Jamie Sobrato reports that in the recent first round judging of the RITA competition, one of her books published by Harlequin Blaze was marked as having “no strong romantic elements,” AKA not a romance novel.
Yes, that’s right. A published author – a peer of Jamie’s – who is a member of RWA has now determined that a novel published by THE biggest romance publisher on the planet is publishing books that are not romances. Uh-huh. Right. A series romance novel published by a series romance publisher released in a series romance line and entered in a series romance category = not a romance.
Methinks someone’s knickers are in a big fat wad over being exposed to explicit sexual activity instead of hearts and flowers and euphemistic purple-helmeted warriors of love. Because no PUBLISHED AUTHOR in her RIGHT MIND would judge a book published by HARLEQUIN as being NOT A ROMANCE – unless insulting an editor who buys ROMANCES for a publisher who publishes ROMANCES is how she gets her kicks.
Give me a fackin’ break!
Jane Porter adds in her JaneBlog of April 25th
Ladies, little girls, little girls who seem to enjoy hurting other people—stop judging contests. Get out. Take a vacation. Find a new hobby. Rediscover sex. Just please, stop judging the Ritas if you can’t be fair and impartial.You’re not helping the Ritas by skewering certain authors, or a certain line, you’re hurting it. I don’t want to be part of a contest, or an organization, that smears select authors, or specific lines, simply because you don’t get it, or like it.
Yep. RWA members. Right there on the cutting edge of the market. Uh-huh.
Comment
IMO, this happens to unpublished authors all the time. Not this specific scenario, of course, but writers who enter contests and are judged wrongly. I think a lot of it has to do with that green-eyed monster called jealousy.
Comment
that is so not true.
Comment
The author who wrote that about Jamie’s book probably also bitches about reviewers who are big, fat meanies.
RWA really needs to rethink the peer-judged nonsense IMHO. Why oh why won’t they open it up to booksellers, librarians and reviewers? I’d sign up in a NY minute.
Comment
RWA does it again…just when I think it can’t get more ridiculous, something happens that makes me sit back for a minute and say, “WHOA”. After last years awards ceremony, I elected to have my membership lapse until I decided they got their cr@, um, I mean…stuff together. Hasn’t happened yet.
There should be a seperate category, like in TV viewership, for those 18-49 who buy books. :) I don’t know about y’all, but the Blazes, Bravas, and hotter titles are flying off the shelves, while some of the other lines?? Let’s be kind and say they’re languishing…there has to be a reason Sil/Har discontinued the SR/HR lines, doesn’t there?? And how many publishing houses are jumping on the “let’s explore the steamier side of things” bandwagon??
Jamie (if you’re reading this): Chin up, girl, and keep up the great work!! I know it totally sucks, but take heart that your readers wouldn’t want you to change a WORD…
Big hugs and best wishes,
Nancy
Comment
I am a big fan of romance, steamy or otherwise. Reading throught the post, I was profoundly appalled at the narrow view that the person judging must have been using.
Comment
And I LIKED that book of Jamie’s. Was definitely firmly in the romance category.
Comment
Well, I missed Jamie’s book but now I must hunt it down and read it.
Comment
Whenever I run low on parody material, I never worry. RWA is always there to drop shining new examples of idiocy in my lap.
I’m with Charlene. Let’s go out and get this woman’s book.
Comment
how much longer until they get the point, i wonder…
Gee, any of you all want to take bets on how long it will take for this ah…. shining example… to show up in PBW’s blog?
Comment
Okay, this is not exactly the same situation, sicne my book wasn’t published, therefore it had no “this is a harlequin romance” sticker right on the frickin’ cover… BUT, i got a “one” and a “not a romance” marking from a judge one year in the GH for my Blaze-targetted manuscript, a manuscript, I might add, that was later given an award by a Blaze editor, requested by the head editor of the line and went through revisions. I DEFINITELY think Jamie’s book was targetted because of the sexual content and because some bitch prude judge decided that sex wasn’t romantic.
Jamie, I’m so sorry…
Comment
Diana – That’s insane. I swear the old guard needs to get with the program and figure out where the market is – and if it’s not what they like, then get out. ARGH, this infuriates me.
Comment
wow that is amazing that this is still going on. I tell you I work part time in a book store and the steamy stuff sells. I agree with the person above said open the voting up to the readers, booksellers etc. Like the people choice awards.
Comment
That’s really sad. Sounds like some jealous people out there who should not be voting. I am right now in the middle of reading Alison’s Blaze “All Tied Up” and it’s hot and sexy and has female characters who aren’t afraid of their sexuality, bur it’s still a romance, sex or not! Boy I thought that mentality went out with the dark ages, or at least the 20th century. I’m disappointed to see it hasn’t, and even more disappointed that a colleague could be so dense and unsupportive. Harlequin IS romance.
Comment
I work in a bookstore too and the sex sells. Our “tame” romances don’t. I’ve even had a couple of little old ladies come in and ask for help in finding a romance. When asked what kind, they responded “The more sex, the better”. I say let’s put those two in charge. I like Jamie’s books. Makes me re-think my decision about trying to raise money to join.
Comment
I’m an erotica author and an RWA member. Am I pissed off that I can’t enter the Rita’s? You bet.
I think RWA usually does the best it can, but this huge influx of steamy and erotic material has not yet been given a place alongside the more traditional romances. Chick lit hasn’t, either, although with the newer ‘Mainstream with Romantic Elements” category in the GH & Rita’s they’re getting closer. One problem is that the judges need to judge the genres and material they like. In order to do this, RWA must create appropriate categories. We obviously need a ‘Steamy and Erotic’ category. Hopefully, with the enormous membership in the new Passionate Ink RWA chapter, our voice will be strong enough to convince them to do so. The old guard RWA members must at some point recognize that steamy material is in huge demand and respond accordingly.
Comment
I’m with Wendy. The Academy Awards each year when it comes to nominations and wins–judged by their peers=biased and based on favoritism
Therefore, for unbiased and unobjective awards, readers, reviewers, librarians, etc should be the judges. And you know what? Maybe then the RITA or even the GH would have meaning to general romance readers.
Comment
Maybe we need the Romance Bloggies. All us (readers, reviewers, AND authors) bloggers can band together and judge. :-) I have no trouble reading the hot stuff in with the sweet and I bet most of my fellow bloggers feel the same way.
Comment
The Romance Bloggies! I love it!
Comment
To be clear (and fair) this was just one author judge, not all of RWA. But it still proves there is a big flaw in judging, when an author who is published in romance would mark a Harlequin book as not being one. (I posted this above, but am copying it here.)