Falcon | NakedSword has launched FalconINK, a new publishing division focused on erotic male/male romance stories. This venture expands the San Francisco-based company into book publishing, offering original novellas and stories inspired by existing Falcon | NakedSword films.

FalconINK Enters Publishing Market

FalconINK, launched this week, will publish erotic male/male romance stories in print, e-book, and audiobook formats. The new division features three signature imprint lines: Falcon Books, NakedSword Books, and Raging Stallion Books. Falcon Books will focus on "sun-touched, all-American Falcon men," Raging Stallion Books will feature "rough-and-ready hairy studs," and NakedSword Books will include various types of men.

The first two projects from FalconINK are already available at major retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. These include Hard Ball by Riley Parks, released under the Falcon Books line, and Wild Game: Open Season by Parks and Ben Rush, under the NakedSword Books banner. Hard Ball is described as a contemporary sports romance in the "enemies-to-lovers" sub-genre, following minor league baseball player Mateo Ruiz and his rival Chase Whitaker. Wild Game: Open Season is a prequel to the film Wild Game, centering on Derek Kage and his married life being affected by meeting construction worker Adrian.

Tim Valenti, President and CEO of Falcon | NakedSword, stated that this venture reflects a commitment to expanding beyond the company's traditional audience while maintaining its focus on storytelling and sexuality. Valenti also noted that FalconINK is creating content for women, identified as a large audience in the M/M romance space. Ben Rush, Co-Chief Content Officer and Chief Creative Marketing Officer, indicated that the idea for FalconINK originated from conversations with Valenti in 2022, prior to Rush writing the screenplay for Ride or Die.

Rush mentioned that the success of the HBO Max streaming series based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling novels, Heated Rivalry, signaled the market's appetite for this type of content, though FalconINK's groundwork was laid before its widespread success. Falcon | NakedSword hopes to publish stories that could be adapted for television, following the example of Heated Rivalry, which premiered nine months ago and became a worldwide phenomenon. HBO estimates that approximately half of the gay hockey series' viewership is female.

Creative Expansion and Audience Reach

FalconINK products will be available worldwide through traditional mainstream channels, including online and brick-and-mortar bookstores. Rush stated that nearly 75% of book sales are accounted for by the print format. While women are an important and growing segment for romance and erotic fiction, Rush anticipates a broader audience, including LGBTQ+ readers, existing Falcon | NakedSword fans, couples, collectors, and new readers discovering the brand through publishing.

Riley Parks, who has previous ties to the adult industry, will continue to write for all three imprints. FalconINK also plans to acquire work from other authors. Rush noted the creative challenge of shifting from screenplays to novellas, where words must convey emotion and character inner lives without visual aids. Derek Kage, a GayVN Award winner, and Eddie Burke, a multi-GayVN Award nominee, have lent their voices to the audiobook versions of Wild Game: Open Season and Hard Ball, respectively. Kage previously worked with Rush on the Raging Stallion movie Cruising Confidential.

FalconINK's initial release schedule includes a new story every month, comprising both original works and those based on existing intellectual property. Future releases include a continuation of Hard Ball and a novella expanding the Eat the Rich universe, with the movie streaming in early September and the book releasing in the fall. This venture follows other innovations from Falcon | NakedSword, such as the return to short stories with Liquid Assets and the release of The Last Guest, described as the adult industry’s first vertical microdrama.

Rush described FalconINK as an incubator for ideas, allowing the company to test new concepts, introduce characters, build fictional worlds, and gauge audience response before expanding properties into other formats. He also stated that the goal is to create original stories with long-term potential, fostering a deeper relationship with the brand as audiences recognize recurring worlds, themes, and creators.

Key Facts

  • Falcon | NakedSword launched FalconINK, a new publishing division for erotic male/male romance stories.
  • FalconINK features three imprints: Falcon Books, NakedSword Books, and Raging Stallion Books.
  • The first two novellas are Hard Ball by Riley Parks and Wild Game: Open Season by Parks and Ben Rush.
  • Audiobook versions feature performances by Derek Kage and Eddie Burke.
  • The venture aims to expand beyond traditional audiences, including women in the M/M romance space.
  • A mixer and book event with Rush, Valenti, Kage, and Burke is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, at 5 p.m. at Book Soup in Hollywood.