

While the basic fundamentals of marketing apply just as much here in adult as they do in mainstream there is enough difference between the two to ensure that you are going to need some time to learn how to actually sell your product here in the adult side of the Internet.

Not only will you need time to learn how to market your products but you will need to understand that the learning curve here can be very steep ... and never-ending too. The longer you stay in this industry the more you will come to realize that you never stop learning and the moment you do stop is the moment that you start to lose contact with the consumers. When that starts to happen you start to see a drop in your income.

After reading all that you may be beginning to wonder if this business is really for but there certainly are some very positive aspects to working here. Basically you are your own boss and if you can be motivated to work long hours seven days a week then this is a good place to be.

You can also work from home and if that's your goal then there's no better place to work if you want to see far better returns for your efforts than you might see if you were doing mainstream affiliate marketing.

However some days it will seem as if you're never going to succeed not matter how hard you work and how realistic your expectations are. On days like that ... when the going gets really tough ... survival can come down to simply having the determination to succeed and on those days it really does come down to putting one foot in front of the other over and over again.