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| Me with some of the 2012 class of Golden Heart Finalists--the Firebirds |
The membership of the Romance Writers of
America® was thrown into an uproar last week by the announcement of changes in
the schedule for its annual conference in July. Several major revisions in the
time-honored sequence of events were made by the elected Board of Directors,
including moving the popular Literacy Signing (a charity event featuring dozens
of writers, from big-names to debut authors) from Wednesday night to Saturday
afternoon, a timing more like the RT Booklovers convention. The new schedule
also places the big RITA® awards gala (for published authors) on Thursday night
rather than at the end of the conference.
But the change that has drawn the most
controversy was the decision to split the Golden Heart® awards ceremony (for
unpublished authors) off from the RITA® event and schedule it at a luncheon on
Thursday. I was not the only past Golden Heart® Finalist who considered this to
be a clear demotion of Golden Heart®. Facebook and GH alumni loops were alight
with animated discussion of the move, and most past GH honorees refused to buy
the official RWA line that the separation of the ceremonies was an attempt to
give Golden Heart® Finalists their own special spotlight.
How? By shoehorning the Finalists into a
dark corner of the schedule in the middle of the day in the middle of the week,
when many conference attendees would be busy with agent or publisher meetings? By
depriving the new crop of Finalists of the experience we all had of dressing in
our fancy ball gowns and attending the ceremony with The Nora and all the rest—and
having them hear our names called
out? And, most importantly, by announcing the winners of the Golden Heart®
contest before the pitch sessions
with agents and publishers that take place on Thursday afternoon and Friday?
As Board members were called upon to defend
the decision, it soon became clear that the premier contest for unpublished
romance writers in the world had
slipped in importance within the organization. Entries were down for Golden
Heart® in this era of indie publishing, Board members said, just like entries
are down for chapter contests, so . . .
So instead of doing something to encourage
entries in the contest—like requiring judges to provide feedback, or rethinking
categories (why not split up the huge paranormal category to allow a separate
SFR category, for instance)—the Board decided that GH® could no longer justify
its position of importance in the organization. Other things, most notably the
professional RITA® awards, took precedence, so the Board re-ordered the
schedule to give GH® less time and significance.
The problem here is much larger than a
seemingly small change in the conference schedule. It has to do with the definition
and direction of RWA itself, which the organization has been struggling with
for the last few years. What is, and what should be, RWA’s core membership? And
how does RWA best serve that core membership? Are we an organization of romance
writers? Or only of professional (ie. income-earning) romance writers?
Since its inception, the organization has sponsored
continuing education and professional support for established authors (PAN). But
it has also encouraged new and aspiring writers with networking, educational
programs, mentoring, and paths to publishing (PRO). For years, members could
say with pride that RWA was the only professional
writers’ organization in the world that admitted unpublished authors, and
provided a means for those authors to
improve their craft.
The Golden Heart® contest, as the pinnacle
of the regional or chapter contest circuit for unpublished authors, was a major
part of this improvement effort. In sending manuscripts out to contests,
writers got specific feedback and encouragement they could get in no other way.
By finaling in the Golden Heart® contest, they got recognition that they were “the
best of the best.” And the publishing establishment saw it, too.
I had unsuccessfully queried nearly every
legitimate agent in the U.S. who had not specifically ruled out science fiction
or romance with my first book, Unchained
Memory, before the manuscript finaled in the Golden Heart® contest in 2012.
After I became a Finalist, I re-queried several of the same agents. All of a
sudden, those agents wanted to see the full manuscript. And one, the wonderful
Michelle Johnson, finally called with an offer. Many of my fellow Firebirds
(the cadre of Finalists from that year) had the same experience. Even those who
didn’t win the actual award saw a real boost in their careers from finaling.
But, the RWA Board is arguing, indie writers
just aren’t interested in competing in contests. Why should they when they can
self-publish without the help of an agent or traditional publisher? I would
counter that getting the attention of agents and publishers is only one reason
to compete. In fact, it’s the last
reason.
By the time Unchained Memory reached Golden Heart®, the manuscript had been
through at least ten chapter/regional contests and had been polished according
to the feedback I’d received. Sometimes I wish even now I could send my
manuscripts through that crucible again. No critique partner will ever be as
brutally honest as some of those chapter judges! And no editor will tell you to
go back and start over on a project because it’s fundamentally flawed; he or
she will only take what you give them and do their best to work with it.
Self-published authors are at a distinct disadvantage because they have no one
to tell them if they have gone horribly wrong—no agent, no publisher, no
filter.
And if you don’t believe that is a problem,
just glance through the hundreds of terrible titles your good book is competing
with out there.
As a long-term member of RWA, I strongly
believe it is the organization’s role to stand up for quality in the romance
industry, and to help its newest members attain the highest level of that
quality. Now is not the time to give up that role, or to diminish the
importance of its biggest symbol, the Golden Heart®.
Cheers,
Donna
