50 Shades of Minxiness - The RNA Conference 2012

I chose the title of this post partly because people googling '50 Shades' might end up visiting our blog but also because in virtually every conference session it got a mention. Publishers seemed very excited (if you'll excuse the accidental pun!) about the current erotica trend and are unsurprisingly very open to having the next '50 shades' submitted to them.

However, if you can't write the word 'naked' without blushing, fear not - the overall message of the publisher talks I attended was 'what we can do for you' as opposed to the 'what you can do for us' of previous conferences. They are actively acquiring in all sorts of areas and are open to something 'new'.


One of the highlights of the conference for me was Julie Cohen's talk 'Learning story structure from Pixar films'. Although she made us cry by showing the prologue to "Up", the lessons she taught about circular story structure, repeated motifs and character arcs as reflected in external conflict were invaluable and will hopefully help me write better stories.

Jane Wenham Jones also had us in tears with her talk 'What a way to earn a living' but this time it was tears of laughter. Her stories were wildly entertaining  and I don't think I've ever laughed so much.

That brings me to my favourite part of the conference - meeting lots and lots of friendly people (including Sally and Romy Minx and the lovely Susan Wilson :-), having a great time and going home excited about writing again.

If you attended you might have noticed the Minx contingent - we were carrying Minx bags (see photo) and were the ones acting like goofy idiots whenever we saw India Grey. And yes, she is just as lovely as she seems, not to mention glam and…okay will stop there before I embarrass myself again.

Penrith Conference 2012

Since I'm typing up this post while on a train headed from Penrith to London, and on Monday I fly out to South Africa, this post is going to be short and sweet. I'll post a more in depth report on my own blog on Thursday.

The best thing about attending the conference was getting the chance to meet fellow Minxes. There were three of us in Penrith this year: Lorraine, Sally and I. This was the first time I'd met Sally, which made the occasion extra special. It really is odd meeting someone you know so well online in person for the first time. You know so much about them... yet they're still strangers. Luckily, by the end of the conference, we were definitely no longer strangers!

The Minxes

Sally Clements, Scarlet Wilson, Lorraine Wilson (no relation!)

 

Sally with The Irish Contingent

The workshops were interesting, the food rather good, and the weather dry. All three of us Minxes got to have our fan girl moments with favourite Harlequin author India Grey, but really every author present was just fabulous.

For even more pictures, check out Liz Fenwick's Facebook page.

Huge thanks to the conference organisers, Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson for a lovely, smooth, educational and entertaining weekend.

Roger Sanderson

Another perspective on the RNA 2011 Conference

Minxy friend Rachel Lyndhurst gives us another inside look at the RNA 2011 Conference in 2011. Thanks Rach!

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Rachel with Kate Johnson

Thanks for asking me here today, Minxes!

I was very fortunate to have attended my very first Romantic Novelists’ Association conference this year, and a little bird tells me you want to hear the some of the juicy details – the stuff that doesn’t necessarily get published. The stuff that’s really useful to know … I was only there for half of it, but here are some of the key things I discovered.

Don’t worry about forgetting a pen and paper when you set off – it’s all provided in the official goody bag. Along with free books, bookmarks, postcards and chocolate! But do leave yourself some breathing space to find your accommodation - I got lost quite a few times!

Students these days have it really easy! Our rooms were en suite in small flats with a fantastically equipped kitchen area. Long gone are the days when you had to sneak a member of the opposite sex in past a grumpy porter at the front door!

Good news. The market isn’t as bad as some would have you believe. At the beginning of the conference Jan Jones ran though a list of authors who had good news to share about successes in the past year. There were loads. RNA members are getting published and selling in buckets.

It appears that everyone agrees that an online presence is essential for an author these days. Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are vital for marketing yourself and your books. It’s hugely beneficial to interact with your readers and pick up a few tips yourself – that’s why you’re reading this right now, right? I had a ten-minute editor’s pitch and had my suspicions confirmed; when you submit to a publisher/agent they will Google you. Fact! Don’t get caught with your knickers down, folks, keep your blog up to date and make sure it sparkles.

There is no right way to write. Jill Mansell told us that she writes longhand with a fountain pen on foolscap paper on the right hand side of the page. Revisions are inserted on the left hand side of the page and then she gets someone to type it up for her. Jill would feel physically ill if she had to write more than 1500 words in a day, whereas Louise Allen can do four or five thousand in a day if she has to.

Every author has to be prepared to market herself. I now know what an ‘elevator pitch’ is – make sure you do too, you might need it when you bump into an agent in the loo during the conference or RNA winter party...

Make sure your book has a really good title, having a ‘working title’ may not be good enough. If it’s weak, you may lose the agent/editor’s interest before they even turn over a page.

Most importantly, never give up. Jill Mansell confided that after two rejections from agents she was going to thrown in the towel if she got a third. Fortunately, she didn’t, she’s a bestselling author. Keep going, you can do it!

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Rachel's debut novel, Storm's Heart, is available from Amazon and Amazon UK.

Rachel can be found on Twitter as @RachelLyndhurst, and her blog is at
http://rachellyndhurst.blogspot.com/

How much fun can one girl have?

Since none of us Minxes managed to get to Caerleon for this year's RNA conference, we've invited debut Mills & Boon author Scarlet Wilson to guest blog about the conference this weekend instead.

Welcome Scarlet!

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The Gala Dinner

It didn't start well.  The train to Newport in Wales was packed with a variety of dogs and children crawling down the aisles.  At one point I ended up with two unknown babies sitting on my lap. However once we arrived in Newport I recognised some fellow women scrambling with cases and shared a taxi with the lovely Freda Lightfoot to Caerleon.

Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson spend a lot of time organising the conference and their planning was very evident.  There was a huge range of topics covered in tee programme and the hardest thing was picking what to attend.  I have to say that this year I was naughty and ducked out of a few lectures through sheer brain drain. 

Scarlet with M&B editor Flo Nicholl

But the ones I attended were fab.  The conference started with Celebrations and this year there were a lot of members with good news of sales.  It seems great that when we continually hear about tightening purses and less income, writers are still considered a priority.  There was an award winning panel with Louise Allen, Elizabeth Chadwick and Jill Mansell all answering questions on how they wrote.  I was amazed to learn that Jill Mansell writes all her books longhand with a Harley Davidson fountain pen!  I was even more amazed when Fiona Harper (who writes for Mills and Boon Romance) pulled out her moleskin notebook from her bag and showed me that she writes long hand too - her next book was sitting right in front of me.  I nearly snatched it and ran away!

The Mills and Boon editors delivered a talk on being Unpredictable - their latest buzzword.  They want new twists on the old stories and are still keen to acquire new authors.

M&B editor Anna Boatman, Romance author Nina Harrington and Flo Nicholl

Sphere books also delivered a talk, they are also acquiring authors - admittedly only a few a year - but specifically asked for timeslip stories and WW1 and WW2 women's fiction.

Jenny Hutton and Anna Baggaley from MIRA and Mira Ink gave an overview for their line, highlighting all areas that sell well in women's fiction and teenage fiction.  They also have new websites www.mirabooks.co.uk and www.miraink.co.uk

My favourite talk was given by Fiona Harper on getting emotion on the page and keeping it there.  You could have literally heard a pin drop in the room while she was speaking.  She has promised to put her notes for the talk on her website www.fionaharper.com

Scarlet with M&B Romance author Fiona Harper

The conference ended with agent Carole Blake and her client Elizabeth Chadwick letting us know how they were 'A Perfect Match'.  Their working relationship has lasted longer than Carole's two marriages and they were a true doubleact!

It was a perfect end to a great conference and after the long journey home to Scotland I am now going to spend the next few days in bed recovering!

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Thank you Scarlet! The Minxes look forward to meeting you again next year, at the Penrith conference.

Scarlet's debut novel for M&B Medical is It Started With a Pregnancy, out in September. Scarlet will be back here in September to talk about her book.

RNA Conference Top Ten and an announcement!

Better writers than me have posted excellent write-ups of conference talks so instead of a deep, insightful blog post I thought I'd do a list of "Ten things I didn't know before the conference". There are probably an awful lot more than ten but I know you haven't got all day. So, before your cup of tea/coffee gets cold I'll get on with it...

Conference Top Ten (facts, tips and gossip)

1. The biggest sector buying books in supermarkets is women aged 40-49 and for some titles supermarkets can account for 90% of sales.
2. Digital is seen as the way forward (but beware, if the supermarkets are giants Sony, Amazon and Google are monoliths...) ebook sales and audio downloads have rocketed, particularly with the release of the ipad. Ebooks and audiobooks may be released as packages in the future
3. Watch out for 'author apps' - a kind of fan club app, with the opportunity to get sent free excerpts. .
4. Writing a 'Trojan Horse' - Romantic plot-lines are selling really well, especially when dressed up as something else e.g. an aspirational plot-line (lifestyle change, travel etc). If you write romantic suspense emphasize the suspense part of your pitch! It's sad but true - there are women out there who want the romance stories their grandmothers read but to have it dressed up as something modern, more contemporary perhaps.
5. Romance accounts for 20.5% of all fiction sold.
6. It takes a brave and a good writer to start a new trend, to innovate rather than imitate. One point from the Mills and Boon talk (see photo below) was that writers need a commercial awareness of the market and to keep their fingers on that market's pulse to create fresh stories that are relevant to the twenty first century reader.
7. The words 'twenty first century' appeared no fewer than 7 times in the key points of the M&B talk. Methinks they were making a point.
8. It is possible to be creative at 9 am on a Sunday morning with a screaming headache and the cogs of your brain grinding painfully - Julie Cohen's workshop taught me that - despite feeling crap I came out of the workshop with a new hero and story idea. From discipline can come inspiration. Actually think I'm in danger of getting deep there, so moving swiftly on...
9. You don't have to be a Planner or a Panster like it's your religion for life - you can be somewhere in between or a flexible planner (thanks Kate Hardy for the excellent talk :-). Switching off your email while you're writing can lead to better productivity. (Okay I already knew that one but sometimes it's good to be reminded... Like Kate Walker's workshop on Conflict, you can never be reminded too many times).
10. Sadly there were rumours that our favourite 'party outfit' publisher may be having distribution problems, we firmly hope for the sake of it's fab writers that there will soon be better news on the inkvine...

But now it's time to finish dunking that biscuit and make an official Minx announcement (drumroll please):

We're very pleased to announce that we've lured one of our lovely blog friends over to the Minxy side. She probably doesn't know what's hit her yet so we're announcing it before she changes her mind. I'd like to welcome Joanne Pibworth as a new member of the Minxes of Romance. Welcome Joanne.

Joanne will be introducing herself properly here on the Minx blog on Monday 9th August so I hope you'll come back then to welcome her properly :-)

The RNA Conference - Julie Cohen

This week we're delighted to welcome our first guest blogger, and firm Minx favourite - Julie Cohen. Her Harlequin Mills and Boon and Little Black Dress titles have a guaranteed place on our keepers' shelf and 'GIRL FROM MARS' Recently won an Award of Merit in the HOLT Medallion. Come back to the Minx blog on 13th of October to hear about her new release coming out with Headline - 'GETTING AWAY WITH IT'

(Check out the photograph with Jo Eustace if you want to pick out Julie from the shoe line-up on the RNA blog!)

The RNA conference
Every time I’ve gone to a Romantic Novelists’ Association conference, it’s changed my life. Take the first one, for example, in Durham in 2002. Though I’d been chatting with some other RNA members on the net, and made good friends with some of them that way, I’d never met any of the people there in person. I’m pretty sure I’d never even met a published romance writer in person. And yet there I was, arriving late, halfway through dinner on the first night, into a room full of loudly chattering writers. I was terrified. What if they were all so brilliant they wouldn’t talk with me? Who was I to say I could write at all? I was unpublished, clueless, and had only ever been rejected.

I was greeted by cheers and waves and hugs from my online friends. And it got even better from there: I met published writers, experienced writers, other newbies, all of them friendly and generous. I got down on my knees and asked my online buddy to be my critique partner. I walked along the river and saw the cathedral. I drank too much wine.

It was wonderful.
The following year, in 2003, I was drying my hands in the ladies’ room when the organiser of the New Writers’ Scheme came up to me and said, “I hear your manuscript submission this year was really good. You should send it to this agent.” Then she gave me a card. I had never, ever been told by an impartial stranger that my work was any good. I nearly cried. Then I drank too much wine.

By the time of the Leicester conference in 2004, I’d acquired an agent, but I was still unpublished. But, basically because I am unembarrassable, I was giving the first workshop on writing sex scenes that the RNA had ever hosted. I’d done two interviews with national newspapers because of it, and another national profile piece and a television appearance would follow. And me, still an unpublished writer. Because of the RNA. That evening, after the workshop was over, I drank too much wine.

Two weeks later, I’d sold my first novel.
Then there was the first conference as a published author. The first where I actually got to sign books. The time where we all cried because our friend was told by an editor that her book had been bought; the time where we all cheered because a dear friend had placed in the Elizabeth Gouge award and then walked across a field barefoot, swigging champagne. The times when someone tells me I’ve managed to help them in some way, which is the best feeling ever. There were the shoes and the toasts and the workshops and the naughty kitchens and the meetings with editors and agents and the chance conversations with people whose books I love, and people whose books I am going to love, just as soon as they get published so I can read them.

This year, in Kate Harrison’s workshop, she told us to set ourselves three achievable goals to improve our writing life. I started work on them the day after I got home. Other members helped me with research questions, with inspiration, with encouragement, with finding direction. And oh yes—I believe I drank too much wine.Mostly, I’ve made friends, and friends are what you need in this business, to fight the crows of doubt and the solitude and to celebrate the successes. Oh, and also shoes. And maybe just a teensy tiny little bit of wine...

Julie’s latest book is NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM, available with free shipping here:http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780755341412/Nina-Jones-and-the-Temple-of-Gloom

Her website is http://www.julie-cohen.com, she’s on Facebook as julie.cohen.author an

d her Twitter ID is @julie_cohen.

Author Spotlight: Lucy King

This week the Minx spotlight is on Lucy King, winner of the Mills and Boon Feel the Heat competition in 2008 and the Joan Hessayon award. Two of the Minxes were lucky enough to meet Lucy when she picked up her award at the RNA conference in Greenwich and are pleased to report that she's every bit as nice as she seems on her blog :-)

So, on with the questions...

Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?
Right at the beginning. I’d written one story and had sent it off to Mills & Boon in Richmond. My first ever rejection letter came back in August 2005 saying that while my material was competently written my story didn’t focus strongly enough on the relationship between the hero and heroine. It also suggested I read as many current titles as I could, which given that I foolishly hadn’t read any in the previous twenty years, was excellent advice. So I read as many as I could lay my hands on and decided to keep on trying.

Where did you get the idea for this particular book?

A year or so ago I read somewhere that PR was one of the few industries not to suffer in a recession, and it got me thinking. Modern Heat is about glamour and what better excuse to write about parties? I then decided to give my heroine her own PR company and an over-achieving family and focused on what would be her worst nightmare. Everything else sort of slotted into place. Eventually.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
Geographically, in a beautiful farmhouse in rural southern Spain. Personally, 10 years younger. Professionally, writing my 30th novel for Mills and Boon. Hopelessly wishful thinking on all fronts!

Which was the last book you read that you wish you’d written?
‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, but only for the royalty cheques and the film rights.

Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?
No. I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I sat down and typed Chapter 1. I started writing more to see if I could do it rather than out of any pressing creative urge. Now I’m strangely addicted.

Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?
Neither. At least not if they happen in the right place at the right time. I have to get into the zone and then they (hopefully) write themselves. However I find it really hard to re-read my love scenes as they tend to make me blush.

What’s the most romantic moment of your life so far?
I’ve been trying to think of an answer to this question ever since you invited me here. And tragically I really can’t think of anything. I’d like to think that the most romantic moment of my life is still to come.

What do you wish you’d known about being an author before you were published?
The discipline it requires sometimes to get words down and hit deadlines. This is still a work in progress.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?
Me: ‘Oooh, iheartpresents.com is running another contest.’
My husband: ‘You should give it a go.’

Tell us about your latest release?
Propositioned by the Billionaire is about a PR executive who comes from a high-achieving family, has a fear of failure and hair that tends to frizz, and a venture capitalist with his own island and serious trust issues. It also features a flamingo, parties and exploding handbags.

What’s next for you?
I’m working on revising my third Modern Heat and trying not to get too distracted by my ideas for book number 4.

Keep up to date with Lucy's news via her blog Pick up your own copy of 'Propositioned by the Billionaire' at the Book Depository, the Mills and Boon Website or Amazon

Not at Conference? (and gossip)

Well this weekend is the RNA conference, and romance writers everywhere are flocking to London to meet, greet and network. It's a great opportunity for everyone to go to talks and workshops and half of the Minxes are on their way there right now - all dressed up in their conference dresses and super shoes. But half of the Minxes can't go, for one reason or another, and this blog post is for the rest of us!

Here are some things those not at conference can do this weekend.

1. Polish that first chapter.
Every writer at conference wishing to pitch to an editor and get feedback on their WIP, has really polished the first chapter of their manuscript and sent it in to the RNA to be read by an editor prior to their pitch talk. The time pressure to get this done has forced them to work hard to make sure it's the best first chapter that it can be. Us non-conference goers (NCG's) should drag out our first chapter and do an edit and polish.
Right Now.

2. Write a kick-ass synopsis.
The conference goers had to write a one page synopsis to go with their first chapter. We're luckier, because we're not pitching to an editor at the conference, but getting a submission ready to send in by the regular route. We can write a 2 page synopsis. Scroll back through Minx posts and print out Cindy Davis' excellent 'How to do a synopsis' post and write it. This weekend, pretend we're under time pressure too!

3. Polish the next 2 chapters.
Those at conference might get a request to see the first 3 chapters. They will have polished the next 2 so they're ready when the request comes. Let's do the same.

4.  Claim your writer status.
By going to conference they're stating that they, published or unpublished, are writers. Go to vistaprint or another online printing service,  and design up some free business cards for yourself. Shout it loud!

5. The Revamp.
The conference is the perfect opportunity for reinvention. New dress, new shoes, new haircut. If the budget allows, get one or all of the above! If time and finances don't allow, at least have a diy pedicure and paint those toenails.

6. Craft up.
Workshops, talks and lectures abound at the conference, but we have it all too, online. One good place to look is at the Romance Writers of America site, they have lots of handouts that you can read through. Everyone's got their favorite craft blogs, but here's two of mine, Les Edgerton's blog for craft articles, and Laurie Schnebley Campbell's.

7. Indulge yourself.
The conference is also about having a meal out, and coffee with friends. Taking the time to talk about writing, your goals, hopes, and fears. Try and get together with a likeminded writer friend for coffee, or if not (because they're all away!) get together online. Maybe try a Skype session to brainstorm ideas, or maybe just get yourself that coffee (with cream!) and large slice of chocolate cake for next to the keyboard.
The weekend is about focusing on yourself, you're a writer, you deserve it!

I'm sure there are loads of things I've forgotten, do pop in a comment with some more suggestions!

And now for a Friday news snippet... Here's some unofficial gossip about the Romance is not dead competition from Mills and Boon.
A little bird tells us that the contest is going ahead, and the time to post the first chapter is during September. It looks like its going to be for all the UK edited lines. The first round will be judged by editors and then the next few rounds are judged by the public and the panel. The first round is the first chapter, the next is the next chapter, and the final is the pivotal moment.
Word is that Mills and Boon authors will be holding workshops about how to write a M&B, and that there will also be stuff on the website. Check the website regularly, and let us all know the moment this competition goes live!

What not to do at your first conference

Conference season is almost upon us. Attending your first conference can be a bit like your first day at school – new faces, timetables, worried you’ll have no one to sit with at lunch…
Being a veteran of a whole one conference I’m eminently under qualified to dish out advice but that’s never stopped me before ;-)
So…

Don’t:
1. Succumb to the ‘Do I know you? Should I know you? Have I read you?’ paranoia. If in doubt just smile and talk about that great common denominator – biscuits.
2. Take any credit cards or cash unless you’re prepared to buy lots of books. Every author will do such a brilliant job of selling themselves that the urge to buy their book and then chase them round campus, pen in hand and asking for autographs, will almost certainly overtake you.
3. Talk banal drivel to a badge-less person. They will undoubtedly be VIWs (Very Important Writers) and while they might be glad of a change of subject from their RITA successes and multi book contracts it will make you look a bit of a prat. (Checking your accommodation list reduces this risk, take it from someone who wished she’d done that last year!)
4. Underestimate the importance of the tea queue as a source of great advice. Some of the best tips I picked up last year weren’t in the seminars but while reaching for a jammy dodger.
5. Forget where you put your water when a talk begins. You’ll inevitably kick it over the shoes of the person in front of you. (Sorry if that was you. Hope they dried out okay!)
6. Be afraid to eavesdrop – really, you’ll pick up great gems of gossip about publishers, the nitty-gritty of contracts… all that stuff that no one puts into writing out of political correctness.

Do:
1. Take advantage of opportunities to chat to editors and agents. Where else can you get instant, informed feedback from those in the know?
2. Expect to go home more enthused about getting stuck into writing time than seeing your nearest and dearest again!

If you're attending the RNA conference this year come and say hello to me, Lorraine Wilson and fellow minxes Joanne, Romy and Maya.