Friday, February 22, 2013

Our Mission Statement


For the past couple days, the inbox for Deborah and I have been overflowing. All with the same question. Just what is WRR 2013? That’s quite simple to answer. It stands for ‘Writers, Romance, & Rainbows – A GBLT book fair for those in the GBLT Romance genre’. The explanation for that, however, is a bit more extensive.

With all the different cons and such happening through the year, only a few were geared toward those in the GBLT romance genre. Not surprising since this genre is still up and coming. It has made great strides, but sadly, still not as popular as the het romances as far as being mainstream goes. It hasn’t stopped us though. The books are still getting out there and the authors are still writing them. Unfortunately, these cons can only allow so many authors to attend. Then there is the price of registration. Flights, hotels, and other miscellany are added as well. All totaled up, attending one of these events can set an author back thousands. And for a newbie or even a mid-author, sometimes that price is just too much to pay. Especially if you’re relegated to a lesser role than what you expected. And what of the other’s that are involved in the writing process? The pubs, editors, cover artists, photographers, reviewers, readers, and fans? What about them? Don’t they have a right to be a part of these events as well? So far, these events are for the pubs, authors, fans, and readers. But what if there was an event that could encompass everyone involved in the writing process? That could bring all these people under one roof to talk, meet, promo, and sell their work?

That question had plagued Deborah and I for many months. Both of us had attended events, but none were geared for everyone. Then the wonderful guys at Bent-con invited us to share our media with their media in a conflagration of GBLT fireworks. Both us jumped at the chance. What better place to have everyone involved in the writing process sharing knowledge, disparate experience, and their wares to those who will appreciate it. It was a win/win for everyone.

Another question that arose was, Will I be treated as an author? That answer is a resounding yes! There are no lines drawn here. It doesn’t matter if you have one book, still writing that book, or if you have twenty. If you sign up as an author, register as an author, or get a table to sell your books as an author, then you will be treated as an author. The same with the pubs, cover artists, photographers, editors, reviewers, fans, and readers. Everyone is welcome here and will be treated the same. With respect for who you are. This was one of the main distinctions that Deborah and I wanted to make when committing to this endeavor. We wanted EVERYONE to be equal, to have a good time, and share themselves with the GBLT community. We also didn’t want to limit this event to just the pubs, authors, fans, and readers. We wanted everyone involved in the writing process to attend. They helped get us out to the masses. Only right we have them share in that glory. 

2 comments:

  1. Sounds great, just let me know the rest of the info when it's ready.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I commend you for your efforts. I hope this will be held nearer the east coast one day so I can attend (flying from Iceland!).

    ReplyDelete