Comments on: WHY READERS SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE RITA AWARDS

By: Alison Kent

Alison Kent — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:31:57 +0000

No, it’s always equating the award with the flash and glam of the OSCARS.

You’ve obviously never been to one of the ceremonies.

By: SandyO

SandyO — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:22:14 +0000

OK, maybe I’m way off target here, but if I hear that the RITAS are comparable to the OSCARS one more time I’m going to scream. There is never any comments equating the RITA with the Hugo or the Edgar (the most famous of genre awards). No, it’s always equating the award with the flash and glam of the OSCARS.

Also, the best picture category of the OSCARS is chosen by the entire membership, not just a small percentage of the membership, which in my mind gives it more validation. (and no, I don’t have any idea as to how the Hugo or the Edgar are chosen),

RWA should work harder in establishing what the RITA means, instead of just throwing out it’s the OSCAR of Romance. Until the RITA can stand on its own, it will always be considered a poor cousin of awards.

PS: This is regarding the perception of the award, not in anyway to denigrate the nominees or winners of the award.

By: Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:14:29 +0000

I just found this discussion and enjoyed it a lot. I just linked my blog to this. Thanks to Barbara for starting it. I’m always incredibly proud and humbled when one of my books makes the finals or wins. My publisher and agent are always over the moon, bless them.

And like Barbara, when explaining what the award is to readers who aren’t familiar with the RITA, I compare it to the Oscar for movies. It’s just shorthand to connote a peer-juried award. But ours has a prettier statue, aka the Goddess Of All Knick Knacks.

By: We interrupt this blog to tell you... « The View From Here

We interrupt this blog to tell you... « The View From Here — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:05:53 +0000

[...] Sunday, March 25th, 2007 in romance novels, women’s fiction, award winners, Romance Writers of America, RITA Award, manuscripts, booksellers, reading, writing, fiction, publishing, libraries, books That Summer at Willow Lake is a finalist for the 2007 RITA Award. BOO YAH. (For an interesting discussion of this award, check this out.) [...]

By: Dear Author.Com | When Love Isn’t Enough

Dear Author.Com | When Love Isn’t Enough — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 09:05:05 +0000

[...] Last week Barbara Samuel put up a plea at Romancing the Blog for Readers to pay more attention to the RITAs. She titled her post “Why Readers Should Care About the RITA Awards.” I commented that readers don’t care because there is no personal investment in the process or the outcome for the readers. It was an industry award given by writers to writers and there was no place in that equation for the readers. [...]

By: Dear Author.Com | When Love Isn’t Enough

Dear Author.Com | When Love Isn’t Enough — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 05:19:49 +0000

[...] Last week Barbara Samuel put up a plea at Romancing the Blog for Readers to pay more attention to the readers. She titled her post “Why Readers Should Care About the RITA Awards.” I commented that readers don’t care because there is no personal investment in the process or the outcome for the readers. It was an industry award given by writers to writers and there was no place in that equation for the readers. [...]

By: The Good, The Bad and The Unread » Blog Archive » Things that make you go WTF

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:38:47 +0000

[...] Then Barbara Samuel posted about the RITA and Why Readers Should Care. I have to say I had something of a what the fuck moment while reading that post. Reader bloggers do care, it can be argued we care a touch too much. Before I could get too annoyed I remembered many authors aren’t ‘plugged in’ and well Samuel’s has been moving more and more toward Woman’s Fiction. So maybe romanceland isn’t all that well travelled by her. [...]

By: Melthegreatest

Melthegreatest — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:03:20 +0000

I’m going to RWA conference this summer. I’ve been telling everybody, writer, non-writer, I don’t care I’m excited. When people ask me what is it, what’s done their? Before I even read this blog I’ve been telling them it’s the romance writers equivalent of actors Oscars. I’m sure more than one writer has said, first of all I have to thank God.
If we as writers don’t have this(Rita Award) then who will?
I’m not sure who said it, but I have to agree a good book is a good book. Us a writers, just know the technical why of it. Which, to me at least, takes a good book and make it a great book.

If you still don’t agree then as Jennifer Crusie says, Many Roads to Oz.

By: The Romance Genre on the Web » Too diverse for one label?

The Romance Genre on the Web » Too diverse for one label? — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:58:35 +0000

[...] Recent discussions about the RITA Awards over at Romancing the Blog and the Smart Bitches (here and here) and the inherent challenges and difficulties of determining the ‘best’ romance books brought to the front of my mind a question I’ve been pondering for a while. I still haven’t come up with a definitive opinion, either way, so I’m going to throw it over to you all for your consideration and opinion: [...]

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:08:19 +0000

Hahhah on how many secret babies born in Romancelandia. I just had this flash of a newspaper headline from the Romancelandia Gazette….

Yes, well they are *secret* you know, so you’d have to employ that whole cadre of Regency investigators, Bow Street Runners, retired FBI agents turned PIs, police chiefs, ex Green Berets, and all those undercover agents from various secret agencies to conduct an in depth investigation. Now that I think about it, who better than all those secret agents to find the secret babies? I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they’re all distant cousins.