I'm starting to feel a bit claustrophobic. The breakfast with my client on Wednesday was a nice excursion beyond the confines of my home, but it didn't last long. Snow is on its way beginning tonight, but I'm going out for coffee with a couple of writer friends tomorrow. Can't stay long, of course, because the puppy can't be left alone in her crate for more than an hour or so.
Lately I've been rethinking my RWA membership. I don't really write romance, but I do write romantic subplots, so I've found the information the group provides to be valuable at times. However, the organization is getting weird. Political. Elitist. I don't think I want to be a part of that. The annual dues are expensive enough that it's really not worth supporting RWA anymore.
The main reason I'm questioning the group now is because of the hoopla going on about the annual RITA awards that are given to romance authors for excellence in a published work of romantic fiction. I have no interest in ever entering this contest, but I have friends who really want to. Problem is, the rules suddenly changed this year to discriminate authors who are published by small presses that don't do large print runs. The board of directors won't disclose what constitutes a large print run, so the whole thing is a shambles. It's become a pretty darn big deal.
Small presses would primarily mean ebook publishers in this case, and it appears the board thinks the quality of these books aren't up to par with RWA standards. It's prejudicial, obviously, but what's really sad is that these same authors whose published work isn't good enough for the RITA aren't allowed to enter the Golden Heart contest, either. The Golden Heart is for unpublished authors, and RWA considers ebook authors published, just not quite up to snuff to enter the RITA. Have you ever heard of anything so unfair? And the members being discriminated against pay healthy dues of $75 for this injustice.
Stacia Kane gave RWA what for on her blog yesterday. She tells it like it is and goes into detail, so if you'd like to read more about this issue, check out Stacia's blog. I don't know about other members, but this bruhaha over the GH and the RITA has definitely cost RWA my membership. I won't be renewing next summer. As a professional author, I'm ashamed of the sophomoric attitudes of this group's board of directors. We're not in high school anymore.
Well, that's my mini rant for today. Back to the WIP.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Thank you for the information on RWA as I had been considering on joining as my stories contain romance subplots. Now I won't bother. As I see it they aren't promoting romance writing, but working against it.
I'm with you - probably not renewing. I can't afford conference, and I don't see the point in belonging to an organization that doesn't want me. For awhile, my local chapter was enough to keep me in, but now I don't care, I have other outlets.
It really bothered me that I couldn't enter the Rita. REALLY bothered me.
Post a Comment