I’m back from the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention (a.k.a. RT), and it was more fun than getting kidnapped by a chisel-jawed pirate. The experience was as ridiculous as I had hoped (in the best way), and I learned so much about writing, publishing, and how to be an author.

I won’t drone on about everything I learned at the amazing writer boot camp (Tropes! GMC! Laban movement!), but I will share some general reflections and fun facts on the convention itself. My journal is littered with bullet point style notes I took in the workshops, so I have written this post in bullet point style to match.CONVENTION STATS (ACCORDING TO ME, NOT SCIENCE)

• Age range of attendees = 25-65.
• • The majority of both readers and writers seemed to be over 40.
  • Readers and aspiring authors wore orange nametags, while published authors wore green nametags. There were more orange nametags than green, but not by much.
    

    Waiting, waiting, waiting in line.

• Racial make-up = 85% white, 15% people of color
• • There were many people sporting buttons that read “We Need Diverse Romance,” which I thought was cool.
• Gender = 95% female.
• • Of the 5% of males, I would say it was a mix of husbands and gay men.
  • I think the husbands attending were true fans (not reluctant tag-alongs) but I rarely saw them attending sessions without their other half.
  • There was a workshop called “Husbands of Romance” with tips on how to support your writer partner.

INDUSTRY FACTS I LEARNED

• 60% of all books sold are romance novels. ALL BOOKS SOLD.
• Cowboy books sell like crazy in foreign countries.
• • When I think about how many Americans are fascinated with medieval
    knights and Highlanders, it makes sense that other countries would find our rugged male mythology beguiling.
  • One publisher claimed, “Men in kilts always sell.” Excuse me while I tuck that fact away…. 
    

    Cover models handing out cookies.

• Although there are multiple sub-genres of romance novels (romantic suspense, Regency historical, paranormal, erotica, contemporary, inspirational) the level of explicitness in a book can be conveyed to readers in just two words — “sweet” or “spicy.”
  

  “Fast, fun read…peppered with spicy love.” -Fresh Fiction Review

• • No one was embarrassed to ask an author which side of the spectrum his/her books fell.
  • I was afraid I might feel weird or embarrassed attending a workshop discussing “spicy” topics, but it was fine.
  • However, there was a workshop where the presenter pounced on each attendee as they entered the room to cheerfully ask, “What’s your favorite position to read about?”
  • Most people were good-natured and answered honestly but when she got to me, I sputtered and stammered and then pretended to not speak English.
• Christmas-themed books mean money. Publishers put out novels with holiday-themed plots between September and November and watch the cash roll in.
• Male/male romance novels are BIG among both the LGBT and straight community.
• • Many of the authors in attendance write both male/female and male/male stories and IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. Seriously.
  • The number of gray-haired grannies swapping recommendations on their favorites M/M novels charmed me. Sarina Bowen’s hockey series seemed to be especially beloved.
  • I didn’t hear a lot about female/female stories outside of erotica.
  • • There are definitely people writing lesbian romance novels (Radclyffe is a legend in the biz), but stories of gay men seem to be more popular in the mainstream.
    • I think there are some implications of homophobia in this, but I honestly think the hot guy factor comes into play too. There are some ladies who just really like reading about hunky heroes and their muscly muscles.
• Romance fans have a serious distaste for Nicholas Sparks.
• • Not only were his books left untouched in the free giveaway area, the mere mention of his name in one workshop elicited boos.
  • No HEA (happily ever after) = No love from romance readers.
• I got the sense that RT attendees had similar feelings toward the 50 Shades of Grey series.
• • Some felt very strongly that the books were not an accurate representation of erotica. The genre is traditionally defined by chronicling “a journey of personal growth through sexual exploration.”
  • More troubling to me was that E.L. James thought it was believable to create a 21-year-old character that had never used a computer.

MY MUSINGS

• File this one under “combination of words I never dreamed I would write:” I am now a fan of a Japanese anime show about sports.One of the writing workshop presenters used a clip from the show Yuri on Ice to illustrate how to show emotion in only a few sentences of dialogue.
• • She raved about the show so passionately, I found it online and my 10-minute break to watch a clip in my room turned into a 2-hour marathon.
  • The show is a sweet (slightly spicy!) story about a failed figure skater, Yuri, who struggles with anxiety and his conflicted feelings when dreamy world champion skater Victor offers to be his coach. It has a surprising amount of depth and handles Yuri’s struggle with his identity and attraction to Victor (psst it’s a M/M romance!) with sensitivity and respect. Watch it!
• Nearly everyone I encountered at RT was friendly and easy to talk to.
• • This is a group with very little pretentiousness or snobbery. Conversation flowed easily with a simple “What type of books do you read/write?”
  • There’s no arrogance or one-
    upmanship like I have felt at sci-fi conventions. Romance fans are generous and eager to talk about the books they love.
  • I asked a woman in line with me to recommend her favorite novel by Beverly Jenkins after I saw her gasp when the author walked by. She squeezed her eyes shut, grabbed my arm, and moaned, “I love everything Beverly Jenkins has ever written!” This incited a small crowd of everyone within earshot to form around me for a Beverly Jenkins love fest and recommendation bonanza. Delightful!
• So. Much. Free Stuff.
  

  My haul – I was a lightweight compared to those rolling wagons filled with books. I went home with about 30 novels.

• • Anybody need a bookmark? I received approximately 348,000.
  • If you are dedicated and don’t mind getting up early or waiting in line, you could easily make your registration fee back in free books.
  • I confess to a case of goody bag fever in the beginning. But then I had a stern conversation with myself about the value of wasting an hour standing in line to receive books that I may not even want to read.

REGRETS

• On the whole, I don’t have many regrets (I’m so glad I went!), but there are a few things I will do differently if I am able to go next year.
• • I wish I had gone to a few more reader events.
  • • The convention sessions are clearly divided into reader and writer tracks. The writer workshops were mainly craft-focused or panel discussions, while the reader sessions were pure fun.
    • Reader events included: “Naughty Girls Bingo,” “Midday Monster Madness Party,” “Historical Greeting Card Party,” and “The Introvert Scavenger Hunt.”
• I wish I had talked to more authors. I get so intimidated by people I admire sometimes and just turn into a little mouse.
• I would have hung out in the bar at least once. After a day surrounded by 3,000 people, this introvert needs some quiet time to recharge. But instead of recharging and going back out into the world, I tended to recharge and then recharge some more for good measure. I normally wouldn’t worry about this, but I heard so many stories of deals made and friendships created in the bar I regretted leaving myself out.
• When I go again, I vow to OWN it. Own that I was going to a romance book convention and stop apologizing for it.
• • I feel like I was a bit sheepish when I would tell people I don’t know very well what I was doing for a week in Atlanta. I played it off as “what can I say? I love kooky things!” but that was only half of it. The romance novel community is inclusive, friendly, vibrant, and smart. And I am proud to be a part of it.