Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Friday, March 18, 2011

RWA Librarians Day 2011

Romance Writers of America has posted the schedule for this year's Librarians Day at the annual conference in New York City.  If you're a librarian, and will be in the area on Tuesday, June 28, I encourage you to sign-up.  It's the insane bargain basement price of $25 for the day (and no, you don't have to be attending the whole conference - you can just do this one day!), they feed us lunch, and the separate Librarian Goodie Room is, traditionally, off-the-hook.  Seriously.  Off-the-hook.  Plus, you're already on site for the ginormous Literacy For Life Autographing that's the very same day, from 5:30-7:30PM.  Here's the tentative schedule with RWA Librarian Of The Year (modest, thy name is Wendy) commentary: 

7:30 – 8:00 a.m.
Registration/ Badge Pick-Up

  • Plus a tote bag!  With books in it!  Squee!
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Focus on Communities in Romance
Speakers: Lara Adrian, Robyn Carr, and Jayne Ann Krentz
Romance authors are experts at creating communities in their book series, whether these communities are geographic, familial, or even species based. Join three New York Times best-selling authors as they discuss the challenges and rewards of writing connected/community-based books, why readers love them, and how librarians can recommend them to their own romance reading communities. 

  • Seriously, huge trend right now - and a great mix of authors.  Adrian has been writing a paranormal series, Carr is taking over the world from Virgin River and Krentz is Queen Of Writing Series.  This should be great.
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Harlequin 101
Speakers: Wendy Crutcher, Collection Materials Evaluator, Wendy's Employer
Did you know that Harlequin publishes nearly 110 new titles every month? Yet, somehow, category romance remains a misunderstood and often-dismissed member of the popular fiction family. Materials Evaluator Wendy Crutcher will help solve the mystery of category romance and provide insight into this juggernaut of the romance genre.

  • Oh look!  It's me!  Presenting by myself!  Argh!  Actually the event coordinator is trying to scrounge up a warm body from Harlequin to join me - but right now it's looking like I'm flying solo. ::gulp::  Now to find time to rework this particular presentation of mine (I've given similar talks twice now - to various colleagues here at work).
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Break sponsored by Brilliance Audio 
Stretch your legs and enjoy so
me refreshments, but don’t wander too far! We’ll be hosting a fun romance trivia during the break and handing out prizes to librarians who correctly answer questions about the genre.
  • Snacks!  Coffee!  Chit Chat!  More free books!
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
You’ve Got Romance in My Mystery! No, You’ve Got Mystery in My Romance!
Speakers: John Charles, Leah Hultenschmidt, Judi McCoy, and Deanna Raybourn
For more than a decade, genre blurring has been one of the strongest trends in fiction and a powerful force affecting both collection development and readers’ advisory service in libraries. A librarian, an editor, and two award-winning authors will talk about how library staff can use the power of genre blurring to successfully cross-market their romance collections to new readers.

  • Charles is a former Librarian Of The Year, and you know how I am with westerns and category romance?  Yeah, he's big on genre blurring, readers' advisory, and luring non-romance readers over to The Dark Side.  Hultenschmidt is now an editor with Sourcebooks (and awesome!), McCoy has romance roots and is currently writing cozy mysteries, and Raybourn writes historical mysteries for Harlequin (Mira, I believe?).  Should be good stuff here.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Publisher Preview
Speakers: Lucia Macro, Executive Editor, Avon Books; Wend
y McCurdy, Executive Editor, Berkley Books; and Shauna Summers, Executive Editor, Ballantine Bantam Dell
What are the latest and upcoming trends in romance fiction? Which titles will have miles-long holds list this fall? Executive editors who publish some of the biggest names in romance fiction will tell you what’s hot now and what is going to be the next big thing.

  • OMG - who doesn't love hearing about new stuff?  Books, books, books - tell me all about the brand new and the shiny.
12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Librarians Luncheon featuring New York Times best-selling author Julia Quinn

  • Food!  And Julia Quinn!  Plus me and Trinity Feagan sitting together at lunch heckling Julia Quinn!  (Inside Twitter joke....). 
2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Librarian/Bookseller Networking Event with Authors
Come to this fun, informal meet-and-greet with your favorite romance authors, and leave with free goodies and more!

  • ZOMG - The Librarian Goodie Room.  Free books!  Free promo goodies!  Chatting with authors!  Passing out my business card!  Woot!
It's also during this stretch where I hightail it up to my room, dump the insane amount of goodies I got out on the bed, and hightail it back downstairs for more mingling, and waiting for the Literacy Signing to start.  Again, if you're a librarian, and are going to be in the area, I encourage you to check it out.  It's always a fabu time.  You get lunch, free books, and you get to hear people say really nice things about how awesome-sauce librarians are.  You can't lose!

14 comments:

KT Grant said...

I wish I could go, but I can't :(.

Will be there from Wednesday on.

Michelle Styles said...

Oh hooray! I am going to the lunch. I really enjoyed the lunch and the booksellers thing afterward.
I am v pleased that you are Librarian of the Year.
Actually if you need a warm body from Harlequin, I might be able to help. What sort of Warm Body do you need? Editor? Behind the scenes person? Author? Email me -- michelle@michellestyles.co.uk and tell me what you want...I know how important these sorts of talks are. I have done a few for libraries in the North East of England -- far easier than talking about me...

Donna Alward said...

I'm going to the lunch as well, Wendy, and can't wait to meet you. :-)

Alie said...

I wish I could go! I'll just be back from Europe then though and probably cash strapped. :( Have a wonderful time!

azteclady said...

*sobbing due to missing ALL the awesome sauce that is RWA*


*wailing disconsolately due to missing the uber awesome sauce that is SLWendy on her day*

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tara Marie said...

Well, aren't you a big mucky muck. I need to get back in the loop. It sounds like you will have an exciting time at RWA--enjoy.

Wendy said...

KB: Yes, I will definitely see you at some point during the week, I'm sure of it!

Michelle: Thank you for the offer! I need to touch base with the coordinator again. She has an editor in mind, it's a matter of seeing if said editor's schedule is going to work out. Will definitely e-mail you though if she doesn't pan out!

Donna: Can't wait to meet you!

Alie: Oh well...Europe. That'll be a hardship I'm sure :) Enjoy the vacay!

AL: I'll be blogging! Y'all at home will get as much fun-filled recap as my poor tired sleep-deprived brain will be able to muster up.

Tara: ::leaping:: ::pouncing:: ::tackling Tara in bearhug:: Don't ever leave me again woman! LOL

Michelle Styles said...

Wendy --
Not a problem. Let me know if you need back up.
There is a behind the scenes Harlequin person that I think would be perfect. I know she will be at the RWA Nationals...Otherwise there are a couple of editors' arms I could twist.
It is the sort of talk that I am sure Harlequin would want to be involed with. They are very involved with libraries in the UK and sit on the Reading Agency which is the liaison between libraries and publishers.

Kristie (J) said...

I'd love to go. What about if I tell them I used to help the librarian in the bookmobile when I was young and for years I WANTED to be a librarian - does that count?
And - so what do your bosses and coworkers think of this honour? Are they as thrilled as we are for you?

nath said...

sounds like an awesome day, Wendy!! And so many good authors present! Wish I'd be a librarian!!

and once again, congrats!

Trinity Faegen said...

Wheee!!! Looking forward to lunch! And heckling! :)

Wendy said...

Kristie: It took me about 2 days to wade through all the e-mail. Everyone was really happy for me.

Nath: It's always a fun day. Always lots of good information, a nice lunch and choice freebies :)

Trinity: I can just see Stephani coming up to us and saying, "Ladies, you are causing a scene....."

Anonymous said...

just catching up on blogging now...everything about RWA Librarians Day 2011 sounds great, that its the same day as the signing, its only $25 and separate from the rest of the RWA sign up cost...but the 7:30am start???
*gulp*
just a tad bit early!
i still might come though, thanks so much for "advertising" it, otherwise i never would have known!