Romance Writers of America (RWA) announced the winners of the 2017 RITA® Award, which recognizes excellence in published romance novels and novellas, on July 27 in Orlando, Florida.
The RWA also announced the winners of the 2017 Golden Heart® Award, for excellence in unpublished romance manuscripts.
RITA Award Winners
Romance Novella Winner
- Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan
Contemporary Romance: Long Winner
- Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan
Young Adult Romance Winner
- The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Historical Romance: Long Winner
- No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke
Romantic Suspense Winner
- Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton
Paranormal Romance Winner
- The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
Erotic Romance Winner
- Off the Clock by Roni Loren
Historical Romance: Short Winner
- A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen
Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements
- My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray
Contemporary Romance: Short Winner
- Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major
Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel
Best First Book Winner
- Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison
Golden Heart Winners
Contemporary Romance Winner
- “No Man Left Behind” by Penelope Leas
Young Adult Romance Winner
- “Listen” by Jennifer Camiccia
Historical Romance Winner
- “With Love in Sight” by Christina Britton
Romantic Suspense Winner
- “Semper Fi” by Meta Carroll
Paranormal Romance Winner
- “Constant Craving” by Kari W. Cole
Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements Winner
- “Wings of Love” by Pamela Ferguson
Contemporary Romance: Short Winner
- “Job Opening: Billionaire’s Wife” by Susannah Erwin
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For anyone else perplexed by the idea of an award for unpublished manuscripts, I looked on RWA’s site and the Golden Heart Award is for manuscripts by unpublished *authors*, specifically “manuscripts written by members who have not published a Novel or Novella.”
Dan B., the Golden Heart is a fundraiser for the RWA: they charge $30 per entry and limit it to 1,200 entries, netting them up to $36,000. Preliminary Judges (RWA members who volunteer) do not appear to receive any compensation other than a “Judge for the RWA Golden Hearts Award” entry for their resumes and websites. Finalists are judged by romance publishing house editors who do this as a way to find new works to publish, with the worst crap already weeded out. For self-published authors, buying an entry (which is only open to RWA members) is a way to possibly get their work noticed by an editor, thus giving them an incentive to join the RWA.
It’s actually a pretty clever marketing/fundraising mechanism for the RWA, while providing some actual value to some editors and authors (the operative word there being “some”).
Fascinating, thanks!