I've been trying to keep up with posts about RWA and it got me to thinking that it would be really nice if we had something similar here in PH. I mean, yes, we already have UMPIL and even Limbag Kapihan from NBDB but wouldn't it be nice if we had an association that was specifically organized by and for romance authors (aspiring and published, trad and indie)?
If there ever was - or would be - an RWP, I'd love to have the following tackled:
Obviously, most of what I'd love to see being discussed concerns me as an indie author. I'd also love to hear discussions that concern trad-pubbed authors here in PH but I really don't have any idea what such discussions should be since that's no longer my world.
One major reason why it would be nice to have a specific org for romance writers is because you automatically negate the need to justify your choice of genre to other writers. There'd be less conflict between literary and genre writers, less conflict between, say, suspense and romance authors. It happens. We may wish it wasn't so but it happens. Thankfully, it's a possibility we can eliminate with our very own org.
This is not to say, of course, that we should only care about ourselves and to hell with other writers. Our org can work with UMPIL and other orgs. I'm sure (or at least I hope) there are such projects where RWA, Authors Guild and SFWA join forces. All I'm saying is that it would be really, really, really nice to have a meeting where we don't need to talk about why writing romance is this or that. Instead, we can just focus on the matter in hand and talk about what currently and significantly affects our careers.
Buuuut...in the end, this is just me. :D
If there ever was - or would be - an RWP, I'd love to have the following tackled:
- More on copyright, specifically about protecting your rights, preventing them from being exploited, and what authors can do to have their rights reverted if they want to
- More on self-publishing: formatting, proofreading and editing, cover design, and marketing
- Talks b/w publishers and authors on how to better market ebooks, making readers see the benefits of buying ebooks, making paying for them easier (this is NOT the US where everyone practically has a credit card), and finding more ways to discourage (read: this is not pro-DRM) readers from pirating ebooks
- Joint projects for Filipino authors to more effectively penetrate the international market
- Collab projects between authors and artists to create manga or comics that can be eventually sold to manga-oriented countries like Japan, Korea, and China
- Possibilities of local publishing companies and literary agencies helping indie authors sell foreign rights to works
- Discussions to ensure that everyone concerned understands there is no "trad pubbed author vs. indie / self-pubbed author" issue. Writers are always better off working with each other.
- Classes/workshops on romance writing (general and specific)
Obviously, most of what I'd love to see being discussed concerns me as an indie author. I'd also love to hear discussions that concern trad-pubbed authors here in PH but I really don't have any idea what such discussions should be since that's no longer my world.
One major reason why it would be nice to have a specific org for romance writers is because you automatically negate the need to justify your choice of genre to other writers. There'd be less conflict between literary and genre writers, less conflict between, say, suspense and romance authors. It happens. We may wish it wasn't so but it happens. Thankfully, it's a possibility we can eliminate with our very own org.
This is not to say, of course, that we should only care about ourselves and to hell with other writers. Our org can work with UMPIL and other orgs. I'm sure (or at least I hope) there are such projects where RWA, Authors Guild and SFWA join forces. All I'm saying is that it would be really, really, really nice to have a meeting where we don't need to talk about why writing romance is this or that. Instead, we can just focus on the matter in hand and talk about what currently and significantly affects our careers.
Buuuut...in the end, this is just me. :D