About Our Chapter
Welcome to Romance Writers of America/New York City, Inc.
Formed in 1986, and incorporated in 1990, after a quarter of a century our not-for-profit organization’s mission remains the same:
To promote excellence in romantic fiction and advance the professional interests of career-focused writers of romance, through networking and advocacy, dissemination of information, professional education, publications, and to provide continuing support for writers within
the romance publishing industry.
For those 25 years, at our monthly meetings, we have hosted industry, business panels and craft presentations including editors, agents, authors, marketing and media specialists, and tax professionals, as well as our well-received panels on publishing law. We are an entirely volunteer organization, which means you will have plenty of opportunity to get involved. We offer writing retreats, a one-day conference, critique opportunities, and last year were the host chapter for the RWA National Conference. Our monthly newsletter, Keynotes, has been a finalist in RWA’s annual newsletter competition and via our Chapter blog, members have achieved recognition and publishing contracts. And in addition to our annual celebratory Golden Apple Awards, we hold an annual writers’ contest, The Kathryn Hayes "We Need A Hero!" contest.
Our Members are published in full-length fiction, as well as shorter formats, in a broad array of genres. They are published in traditional print publishing. They embraced digital publishing well before the recent e-book boom, and several innovative members have reacquired their back-list rights and are now achieving noticeable success with indie publishing. Our members have won numerous industry awards, including the RITA, Golden Heart Awards, and the Prism award. They appear on bestseller lists in the New York Times and USA Today, and on bestseller lists at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Along with RWA member authors of such stature as Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, and Janet Evanovich, we are immensely proud of our industry.
A recently commissioned survey by RWA, on behalf of its 10,500 members, revealed what we already knew. Romance fiction is a juggernaut in the publishing industry. In 2010, it generated $1.358 billion dollars, and was projected to improve on that figure in 2011, despite declines in the publishing industry overall. 8,240 new romance titles were published in 2010; 74.8 million people read at least 1 romance novel; and in 2010, romance fiction was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market (13.4%).
We ARE Romance. But don’t let our name fool you – this is the place for all writers of fiction with heart! Why not stop by a monthly Chapter meeting and say hello? You’ll meet some generous and inspiring people. Or drop a line to find out more about joining our Chapter, and RWA National, to take advantage of an amazing community of supportive, savvy, and creative professional writers.
Sincerely,
Lise Kim Horton
2012 RWA/NYC President
Formed in 1986, and incorporated in 1990, after a quarter of a century our not-for-profit organization’s mission remains the same:
To promote excellence in romantic fiction and advance the professional interests of career-focused writers of romance, through networking and advocacy, dissemination of information, professional education, publications, and to provide continuing support for writers within
the romance publishing industry.
For those 25 years, at our monthly meetings, we have hosted industry, business panels and craft presentations including editors, agents, authors, marketing and media specialists, and tax professionals, as well as our well-received panels on publishing law. We are an entirely volunteer organization, which means you will have plenty of opportunity to get involved. We offer writing retreats, a one-day conference, critique opportunities, and last year were the host chapter for the RWA National Conference. Our monthly newsletter, Keynotes, has been a finalist in RWA’s annual newsletter competition and via our Chapter blog, members have achieved recognition and publishing contracts. And in addition to our annual celebratory Golden Apple Awards, we hold an annual writers’ contest, The Kathryn Hayes "We Need A Hero!" contest.
Our Members are published in full-length fiction, as well as shorter formats, in a broad array of genres. They are published in traditional print publishing. They embraced digital publishing well before the recent e-book boom, and several innovative members have reacquired their back-list rights and are now achieving noticeable success with indie publishing. Our members have won numerous industry awards, including the RITA, Golden Heart Awards, and the Prism award. They appear on bestseller lists in the New York Times and USA Today, and on bestseller lists at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Along with RWA member authors of such stature as Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, and Janet Evanovich, we are immensely proud of our industry.
A recently commissioned survey by RWA, on behalf of its 10,500 members, revealed what we already knew. Romance fiction is a juggernaut in the publishing industry. In 2010, it generated $1.358 billion dollars, and was projected to improve on that figure in 2011, despite declines in the publishing industry overall. 8,240 new romance titles were published in 2010; 74.8 million people read at least 1 romance novel; and in 2010, romance fiction was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market (13.4%).
We ARE Romance. But don’t let our name fool you – this is the place for all writers of fiction with heart! Why not stop by a monthly Chapter meeting and say hello? You’ll meet some generous and inspiring people. Or drop a line to find out more about joining our Chapter, and RWA National, to take advantage of an amazing community of supportive, savvy, and creative professional writers.
Sincerely,
Lise Kim Horton
2012 RWA/NYC President