Turning Pro: A Guide to Sex Work for the Ambitious and the Intrigued

Rating:
Summary: Good Read (But written for a Woman)
Review: I found the book "Turning Pro" to be a good read. When I purchased the book I thought it might be for both man and woman looking to get into the Adult Business, but upon the first couple of pages you will find that its mainly written for a woman. But that aside, its a great book. It never really gets too indepth on some subjects and that leaves you with questions. In the Chapter about STD's it has some really great info that in itself make this book worth reading. If your looking for a indepth book about the Adult Business then this is not your book, but if your looking for a book that covers a wide range of work that gives you a starting point on research and/or work this is a great book to read. I found it very informative.

Rating:
Summary: Finally! A no BS how-to guide
Review: If you've ever wanted to find out what goes own behind the closed doors of the sex industry, this book sheds some much needed light where most people don't want to look. Be prepared for an unflinching look at all aspects of of the trade from 'lot lizards' to porn. Also there's a great discussion of STDs, which gave me more information that a gyno ever did. This is a must read if you've ever even thought about doing sex work.

Rating:
Summary: Good starting point
Review: In 16 chapters, this book, the first I could find on becoming a female sex worker in the United States, Meretrix covers a lot of different types of work from her own personal experiences. While she covers many topics ranging from disease, to burnout, to maintaining clients, a good deal of this book is rather vague. More details were needed in several areas but it is a good first attempt at such a how-to book. The types of sex work discussed focus on those that use your body (pictures, street walking, dancing, etc) or your voice (phone sex) but not producers of the written word or those who take pictures -- aren't they all involved in sex work too? Please be aware of your state's laws before ordering this book or enacting any of the advice in this book. Note that I suspect the name is created specifically for sex work -- Meretrix is a Latin term for female harlot.

Rating:
Summary: Good starting point
Review: In 16 chapters, this book, the first I could find on becoming a female sex worker in the United States, Meretrix covers a lot of different types of work from her own personal experiences. While she covers many topics ranging from disease, to burnout, to maintaining clients, a good deal of this book is rather vague. More details were needed in several areas but it is a good first attempt at such a how-to book. The types of sex work discussed focus on those that use your body (pictures, street walking, dancing, etc) or your voice (phone sex) but not producers of the written word or those who take pictures -- aren't they all involved in sex work too? Please be aware of your state's laws before ordering this book or enacting any of the advice in this book. Note that I suspect the name is created specifically for sex work -- Meretrix is a Latin term for female harlot.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy vs IRL
Review: Lots of women fantasize about being hookers -- and I know some guys who would love to be professional gigolos. This book will give you a sense of whether you are truly cut out for the realities of prostitution. Or whether the most you can handle is phone sex. Or whether you're too inarticulate for phone sex but good at something more basic. Or whether you should be content to live with the fantasy of selling sex. Either way, you'll enjoy this -- it's a page turner.

The meretricious Magdalene has produced an intriguing guide to an industry that sometimes attracts the wrong people for the wrong reasons. It's good to let people know that sex work is real work, hard work and not for the faint of heart. I hope every cash-strapped grad student reads this *before* taking the plunge!

Rating:
Summary: Sex Work, The Way It Is
Review: Magdalene Meretrix's book is a must read not only for any woman considering sex work (phone sex, exotic dancing, escorting, legal prostitution, adult film etc.), but also for anyone curious about the lives these women lead. She's included enough anecdotes to give her readers a real inside look at what it's like to work in the adult industry.

But where the book really shines for me is in the content of its information. Magdalene has worked in each of the adult industries she writes about, and she has the insight to deliver the facts in a way that is concise, entertaining and never dry. Her honesty is commendable.

Having worked in legal prostitution and other areas of adult entertainment, I only wish I could have read this book first. It answers not only all the questions most commonly asked, but a lot of questions you'd never think to ask. This is an entertaining read and a definitive resource--one heckuva great combination.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read (But written for a Woman)
Review: My favorite tidbit is "Put your [spike-heeled] shoes in ziplock
freezer bags so the pointy heels don't snag your delicate
lingerie." The chapter on sexually transmitted diseases is
a real eye-opener. All the tips I've picked up from sex
workers, from Yoga to cosmetic sponges, are here.
There are a lot of references for more information, mostly
to Internet resources. If you are a female considering sex
work in the United States, read this book.
John Sauter (...)

Rating:
Summary: packed with useful infomation for female sex workers in USA
Review: My favorite tidbit is "Put your [spike-heeled] shoes in ziplock
freezer bags so the pointy heels don't snag your delicate
lingerie." The chapter on sexually transmitted diseases is
a real eye-opener. All the tips I've picked up from sex
workers, from Yoga to cosmetic sponges, are here.
There are a lot of references for more information, mostly
to Internet resources. If you are a female considering sex
work in the United States, read this book.
John Sauter (...)

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating Insider's View of Sex Work
Review: Whether you are interested in "turning pro" yourself or just curious about the day to day lives of sex workers, this book is well worth your time.

In a clear, non-judgemental and professional manner the author describes what it is that escorts, professional dominants, phone sex workers and other women in "the industry" actually do. She provides a well organized and highly accessible sourcebook on how to get started, what precautions to take, where to make contacts and how to find informmation on the web. If you have questions about this form of work, "Turning Pro" will probably answer them.

If you are just looking for a voyeuristic thrill, this book is probably not what you want. But if you are open to truly expand your base of knowledge about the sex profession and maybe even consider whether this is the life for you, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: The First "How To Manual" for Sex Workers
Review: While the topic of this book may seem a bit unusual, Greenery Press has always published books that catered to an alternative audience and broke ground in formerly uncharted areas. This book is no exception. Magdelene Meretrix has written what could be called the "first sex workers' guide." Ms. Meretrix has worked in a number of different areas in the so-called sex industry, from working in "live girl booths," phone sex, a "stripper," and even had a brief role in an adult film. Drawing on her experiences and those of other women in various parts of the sex worker industry, she gives practical advice about getting a job as an escort, an exotic dancer, phone sex, what things are like in the legal Nevada brothels, the adult film industry, and even "Pro Domme" work. While she cautions against anyone doing anything illegal, the information she relays in all cases is excellent. There's also a great chapter on what to do if you get arrested. Each chapter also features web sites to go to get more information about a specific topic

While I'm certainly not planning on getting a job as a "sex worker," the book was enlightening as to what this "world" entails. While in college in the late 1970s, I took a Human Sexuality class and wrote a term paper on prostitution. It's intriguing to me to see how much about "the world's oldest profession" has changed and how much seems to have stayed the same.

While most would look down at sex work as a career or even a respectable job, to paraphrase a famous quote, "anything worth doing is worth doing well." Kudos to Ms. Meretrix for writing a fascinating book about a topic most look down upon.