The RNA Industry Awards 2017 Celebrate those who Champion Romantic Fiction

THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

London: 15 November 2017 The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) is delighted to announce the winners of its annual industry awards, which this year feature the addition of a new category, Librarian of the Year. This new award recognises the important work that librarians do in supporting the romantic fiction genre, and the Association in particular. Six awards were presented during the RNA’s Winter Party, held in the Library at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London.

Librarian of the Year

Shirley Everall, Librarian of the Year

The inaugural award was presented to Shirley Everall, Audience Development Officer, Hertfordshire Libraries, for hosting a great number of events for RNA members, and promoting romantic fiction in Hertfordshire Libraries.

Runner-up Rachel Gee, from Tiverton Library, was nominated for her continual support and proactivity in promoting romantic fiction.

Romantic Bookseller of the Year

Kearan Ramful, Sainsbury's

This award recognises booksellers promoting and championing romantic fiction in a positive and proactive way throughout the year. This year’s winner, Kearan Ramful, book buyer for Sainsbury’s Plc, was awarded the title for his continuing support for romantic fiction by selecting many romantic titles for Sainsbury’s stores. 

Runner-up was David Headley and team at Goldsboro Books.  

Best Adaptation of a Romantic Novel

Debbie Horsfield

The award for best adaptation of a romantic novel, whether for stage, screen (TV or movie) or radio goes to Debbie Horsfield for Poldark Series 3 (BBC TV).  The adaptation must have been broadcast/screened from September 2016 through to the end of September 2017, at any time and for any duration.  After three series, Poldark remains a fantastic series with stunning scenery, excellent casting, and still stays close to the original text. It is one of those can't-be-missed programmes, with a charismatic but flawed hero and heroine.

Runner-up was Whit Stillman and Jane Austen for Love and Friendship, a film based on Jane Austen’s novella.

Media Star of the Year

Blogger Linda Hill was awarded Media Star of the Year for her continued support for romance novels through retweeting, reviewing and blogging. Friendly and professional, even when her TBR pile is overflowing, she’ll take more books on, going above and beyond the call of duty, and all with a smile. This award recognises those who have helped raise the profile of romance writing and/or the RNA in a positive way.  

Blogger Kaisha Holloway was runner-up and was nominated for her great support for authors and her honest, detailed and reflective reviews which are constructively critical.

Agent of the Year

Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency

For the literary agent who has striven to support, mentor, nurture and promote their authors’ careers, the genre in general and the RNA in particular. This year’s winner, Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency, was nominated for her championing of romantic fiction and support for the RNA. With a list featuring several authors in the genre, she provides guidance and great support to her clients, being honest and tactful, as well as kind, supportive and savvy about romantic fiction. 

Runner-up Rebecca Ritchie, AM Heath Agency, was nominated for her dedication, warmth and genuine passion for the genre. A great editor and all-round fantastic partner, a great listener, offering wise words and sound advice.

Publisher of the Year

Charlotte Ledger, Publisher of the Year

For the publisher who embraces the genre, mentors writers to produce their best work, and is innovative, creative and visionary in the marketing and promotion of romantic fiction on every level.  This year’s award goes to Charlotte Ledger, HarperImpulse, for her tireless championing of romance novels at Harper Collins, giving many debut novelists their first break. Open and honest, she provides transparent dealings with those authors under her wing and many nominated her, citing that working with Charlotte is a team effort, and she has a real personal touch when it comes to developing writers’ careers.

Runner-up was DC Thompson, a stalwart and steady publisher of a great number of members over the years. Both The People's Friend and My Weekly magazines have pocket novel imprints and their editors have mentored and published RNA members over many years, following a long tradition of nurturing writers of romance.

The RNA Industry Awards are decided by the membership, with every member eligible to nominate within each category. The awards were presented at the RNA’s Winter Party at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, London on 15^th November 2017. 

Photos from the event will be available on The Romantic Novelists' Association's website in due course.

For further information please contact:
Pressofficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org
Or Katrina Power 07 963 962 538 or katrina.power@yahoo.com 

About the Romantic Novelists' Association

The RNA was formed in 1960 to promote romantic fiction and encourage good writing and now represents more than 900 writers, agents, editors and other publishing professionals.

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent Rebecca Ritchie

Tonight the winners of the Romantic Novelists' Association Industry Awards 2017 will be announced at the RNA Winter Party. It's a special pleasure to welcome Rebecca Ritchie of the AM Heath Agency to the RNA blog today, because Rebecca has been shortlisted for the literary agent of the year award for her work "supporting, mentoring and nurturing authors' careers and promoting the romance genre and the RNA in particular".
Many congratulations on your nomination, Rebecca, and thank you for taking the time to come and talk to us!

Please tell us a little about the AM Heath Agency, how long it’s been established, and how you came to join.

AM Heath was founded in 1919, which makes it one of the UK’s oldest literary agencies. It represents established contemporary authors like Hilary Mantel, Maggie O’Farrell and Conn Iggulden, iconic literary estates, such as those of George Orwell and Winston Graham, and of course the RNA’s very own, wonderful Katie Fforde. I joined AM Heath in April 2017, after over six years at Curtis Brown where I worked alongside Sheila Crowley and had the pleasure of working on some of my favourite authors – Jojo Moyes, Santa Montefiore and Jane Costello, to name just a few – and also started building my own list. The first author I took on was Iona Grey – who I met at a RNA event! – and her debut novel Letters to the Lost went on to be published by Simon and Schuster and won the overall Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year award in 2016. I joined AM Heath to build up the commercial women’s fiction side of the list, which is an area that the other agents here don’t tend to focus on hugely.

What genres do you represent?

Commercial fiction across the board: contemporary women’s fiction, historical, reading group, crime, thriller and psychological suspense.

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

The first thing, of course, is the writing. As an agent, when you open a submission and can tell immediately that someone can truly write – that you’re in the hands of a genuine storyteller – you can relax and let the story transport you with it. Of course the plot and the characters have to be great too, but excellent writing is first and foremost. When it comes to commercial women’s fiction specifically, character is paramount: as a reader you want to really get your teeth into a protagonist’s character, to really root for them or to love to hate them. In terms of specific plots/themes, I’d never want to be too prescriptive, but I’d love to find a really moving love story (heartbreaking, heart-warming, I don’t mind), and while I’m always partial to some gripping psychological suspense I do think the genre is saturated and there are enough horrors to read about in the news, so I’d also love to find something at the opposite end of the spectrum: some uplifting, life-affirming fiction.

  

Your agency recently put out a call for pitches on Twitter, under the hashtag #TellAMH. How successful was this? Did you have any interesting pitches, and what made them stand out? Is something your agency will be repeating often? (Lots of questions in one here…!)

This was a fun week! We invited debut writers to pitch their novels to us on Twitter (so their pitches had to be concise, 140 characters – not an easy feat), with each day focusing on a different genre. We received hundreds of pitches and invited our favourites to submit directly to us, and I thought the commercial women’s fiction day was particularly strong. The pitches that stood out most were the ones where the novel had a clear, intriguing hook that made you want to read on, or where they asked a question that you just had to know the answer to.

You attended the recent Frankfurt Book Fair. What was your role at the Book Fair and how important is this event for you and your agency?

At the Frankfurt Book Fair (and at the London Book Fair in the Spring) we meet with editors from around the world, pitch our authors’ books and hear what editors are looking to acquire and find out what’s working in their markets. While of course we correspond by phone and email throughout the year, it’s always wonderful to meet with editors face to face and foster those relationships (and of course there are plenty of parties to attend too!) I met with editors from the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Israel and more, and pitched books by my own and also my colleagues’ clients.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

Really know your novel: be able to sum up the hook of your novel at the start of your covering letter in an immediately memorable way that just compels me to read on. I always think it’s a good exercise to be able to complete the sentence: “My novel is about a woman/man who…” – it really makes you distil the essence of your novel and what’s unique about it into a single punchy line.

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

I can’t pick one! Sense and Sensibility (my absolute favourite Austen), I Capture the Castle (a more perfect coming-of-age love story there isn’t), The Time Traveller’s Wife, Love Story (small but perfectly formed), Me Before You for starters. But there are so many more.

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman – quirky, sweet, heart-breaking, funny and moving, I loved it.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Tennis, cooking, travelling.

If you could describe your working-day in just three words, what would they be?

Frenetic, fun, fulfilling.

Thanks so much for dropping in, Rebecca, and for your thoughtful answers. Wishing you all the best  and we hope everyone at the Winter Party has a great evening!

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Helena Fairfax writes heartwarming contemporary romances, except when she's in the mood for danger, when she writes romantic suspense. Her novel A Year of Light and Shadows tells the story of how plain Lizzie Smith is plunged into a year of mystery involving a missing princess, a false diamond, and a handsome bodyguard.

You can find out more about Helena's books and her editing services on her website www.helenafairfax.com