I’m just back from a week in Atlanta at the
RT Booklovers Convention, six days of parties, panels, signings, photo ops and
various creative events designed to let romance readers get up close and
personal with their favorite authors and cover models. The mixing and mingling
culminated in the Giant Book Fair on the next-to-last day, where some 500
authors signed and sold books for eager readers in a four-and-a-half hour
frenzy of activity. Whew!
For the most part, I’m going to let the
pictures speak for themselves here to give you a sense of what the whirlwind of
RT is like. But this was my third RT con, and it was a little different, so I
have some observations.
First of all, I got in the Giant Book Fair
for the first time and did pretty well for a newbie. I’d do that again without
reservation. I loved meeting SFR readers face-to-face and talking with them.
But there were fewer opportunities to do
that this year than in past RT cons. SFR star and past RT stalwart Linnea
Sinclair was not at RT this year, so there was no Intergalactic Bar and Grille
party for SFR readers and nothing to replace it. In the past, the IB&G event
would draw around 200-250 readers for fun and games and an opportunity for SFR
authors to showcase their work. This year, there was no event for SFR readers
and no showcase for authors like me.
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| Heather Graham's Dancing Dead Party Invite |
At past RT cons, Linnea would host up to
three panels on SFR themes, inviting both veteran SFR authors and newbies to
sit on the panels and be introduced to readers. The panels were always well
attended. This year there was ONE panel. It was also well attended, but the
issues raised were on the order of SFR 101—a rehashing of old, too-familiar
themes.
Perhaps for these reasons, there was a
paucity of SFR authors at RT2017. Certainly SFR Brigaders were scarce this
year. It was unfortunate, and I would hate to think this is the future of RT.
More than almost anything else, we need to connect with readers. We need to let
them get to know us personally, to hear our opinions on what SFR is and where
it’s going, to see our latest work and our backlists, to compare us with the
paranormal and contemporary writers and others. Five authors (the number on that
one panel) among 500 is just not enough to make an impact.
What’s it going to take to get us there? I
don’t know, you tell me.
In the meantime, have a look at some of the
fun to be had when readers and authors come together!
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| My roomie--SFR blogger/reviewer Riley Moreland--and me. |
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| 500 Authors and eager readers at the RT2017 Giant Book Fair |
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| Nashville's Zippy's Clutch perform at the Rockabilly Street Festival |
