How I Made $10,000 A Month As A Phone Sex Operator

Amberly Rothfield
Self-published
Free, or $15.99 on paper
362 pages
Language: English
ASIN: B0798H4S5X
@: buy it online

Through the years and my travels I built an opinion about sex work. I might be mistaken, but I have the feeling that even more than from moral (and therefore irrelevant) judgments about selling sexual pleasure, the resentment about this practice derives from an ethical judgment. Because sure, we all know about commodification and female dignity – as if there were no sex workers of other genders – but at the end of the day it is something else so many people are annoyed about. «Why do these people earn their living from fucking, when I have a thankless job I hate?»
We are all intelligent fellows here, so we can skip all the obvious objections about trafficking, the desperation and distress connected to a very large part of prostitution. Let’s focus instead on the Pretty Woman fantasy of happy and well-to-do escorts, or on the reality of those few sex workers who were lucky enough to strike gold.

Situations like those may make you question your life choices – and that is precisely why lots of fine girls all over the world decide to dump their call center jobs and go for success in the field of paid eroticism. «Always better than working,» they say. And the vast majority of them are soon back in the job center queue, with their tails between their legs.
The basic misconception is thinking that operating in the sex industry doesn’t require the same effort as other fields. Reality is just the opposite, and I am very happy about having found a book that proves this in the best possible way.

Amberly Rothfield’s How I Made $10,000 A Month As A Phone Sex Operator does exactly what it promises on its cover. The American author, one of the most successful online sex workers in the world, explains in the most minute detail how to earn a dream paycheck without even having to meet the clients: she hides no trick, gives excellent practical tips and provides all the resources to best tackle a somewhat mysterious industry. In fact, it turns out that the phone sex world is still alive and kicking despite – or maybe thanks to – the rise of the Internet.
Rothfield tells where to go to work at a specialized agency or to go freelance; marketing; how to network among colleagues; mistakes to avoid; technical tips to use during calls; how to deal with stalkers and unfair competitors; dealing with payment platforms and banks… even how to manage taxes and how to save for your retirement fund! Believe me when I say that her guide is possibly the best ever I read for digital entrepreneurs, no matter the subject.

However, if you are about to buy it already, I must warn you: you are probably not going to like this book. This is not due to its frankly horrible cover nor for the occasionally questionable editing, but because its biggest lesson is that being a sex worker today is very intense, back-breaking work. Not among the sheets, but at the desk where you have to spend nine hours a day on the PC at the least.
Just the sheer quantity of written material the author produces on a daily basis for her astounding number of promotional blogs scared me, even if writing is my job. Then there is the SEO work, imagery selection, audio file recording, comments management and so on and on… a killer routine that puts that store clerk job your grandma was so keen for you to accept in a whole different light.

I honestly believe that reading How I Made $10,000 A Month As A Phone Sex Operator should be made obligatory for anyone who ever comes up with the brilliant idea of opening a new online business: the world would suddenly be free of so many digital idiots and would gain just as many sensible workers. Not to mention the silencing effect this would have on everyone who now feels free to cast judgment on sex workers.
In my small capacity, I took to the source the doubts I had after reading it. Here is my small interview with Amberly Rothfield.

Hi, Amberly! Your book makes abundantly clear the impressive amount of work behind being a successful sex worker in the online era. How many people do you estimate to be actually putting in that kind of effort behind their career in this field?

I would say that about 10% of those I have seen put forth the level of effort that I do into their online presence. Some of the reasoning would be that they just do not know how to do better, and the other that many believe it should be easy. This industry has never been a beauty pageant, but rather how much work you put into getting yourself out there. I plan to help with the many who do not know how much work is involved, or rather how to work smarter!

In your book – even on the cover – you repeatedly quote a $10,000 a month income, which is rather striking… until you compare it with the average US earning for comparably intensive jobs. Taking into account the need to provide for insurance, retirement funds and other costs usually covered by a mainstream employer; the above-mentioned effort; the volatility and the fact that not everyone is going to reach those sums… is going into this kind of sex work still really worth it, compared to a more standard career?

As to whether or not if going into this type of career worth it vs other jobs, it totally depends on your preferences. I love being my own boss, being able to work on the go and work whenever I want too. Even after insurance and retirement funds, there is not as much overhead that others would have to worry about. I do not need to worry about gas and for many years didn’t need a car. With Uber and Lyft around now, people even have that a bit easier. I also titled the book based on how I have made a consistent $10,000 a month because I have actually made way more. As for the volatility, I do believe I built that into the book, talking about building yourself up first with clients before you quit your day job. Though there are ebbs and flows, I honestly have banked a minimum of $10,000 a month when working full time. I truly also do believe anyone and everyone can make these sums. There is truly a ton of money left on the table as there have never been enough providers to cover the demand. When you create an experience that your customers crave, you will see them waiting for hours for you to be available to speak to them.

By the way, do you have any insights on the prospects for someone pursuing this line of work outside of the United States?

For those outside of the United States, the advice in the book is the same! Most of my best friends from the industry are actually not US based. Sites like Niteflirt and I Want Clips allow for foreign providers to create accounts. Most of my clients are also not US-based (this is based on the times I am typically available and where I advertise though).

Going back to the situation in your country, it is important to note that your book is entirely focused on online work, thus excluding physical interactions with the clients. The recent SESTA/FOSTA bill, however, seems to purposefully use an unclear wording in a way that allows to punish any sort of sex work, including any online reference that could be construed as a precursor. In this climate, how relevant the information you provide is?

I have to admit that I did write the book pre SESTA FOSTA, but I have conferred with American sex work lawyers since then. Phone sex, when not pushing for a meeting with a client in real life, does not come under fire from these laws. I have been asked on podcasts before about sex trafficking as it pertains to phone sex and truly… sex traffickers have never been found to use phone sex as a method for profiting from victims. Most use drugs to obtain and maintain control over their victims. Doing such would impair the ability to concentrate and focus on weaving an auditory experience. Another fact worth noting is that phone sex has existed even before the internet. It will take quite a bit to take down the sleeping dragon that is this industry and truly, once challenged, SESTA/FOSTA will most likely be overturned. Those who truly need to worry about it are the sex workers who personally meet clients or advertise such services.

So, might “hiding online” be the solution for the North American physical sex workers who are basically being forced into street prostitution by Trump’s bill? 

I know many sex workers who have turned to the online world after the bill was passed. Most have found it to be a welcome change, even if it was forced. I am actually very much for the legalization of prostitution but while this bill gets cleared up (and it is already being challenged) it may be a way to protect oneself from the dangers of turning to the streets.

When you first contacted me about your book you mentioned offering it for free to my audience. Can you elaborate?

My book has a very incredible title and I do not want people to believe I am selling a pipe dream of any sort. This is why I give the digital version away to anyone who DMs me on Twitter at @AmberlyPSO. It will soon be permanently free on Amazon (in late July ’18). My goal is to help people in any way I can and many who enter the industry do not have the knowledge, resources or capital to give it a good go.