President’s Letter
From the writing desk of Nicole R. Locker
Dear CRW Members,
We’re excited to extend a warm welcome to our newest members to CRW: Brenda Thomas, Lille Moore, Alona Stark, Amy Jones, Ashli Montgomery, Anna Lowe, Sarah McGregor, Payton Harlie, Sarah Ramsey, Charlene Groome, and Robin Covington. Welcome, everyone!
Announcements
CRW SPRING MENTOR PROGRAM SIGN UPS BEGIN APRIL 1
For CRW members interested in being a mentor or mentee in the Spring round of the CRW Mentor Matching Program, please sign up before April 14.
Learn More
CRW CAMP NANOWRIMO BEGINS APRIL 1, 2022
Join Katrina in April for Camp Nanowrimo on our dedicated Slack channel or Facebook Group.
STILETTO CONTEST CLOSES APRIL 8, 2022
There is still time to enter this year’s Stiletto Contest, CRW’s annual contest for contemporary romance written or published in the previous calendar year.
Learn More
CRW ACCEPTING DOOR PRIZE DONATIONS FOR SUMMER CONFERENCE
If you would like to donate a door prize for the 2022 Contemporary Romance Virtual Writing Conference, please complete the form here.
MEMBER FORUMS: If you haven’t already, join the CRW Member Forum on Slack so that you do not miss questions, opportunities, and helpful resources shared by other members.
We created a short tutorial to get you started if you are new to Slack. Watch the getting started tutorial here.
ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP SIGN-UPS: Set and meet your writing goals this year by joining the CRW Accountability Group, led by Tanya Agler. Group accountability can make all the difference by keeping you on track and helping you veer back quickly before you get too far off your path.
Sign up to join the CRW Accountability Group here.
Industry News
submitted by Pamela Ferguson
Disclaimer: CRW does not endorse any of the websites, businesses, or news sources mentioned. Articles are provided for information purposes only. Articles are free or are hosted on websites that provide limited free article access each month. Complete urls are included so readers know what they are clicking on.
News Highlights
“Hot Stuff: Winter romance novels revel in reality TV competitions and questions of identity,” ew.com, February 11, 2022, https://ew.com/books/hot-stuff-winter-romance-novels-offer/
“How book lovers on TikTok are changing the publishing industry,” fastcompany.com, March 9, 2022, https://www.fastcompany.com/90722994/how-book-lovers-on-tiktok-are-changing-the-publishing-industry
“10 Latinx Romance Authors to Keep on Your Radar,” hiplatina.com, February 14, 2022, https://hiplatina.com/latinx-romance-authors/
“Sandals Resorts launches Institute of Romance, partners with HarperCollins to bring romance from ‘page to reality,’” prnewswire.com, March 2, 2022, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sandals-resorts-launches-institute-of-romance-partners-with-harpercollins-to-bring-romance-from-page-to-reality-301494119.html
“A Merger in Self-Publishing: Draft2Digital’s Acquisition of Smashwords,” publishingperspectives.com, February 8, 2022, https://publishingperspectives.com/2022/02/a-merger-in-self-publishing-draft2digitals-acquisition-of-smashwords/
“25 Books by Black Authors We Can’t Wait to Read in 2022,” teenvogue.com, February 23, 2022, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/25-books-by-black-authors-we-cant-wait-to-read-in-2022
Upcoming Pitch Opportunities
Ready to put your manuscript in front of agents and editors? Here are some upcoming pitch opportunities. Some are free. Some require registering for an online conference. New pitch events are announced all the time, so check publisher, agent, and conference social media sites for more information.
April 2022
Seattle Writing Workshop, April 1-2, 2022 (online conference)
https://theseattlewritingworkshop.com/
#moodpitch – April 7, 2022 – Twitter
#LGBTNPit – April 14, 2022 – Twitter
May 2022
Pitch Perfect at FOLD 2022 – Festival of Literary Diversity, Brampton, Canada – May 1-7, 2022
https://thefoldcanada.org/uncategorized/pitch-perfect-at-fold-2022-faqs/
Philadelphia Writing Workshop, May 6-7, 2022 (online conference)
https://philadelphiawritingworkshop.com/
June 2022
#PitchDis – June 23, 2022 – Twitter – “In order to participate in #PitchDis, you must self-identify as disabled (this includes neurodivergent and chronically ill).”
https://www.pitchdis.com/rules-guidelines
July 2022
Pitch Slam – Part of Writer’s Digest Annual Conference – New York City, July 28-31, 2022
https://writersdigestconference.com/pitch-slam/
Other Upcoming Events
Bookstore Romance Day – August 20, 2022
Bookstore Romance Day
Romance Publishers Open for Submissions
The following romance publishers are open for unagented author submissions as of March 10, 2022:
Carina Press – https://www.writeforharlequin.com/carina-press-submission-guidelines/
Changeling Press – https://www.changelingpress.com/submissions.php
Extasy Books Submission Guidelines – https://www.extasybooks.com/submissions
Hallmark (until March 31, 2022) – https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing/were-taking-submissions
Harlequin – https://www.writeforharlequin.com/submission-calls/
Kensington Publishing – https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/pages/submissions/
Random House Loveswept and Flirt – http://www.randomhousebooks.com/loveswept-flirt/#:~:text=Write%20For%20Us,word%20count%20limit%20for%20submissions.
Spenser Hill Press – https://www.spencerhillpress.com/contact-us/submission-guidelines/
Tule – https://tulepublishing.com/about/#for-authors
Please send industry news you’d like included in the CRW newsletter to Pamela Ferguson on the CRW Slack channel or via a Facebook DM.
Upcoming CRW Events
April 1 | Friday
Spring Mentor Program Sign Ups begin
Learn More
April 8 | Friday
2022 Stiletto Contest closes for submissions
Learn More
April 9 | Saturday
4pm ET | 3pm CT | 2pm MT | 1pm PT
Webinar: Serialized: How to Use Episodic Television Structure In Your Novels and Serialized Stores with Ines Johnson (register)
April 10 | Sunday
4pm ET | 3pm CT | 2pm MT | 1pm PT
CRW New Member Welcome (Zoom)
New to CRW? Join Stephanie Scott this coming up Sunday afternoon for an introduction to Contemporary Romance Writers. She will give you the low-down on what we do, how you can access the various things we offer, and get you connected and directed.
April 10 | Sunday
4:30pm ET | 3:30pm CT | 2:30pm MT | 1:30pm PT
CRW Member Townhall (Zoom)
Right after the New Member Welcome, jump on for a CRW Member Town Hall where you can connect with other CRW members, do some networking, make some friends, hear what we’re cooking up behind the scenes, and ask any questions you may have.
April 16 | Saturday
4pm ET | 3pm CT | 2pm MT | 1pm PT
Webinar (Members Only): Choosing That Fatal Flaw with Laurie Schnebly Campbell (register)
Writing Sprints
Every Tuesday: 12pm ET | 11am CT | 10am MT | 9am PT
Sprints with Tanya on Zoom
Every Thursday: 10:30pm ET | 9:30pm CT | 8:30pm MT | 7:30pm PT
Sprints with Nicky on Zoom
Every Saturday: 12pm ET | 11am CT | 10am MT | 9am PT
Sprints with Michelle on Zoom
Want to run sprints at a different day/time? Let us know!
Member New Releases
Amy Kathryn Jones
Release Date: February 17, 2022
Melanie Green
Release Date: March 8, 2022
Kathryn Kaleigh
Release Date: March 10, 2022
Dana Michaels
Release Date: March 13, 2022
Avery Flynn
Release Date: March 28, 2022
Tanya Agler
Release Date: March 29, 2022
April Workshops
Registration is still open!
When Two Authors Are Better Than One, a Co-writing Class
Ivy Quinn and Midnight Voss
Choosing That Fatal Flaw
Laurie Schnebly Campbell