RWA Files for Bankruptcy

 

RWA Files for Bankruptcy

I’m a bit late to the game on reporting this, but better late than never. If you’ve been around the romance industry for the past several years, you probably saw this one coming: RWA has filed for bankruptcy. Romance Writers of America was, until recently, the organization to join if you were a writer (or hopeful writer) of romance. For an annual dues fee, aspiring and published authors could receive access to members-only workshops, chapter membership, classes, news, a monthly publication, and a chance to attend writer’s conferences including the annual RWA conference, which was a huge event held in various places around the United States. I joined in 2008, and not only did I learn a lot about the craft, but I also made friendships that will last a lifetime.

What a heartbreaker that this is what RWA has come to.

How it Happened

RWA’s bankruptcy move was a result of a precipitous drop in membership after the organization repeatedly ignored member and public outcry for more diversity, equity, and inclusion in its author awards, board membership, and support for aspiring novelists. I was one of the members who left, not directly due to the DEI fallout, but certainly my decision was accelerated by it. Details on the bankruptcy filing here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/romance-genre-thrives-despite-rwa-bankruptcy-diversity-controversies-rcna155497

You can read a full writeup on RWA’s behavior that resulted in the bankruptcy filing here: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/30/rwa-goes-bankrupt-its-not-dei-its-the-bigotry-and-racism/

What disappoints me is that the organization had multiple chances to make good on its past wrongs, and instead of righting the obvious exclusionary practices, it doubled down on its mismanagement. Now that the organization has filed bankruptcy, it seems to be “blaming” DEI instead of simply citing its drop in membership (around 7,000 members, reportedly) as its inability to continue. Granted, the membership drop was a direct result of the fallout from RWA failing to honor the diversity of its membership and readership, but the fault lies with RWA, not DEI. It’s disingenuous to say otherwise.

A Need for New Blood

Authors need community. I’m living proof that without the support of like-minded community, some of us will never get published. I went from a scared-of-her-shadow, painfully shy scribbler to a multi-published, award-winning author thanks to the people I met and things I learned in such an organization as RWA. I will always be grateful for that, but more importantly, I have become aware of the privilege I have had to learn and advance my career. Anyone who wants to publish, no matter their race, religion, creed, or persuasion should be allowed the chance to do so…and to learn how. Now, more than ever, the romance writing community needs an organization that teaches its membership, but also listens to them and supports them.

All of them.

Introducing Narrator Janine Granda!

 

Please Welcome Narrator Janine Granda!

Today, I'd like to introduce you to the unbelievably talented narrator of FLASHPOINT, Janine Granda! Janine is a SAG-AFTRA, Cuban-American actor, voice artist, and audiobook narrator with multiple credits under her belt. Her straightforward, lively voice talents have brought FLASHPOINT to sparkling life. Janine is wonderful to work with as a narrator, responsive and intuitive in her reading, and she was a joy to work with.

Get FLASHPOINT now or listen to a sample at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

About Janine Granda

Some of Janine Granda's earliest and most treasured memories stem from the regular family get-togethers whose sole purpose was to gather around the television and watch films like Indiana Jones, The Birdcage, and The Lord of the Rings. In fact, she's pretty sure those get-togethers are what ignited her love of sci-fi/fantasy and are what encouraged her to be an actor. She currently resides in Los Angeles by way of Miami, FL and when she is not in her soundbooth or on set, she enjoys volunteering for a local dog rescue, playing video games, being a 'fur mom' to two scruffers, exploring the Californian landscape with her fiancé, and celebrating her Cuban roots.

Instagram: @beingjanine_
TikTok: @beingjanine
Website: https://janinegranda.com

Blogger vs. Wordpress (Yep, Still Blogger)

 

 
...And Still the Champion (For Me, Anyway)

I've tried to like Wordpress. Really, I have. Between the fact that there are two different iterations of the software (Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org), each with different features and a not-at-all-intuitive design engine, I have decided for the third time that I like Blogger better.

All Blogging, No Waiting

I know there are users who love the heck out of Wordpress, and they manage to create beautiful websites and blogs with it. I am not one of them. I'm an author, Jim, not a blogger. I've been on Blogger since 2006, and like the proverbial old dog, I don't have the patience for the new tricks when I simply want to put a blog post out into the world and share some information with you.

My defining traits are stubbornness and impatience, after all. I like a simple, intuitive interface. (You should have seen me when I first downloaded Scrivener. I almost had heart failure at how complex it is. I did get it to play nice with me, eternal thanks to author Holly Evans.)

Don't (Always) Reinvent the Wheel

Innovation is great. New apps, conveniences, and computer features are being developed so fast we can hardly keep up. (See the ongoing battle against Artificial Intelligence, or "AI," and the way it's been using copyrighted works to "learn.")

In many cases, there's nothing wrong with the tried and true. As authors, who must also be editors, who must also be graphic designers, who must also be marketers, we don't have a great deal of spare time on our hands. Google currently owns Blogger, and they're not going anywhere anytime soon, so I figure I'm safe staying put with my blog (even if that means my blog looks slightly different than my actual website). Blogger is free, still offers the features I want, and does the trick for getting my news to you.

Worry Not

The moral of the story is, don't sweat the details. You need to spend time getting your words into print if you're an author. As long as someone can find you and your works online, it doesn't much matter what platform you use. If you're a new author without much money, there are lots of ways to get an online presence without spending a dime...and Blogger is one of them. You could conceivably create a whole website using Blogger if you wanted to, although it may not be as robust as some web hosts. It might make better financial sense to use Blogger when you're just starting out.

Or if you're stubborn and impatient, you might just like it better.

FLASHPOINT in Audiobook!

It’s Finally Here!

It’s been years in the making, but FLASHPOINT is available in audiobook at last! Since THE SERPENT IN THE STONE’s arrival in audiobook in 2019, I’ve been meaning to follow suit with its companion book about Faith’s adventures in the Australian wilderness. Now, five years later, the amazing and talented Janine Granda brings these characters to life!

Click any of the links below to hear a sample:

Audiobook:

Amazon

Audible

iTunes

About FLASHPOINT

Fated to find him. Destined to defend her.

Faith Markham knows her place in life—paranormal expert and world-traveling archaeologist. She also knows she'll never fall in love again. How can she, when the only man she's ever wanted is a long-dead Viking warrior? She has resigned herself to loneliness, but fate has other ideas.

Hakon Ivarsson has had enough of women. His ex-wife left his life in ruins, and only Australia's Blue Mountains can soothe his empty soul. When Faith shows up needing a trail guide, he regards her with instant suspicion. This enigmatic beauty pulls at him in ways he can't explain. Trusting her is out of the question, but protecting her is absolute.

When they stumble on an artifact-smuggling ring, led by a man poised to bend the world's paranormal power to his own terrible purposes, they must join forces. Will it tear them apart, or has fate finally delivered a second chance?

Playing by the Rules: Why Word Count Matters

 

Learning the Ropes…Before You Cut Them

While scrolling Facebook with my daily coffee, I noticed today one post from a new, unpublished author asking whether their 200K-word novel would be read/accepted by publishers. While this novel was in a genre that often supports high word counts, even this is high for an unknown author and their first novel. The poster in question refused to listen to sound advice, of which there was plenty from several different responders.

This wasn’t a case of piling on. It was good commentary, in detail, from several experienced authors and editors in the industry. The poster was obviously proud of their work, but they would not take into account suggestions that went against what they had clearly already decided to do. That, sadly, is probably going to lead to their work not getting published and/or purchased, and I know how that hurts for an author who’s excited to see their book in print.

Then Again, Maybe They’re Right

Here’s the thing. Word count conventions (and for that matter, other agent and editor submission guidelines) exist for a reason. The professionals know what sells and at what parameters. Flouting these guidelines in your query letter will get you a rejection every time. Agents and editors get so many submissions, they’re all but looking for a reason to reject your work. They simply don’t have the time to coach you on your craft or submission process. Don’t give them a reason to reject you. Follow the guidelines closely. It’s an easy hurdle to remove from your goal.

If several unrelated people make the same unrelated comment about your work, there’s probably some truth to it. We don’t like to see our babies maligned, but as authors, we need to be a little bit mercenary when we switch from author to marketer. Ask yourself these questions about your manuscript:

1) Does it meet guidelines?

2) Is it professionally edited and technically sound (e.g., the plot makes sense with a beginning, middle, and end)?

3) Does it have a high concept and a hook?

These are the things over which you have control. Don’t throw them away and risk your manuscript getting rejected.

Can’t I Just Self-Publish?

Sure you can. Self-publishing opens up a lot of doors for out-of-the-box manuscripts, whether they are an unusual genre or concept, or you want to do all the work yourself. But remember this: Indie publishing is not a replacement for industry guidelines. Just because you can sidestep the norms doesn’t mean you should. You still need a well-edited manuscript with a great cover and sound plot, with consideration to the guidelines of most publishers. If you don’t offer the reader good editing and a good plot in return for their hard-earned money, they might not pick up your next book (or they’ll give a bad review to this one). Also, the guidelines help publishers (which is now you, indie author) place the book in appropriate categories so it can be found or shelved correctly. If an outlet can’t figure out where to place your book, it’s not likely to sell well.

Word Count

In the case of word count, you certainly could self-publish your opus, but that won’t guarantee you sales even if you advertise. The longer the print book, the higher your list price. Unless you plan to sell it at cost, you’re going to get a lot of readers turning away from your book to another, cheaper one. Consider that the current average for a 100K-word print book is $15.99. Are you going to price your print book at $31.98 and see sales? Probably not many, especially for an unknown author. Even a 200K-word ebook might be pricier because longer books and larger files might charge a delivery fee to the reader.

Fast-Food Society

We are living faster and faster in the Internet age. We have gotten used to instant gratification: click a button, order a meal. Click another button, and there’s a whole season of that new crime drama to binge. Click yet another button and get something delivered to your door. The fact that we have so much data at our fingertips means our attention is constantly divided among multiple tasks. The majority of people (and you want to sell to as many people as possible, don’t you?) don’t have time to sit down and read epic-length novels anymore. It may be sacrilege to say, but I wonder whether J.R.R. Tolkien would have had such success now with the Lord of the Rings trilogy as he had when it was originally published. Even then, the publisher broke it into the three segments we know today.

Word counts are trending shorter, in line with people’s shortening attention spans. Why let your book be lost in a sea of bite-sized entertainment when you could profit from breaking that beastie into multiple stories and have your own, ready-made series? Readers love series, and your shorter individual books will be faster reads while delivering a satisfying overall arc to the reader.

Play Nice, Get Published

In short, it’s best for new authors to do everything by the book—pun intended. The only authors who can successfully break tradition are NYT bestsellers, because they already have an audience and the clout to sell. We lesser-known authors need to know how to kick that ball to get it to the goal. Game on!

Practicing Gratitude

Saying Thank You ... Often

I get it. We live in a very busy world, and it seems like things are not getting any less busy no matter how many time-saving tech gadgets we throw at them. I'm guilty of dropping the ball now and then, or putting down that load for a while to decompress.

Life as an author can be stressful. We have to balance our craft, often with a family, a day job, and a social life. Somewhere in there, we might get a little sleep.

You might not think it, but there's one thing you can do which will take some time, but improve the rest of the time you spend on tasks ... and that's to practice gratitude. Before you get started with your day, you might think about three things that make you thankful. It could be something as simple as that first sip of coffee. (Or a pretty coffee cup. Or the existence of coffee.)

How to Make an Author's Day

Today was a busy day at the day job, and that's after very little sleep. It's no stretch to say I lived on caffeine today just to get the work done. I came home just about running on empty. I had a couple of things to do tonight before I was allowed to relax, and while I was at it, I popped online to check my book reviews (Yes, I do read them!).

What I found was a lovely review for WATER, and it was such a gift after a long day. Not only did the reviewer like the book, but they also mentioned how much they were looking forward to reading more of my work. That made my soul happy today. Reviews are the elixir of life to an author, and they revive flagging spirits as well as any magical potion.

Thank You

So, today I want to thank that reviewer from the bottom of my heart. It was a very kind thing to do, and while it might seem like a little thing ... it's not. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.

Happy Reading, gang!