Romance Writers of America files for bankruptcy amid bitter racism battle

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/may/30/romance-writers-america-bankruptcy

Romance Writers of America files for bankruptcy amid bitter racism battle

Group says membership crisis means it cannot pay conference contracts as top writer condemns RWA’s ‘retreat from commitment to equality’

Lois Beckett
Thu 30 May 2024 07.00 EDT

For decades, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) served as a champion for the mostly female authors of one of the country’s most popular – and denigrated – genres of fiction.

But even as sales of romance novels have boomed in recent years, RWA has struggled, reporting that its membership has declined 80% amid bitter internal battles over racism within publishing, and within the group itself.

…

(For example…)

Despite efforts by new leadership to address concerns over racism and rename its awards to honor Stephens’ role in founding the organization, RWA controversies continued. In 2021, the RWA gave an award to a historical romance novel with a protagonist who took part in the 1890 massacre of more than 300 Lakota men, women and children at the Battle of Wounded Knee. It later rescinded that award.

…

As the RWA has struggled, other romance organizations that explicitly prioritize diversity have grown. The Steamy Lit conference, first held in 2023, focuses on creating a welcoming environment for romance readers and writers of color, founder Melissa Saavedra said. An estimated 1,900 people are expected to attend its August conference this year.

//

[txwhitedove]

1. Good grief.

Last edited Fri May 31, 2024, 07:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Edit, to note that racism must be fought again on new ground, not because of the books but the writers group. Shouldn't have been surprised. I have enjoyed romance novels myself.

[Polly Hennessey]

2. Good grief, indeed. Trivial and silly.

[cbabe]

3. A billion dollar industry. Plus Stacey Abrams writes romances under pen name.

https://www.marketplace.org › 2024 › 02 › 13 › steamy-sultry-and-stigmatized-no-more-romance-novels-are-having-a-moment

Why romance novels are having a moment - Marketplace

Feb 13, 2024Book sales in the U.S. slumped last year overall. But it's a sweeter story for romance novels. Reliably a billion-dollar

[wryter2000]

5. Romance always has a moment

It's a beautiful and uplifting genre. The only reason it's scorned is because it's written by women for women. And some men.

[drmeow]

6. Romance novels

written by men or for a general audience are marketed as plain old fiction or some other sub genre. I read a sci fi novel that was later reclassified as romance.

[wryter2000]

8. Yes.

There always were men who wrote romance novels. They general assumed a female name or an ambiguous one, such as Lee Greenwood. But you're right. Romances written by men are considered of more general interest.

Many classics are romances. Jane Austen novels, Jane Eyre, The Taming of the Shrew. The Goldie Hawn movie Overboard is a classic Harlequin romance.

[NanaCat]

12. Some of the scorn is for other reasons

More than any other genre, its readers don't have much tolerance for anything other than an HEA. I've known a few books that didn't have one, but they're on the rare side. The readers also prefer not to get too bogged down with social issues--the point is to escape the big bad world, so most writers either avoid those issues entirely, or address them in a not-too-taxing way. The vast majority of its fans simply don't want anything too dark or heavy in their love stories.

These restrictions limit the genre so that it seems shallow or superficial, rather than 'serious.' And it's not that some romance writers don't address serious issues. Some do, but most don't, because modern romance readers don't want books that are too deep or heavy or dreary.

Fans of the other genres--sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and even westerns, don't have so much resistance to more serious topics as romance does. And that, not that it's women writing for women, is a big reason why those genres get so much more respect than romance does.

[wryter2000]

13. And does every story have to deal with "serious ". Issues?

Does Star Wars? How about romantic comedy? The Importance of being Earnest?

None of those things are scorned. They’re enjoyed for what they are without being called stupid.

[NanaCat]

14. The Importance of Being Earnest does deal with serious issues

I don't know about your instructors, but the two times I studied it (secondary school and uni), the instructors made it clear that The Importance of Being Earnest is about the identities we develop for ourselves when subject to burdensome and even ridiculous social obligations. What did yours teach you about it?

Star Wars also addresses serious issues about freedom and oppression and standing up for one's rights.

Anymore questions?

[wryter2000]

15. Good grief

And an enemies to lovers story could teach us about throwing of the burdens of polarization and finding humanity in all men. Billionaire stories are actually a study in how the riches of the world impoverish the people who own them at the expense of their humanity. Bushwa

[wryter2000]

16. And Jane Eyre is about the treatment of psychoses

In the 19th Century. And Harvey is about the treatment of psychoses in the early twentieth century. And The Wizard of Oz is about rural poverty.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. What does a Home Equity Agreement have to do with Romance novels?

At least that's the definition I got for HEA.

[wryter2000]

4. There is also RSJ

www.rsjconvention.com

A wonderful online convention for diverse romance.

I was once the president of a chapter of RWA. We left the organization because of the racism. We are now http://www.bayarearomancewriters.com Our meetings are online.

www.bayarearomancewriters.com

I was a member of RWA since 1990, and I attended many in person conferences. IMHO much of the racism is the result of the action of the individual members and beyond the control of the organization. For example, the book mentioned in the article had to have been given a perfect score from 5 or 6 members. Then, the final judge had to pick it as best. Any one of those people could have sunk it.

In any case, we are open to new people. If you write romance, you might want to check us out. If you want a fun and informative online conference, check out RSJ. I go every year.

And if you decide to attend either, send me a pm so I can make sure to welcome you.

[NanaCat]

11. RWA was good for any writer to join

Because they had an open membership, and belonging to any professional writers group fluffed up credentials when trying to get an agent or publisher to sign you.

That's what my romance writer pal claimed--join an official writers group, as many as you can, whenever you can. The membership(s) always looks good on a CV.

[drmeow]

7. RWA also constantly

reinforces the stale and tired gendered tropes that contribute to rape culture.

[wryter2000]

9. So wrong

For decades now, romance heroines have been strong, independent women. They only accept men if the men measure up to what they want. A man who tries to rape a romance heroine is likely to find himself on the floor where she has dropped him. Nothing could get you rejected faster than a rapey male primary character or a wimpy female character.

[NanaCat]

10. I attended one of their conventions

A friend who's a published romance writer and had to be there asked if I'd like to tag along. Sure, why not? I had nothing better to do, LOL.

Surreal. That's the word I use to describe being around romance writers and their fans. We got to have dinner with the romance models, and one of them was at our table. Fabio was there, but I didn't get to talk to him. Anyway, every time I'd see our hunky dinner companion after that, he would ask me to laugh, because he claimed I had the best one, ever. Okay, whatever, mate.

The convention was very--very--white. This was over 20 years ago, though, so maybe the genre was different then. Not that there weren't a few brown faces around, because there were. We had a lovely conversation with one of the black writers after we had one of those elevator rides from hell that took forever because it had to stop on every single floor, and of course there was the crush to get off and the crush to get on and then--wait please. I regret to say I read some of her books back then, but I didn't keep up with her career , so I don't know if she's still around...

What I most enjoyed about the convention was that the book fair attached to it had tons of free books handed out, and not simply from romance writers. I came home with more fantasy books than anything. Surprised? Don't be. At that time, the publishing industry was making a tremendous push with female fantasy writers, to tap into the market of women readers--who are always the lion's share of book buyers thanks to the romance industry. In fact, romance is often a publisher's secret bread-and-butter that pretty much supports all of the hoity-toity literary authors.

So I got freebies of writers who were about to become tremendous successes. One of them was Sara Davidson (RIP--ovarian cancer sucks), who would have a bestselling series starting with the book I got at the convention.

I did have fun at the convention, even though I'm not a fan of the romance genre, per se. I will read it sometimes, as long as the heroine isn't an implausible virgin or gormless git, and the sex scene aren't too graphic or frequent, because the genre can be a pleasant escape for a few hours when the world gets to be too much.