Lessons Learned in the Writing World: 1
I missed my regular Wednesday post last week, and there was a reason for that—a few actually. There has been a lot going on in life, but it’s par for the course at this point. For the past several months, life has been throwing all kinds of curveballs, and I’ve been mainly ducking and trying not to get struck in the head. But sometimes, one has to step to the plate, take the pitch, bunt the inside sliders, and run like the wind.
The main cause was that as I attempted to conjure up a topic, I saw an article about the Romance Writers of America (RWA). It brought back memories, and unfortunately, not good. Y’all, I seriously had to take a moment to ponder if this was a trail through the forest that I wanted to revisit. I don’t know that I’ve ever shared my RWA experience, as I always want to support other writers, and It’s never a good look to kick a person when he’s down. I know the RWA is an organization, but it is made of people and appears to be hitting rock bottom. However, I feel now may be a time to share, and it may help bring closure and help someone else. So, here we go.
For anyone unfamiliar with the RWA, it is a nonprofit association for romance writers. It was founded in 1980 by Vivian L. Stephens, an author and editor. I dare to claim that the RWA was the largest romance writing organization at one point. However, in 2018 and 2019, it was hit with controversies that shook it to its core. Many members left, and the organization never seemed to have recovered. Reportedly, over the past five years, membership has decreased by approximately 80%. As a result, it recently filed for bankruptcy. It’s heart-wrenching to see such a colossal and prestigious juggernaut crumble. Yet, in hindsight, it’s not all that surprising. My experience occurred long before it was rocked by scandal.
I learned about the RWA early in my writing career and had been so eager that I joined before being published. I desperately wanted to be a part of a writing community and improve my craft. The way RWA was promoted, it was billed as an organization that was essential for any serious romance writer.
DISCLAIMER: Now, what I’m about to say is my personal experience. Others may have had a completely different experience. Also, since this happened a while ago, some of the intricate details may be fuzzy. I’ll note when I’m uncertain. Again, this is not a slam on anyone. Sometimes, things not so pleasant in life happen. Now back to the story.
At the time, the RWA had three areas that were especially appealing to me: 1. Awards, 2. Contests, 3. Networking.
The awards were coveted. Winning an RWA award was like finding a Wonka golden ticket. Being able to claim that could open many doors, and it looked dang good on a front cover. See, self-publishing was in its infancy—so much so that…well, I’ll get to that in a minute. Just know the awards were a big deal.
Contests were the gateway to awards. The main difference between the two (as I recall) was that some contests didn’t require a writer to have been published. Other rules had less stringent criteria which allowed more authors to participate.
However, the networking was the standout for me. See, back in the day, many publishers refused to accept electronic submissions. Thus, writers had to print hardcopies which meant money. That meant writers were spending tiny fortunes on snail mail to land at the bottom of someone’s slush pile, and even that was a hope and a prayer. First, there was the paper. One hundred percent cotton paper was recommended, and it wasn’t cheap. Second was the cost of ink for the printer, the cost of copying, or sometimes both. Third, there were the mailing materials: envelopes, mailing labels, and clips. (Many places explicitly stated manuscripts stapled would be returned unread.) Finally, there was the cost of posting. Most publishers gave writers the option to have rejected manuscripts returned if a SASE was included. If a writer planned to send the manuscript to other publishers, having a manuscript returned saved the time and cost of reprinting. It also was better for the environment.
Another hurdle was that many publishers wouldn’t accept unsolicited submissions. This meant the best way for a writer to land a publishing contract was through a literary agent. Obtaining an agent was a whole process in and of itself. Well, RWA appeared to have an inside, knowing the coming and goings of acquisition editors at publishing houses in addition to a relationship with many agents. The RWA hosted multiple conferences that facilitated networking between writers, agents, and publishers.
As a bundle to all the aforementioned, winning an RWA contest or award could make a writer seem more marketable for agents and publishers. I guess this could be considered the yesteryear version of a video going viral. It gained the writer a lot of attention, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. Therefore, a lot of literary offers would be given.
Thus, I paid my money and wrote my first manuscript as I learned the ropes. But…
Being unpublished excluded me from a lot that RWA had to offer. I was okay with that… initially. Everyone must pay dues, right?
Well, after a year, I managed a publisher. Granted, it wasn’t a very good publisher and the contract reeked, but it was a legit publisher. Small. Independent. And one that the RWA didn’t recognize. Yes, there was a list of (for the lack of a better word) “approved” publishers (and agents). All my joy was sucked out of me. It was as if they discredited everything I’d done in a few lines in their newsletter. See, there was a section (similar to a who’s who page) that announced first-time authors. This was potentially a big deal because agents and publishers read this. It was exposure.
But here’s what it did for me. Since my publisher wasn’t on this “approved” list, I was ineligible for all the first novel contests. It also meant that if even I changed publisher to one who was “accepted,” the new book would not be considered a first-time novel. Basically, by being published by an “unapproved” publisher, I was more restricted in ways to participate in RWA. As a new author, this hurt.
I wrote a grievance, but the RWA made it clear that they had no intention of changing their policy. I felt defeated. All my hard work and effort was dismissed. I’d jump through hoops to secure an agent and publisher, and I finally found a publishing house willing to take a risk on me. But no. It wasn’t good enough for the RWA. It was one of those “no one will hire you unless you have more experience, but you can’t gain experience without being hired” types of situations. I thought by being a member of the RWA would help bring me to the interfold. In reality, I could attend the party, but I couldn’t dance. It pushed me further out. Maybe it was my mistake to assume that was what would happen.
Furthermore, I perceived shifts in the articles and tone of the newsletter. It didn’t seem very supportive for any members outside of the “approved circle.” Like junior high, I felt there was an “in-crowd.”
At that point, it felt that my membership fees were wasted; yet, my money was just as green as all of the other members (published or unpublished). I grew increasingly despondent with each newsletter. Finally, I concluded if they didn’t accept me, they didn’t need to accept my cash. However, the return policy (to my recollection) sucked, and they didn’t give refunds. Or maybe, it was only partial refunds that they gave. I can’t remember. What I do recall is that I had to wait until my year was up fully to not be a member. And I think (and I’m really not sure about this) I had to give a notification of my intention to leave or, at least, not renew.
After I followed whatever process it was that I needed to follow to terminate my membership, I received a letter from someone in the organization encouraging me to renew. It also stated that some policies regarding “accepted” publishers were being reviewed. I felt this was blowing smoke up my skirt response and left. The following year, I considered rejoining because, honestly, having an RWA member on query letters looked good. Their policies had not changed.
I stopped writing for a while—not just because of this incident, but it was partly the reason. I felt like if I could fit into this large writing community, maybe I couldn’t fit anywhere. I mean, it was so discouraging to not get a foot in the door, and the place that claims it could help open those slamming doors wasn’t doing squat.
Soon, this unpleasantness faded from the forefront of my mind, and I moved on. I landed a contract with an impressive publisher (which was on their “approved” list) and did so without following any of the advice the RWA had doled out. The RWA also had rolled back some of its rules due to the growth of self-publishing. When I decided to look into the RWA again, the organization was swimming in controversy. My point is: 2018 and 2019 weren’t the first time the RWA had excluded writers. Mind you, it was more egregious in 2018 and 2019. By then, I was no longer checking for them and only did so because I was interested in the RITA (which no longer exists).
Now, I’m not going to go into detail about what happened in 2018 and 2019 but know that the organization was accused of not being supportive of all writers. Although my experience was different than other accusations, it falls in line with the failure to be supportive. That’s how I perceived it. As an unpublished writer, I believed that joining the RWA would afford me opportunities to learn trade secrets. Did I mention that there was a “published author-only” membership? So, I didn’t have access to a lot of information. Much of what was given was the same generic information I could get for free. Therefore, I cut my losses.
Now, let me be clear. I’m sure many writers found their membership well worth the fees and gained useful information that helped them in their writing careers. I did not have that experience. Reportedly, there’s new “management” and rules have been revised to be more inclusive. I can’t speak on whether this is accurate or not.
That sums everything up. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Also, let me know if you would like me to cover more of these types of topics or dive deeper into this one. If you like this post, please click the like button and share. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read.
Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.
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Releasing September 5, 2025
𝙄𝒏 𝒕𝙝𝒆 𝒄𝙪𝒕𝙩𝒉𝙧𝒐𝙖𝒕 𝒘𝙤𝒓𝙡𝒅 𝒐𝙛 𝙧𝒐𝙙𝒆𝙤, 𝑪𝙖𝒋𝙪𝒏 𝒃𝙪𝒍𝙡 𝙧𝒊𝙙𝒆𝙧 𝙀𝒂𝙨𝒕𝙤𝒏 𝑭𝙖𝒖𝙘𝒉𝙚𝒂𝙪𝒙 𝒉𝙖𝒓𝙗𝒐𝙧𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝙚𝒄𝙧𝒆𝙩 𝙘𝒓𝙪𝒔𝙝 𝙤𝒏 𝒉𝙞𝒔 𝒃𝙚𝒔𝙩 𝙛𝒓𝙞𝒆𝙣𝒅 𝒂𝙣𝒅 𝒓𝙞𝒗𝙖𝒍, 𝙍𝒐𝙮𝒂𝙡 𝙂𝒖𝙚́𝒓𝙞𝒏. 𝘼𝒔 𝒕𝙝𝒆𝙮 𝙜𝒓𝙖𝒑𝙥𝒍𝙚 𝙬𝒊𝙩𝒉 𝒕𝙝𝒆𝙞𝒓 𝒇𝙤𝒓𝙗𝒊𝙙𝒅𝙚𝒏 𝒂𝙩𝒕𝙧𝒂𝙘𝒕𝙞𝒐𝙣 𝙖𝒎𝙞𝒅𝙨𝒕 𝒎𝙮𝒔𝙩𝒆𝙧𝒊𝙤𝒖𝙨 𝙤𝒄𝙘𝒖𝙧𝒓𝙚𝒏𝙘𝒆𝙨 𝙞𝒏 𝒕𝙝𝒆 𝒂𝙧𝒆𝙣𝒂, 𝙩𝒉𝙚𝒚 𝒎𝙪𝒔𝙩 𝙘𝒉𝙤𝒐𝙨𝒆 𝒃𝙚𝒕𝙬𝒆𝙚𝒏 𝒄𝙤𝒏𝙘𝒆𝙖𝒍𝙞𝒏𝙜 𝙩𝒉𝙚𝒊𝙧 𝙛𝒆𝙚𝒍𝙞𝒏𝙜𝒔 𝒐𝙧 𝙧𝒊𝙨𝒌𝙞𝒏𝙜 𝙞𝒕 𝒂𝙡𝒍 𝒇𝙤𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝙤𝒗𝙚 𝙩𝒉𝙖𝒕 𝒅𝙚𝒇𝙞𝒆𝙨 𝙘𝒐𝙣𝒗𝙚𝒏𝙩𝒊𝙤𝒏.
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Out of the Penalty Box (book #1) One minute in the box or a lifetime out. Defending the Net (book #2) Crossing the line could cost the game. Ice Gladiators (book #3) When the gloves come off, the games begin. Penalty Kill (book #4) Let the pucker begin. Future Goals (book #5) The future lies between a puck and a net.About the Author:
Hi, I’m Genevive, a blogger and contemporary sports romance author. My home is in South Louisiana. If you like snark and giggles with a touch of steamy Cajun and Creole on the side, I may have your poison in my stash of books. Drop by the bayou and have a look around. The pirogues are always waiting for new visitors.
