Exclusive Membership: Unlock Your Potential
So, you’re ready to take the plunge and get serious about your writing journey? Then the RWA is the place for you. Sign up today and start enjoying the benefits of this amazing organisation. From discounted courses and workshops to belonging to a rich tapestry of authors at all different stages of their careers, when you sign up to the RWA, you become part of something bigger than you can imagine: you’re in a place where dreams turn to reality.Â
With online support groups for writers at every stage of their career, to the flagship writing event of the romance calendar—the annual conference—as well as the informative monthly e-zine Hearts Talk – bursting at the seams with craft articles, industry insights and news from our membership – when you join RWA, you’re positioning yourself for success.Â
You’ll also make incredible friendships, meet like-minded writer souls, have a chance to make a name for yourself in competitions, find the perfect critique partner, and be a part of the uplifting and inclusive Australian romance writing community. Membership to the RWA also makes a fantastic gift for the aspiring writer in your life.
Founded in 1991, the Romance Writers of Australia has been an instrumental part of the journey of some of Australia’s most beloved authors. From Rachael Johns to Trish Morey, Maya Linnell, Victoria Purman, etc etc, this is an organisation that prides itself on providing the kind of support that will make a real difference to your writing and career.
The RWA is a proudly inclusive space, encouraging memberships from all around the country, and is particularly keen to ensure we welcome First Nations storytellers, as well as members from the LGBTQI community, to our ranks. Like romance novels, the RWA is a safe space. If you have questions, please reach out to our DEI representative.
Explore the Language of Romance!
Embracing the Romance Genre
With sales revenue of more than $1.4 billion a year, the romance genre is a behemoth in the publishing world. So, what is it about these books that keeps readers coming back for more? At their heart, romance novels focus on the universal emotion of love and a sense of connection. They’re a safe place, books that make your heart race, your pulse thrum, and fill you with delicious, happy, swoony feelings. Romance is, however, a broad church, with myriad genres and subgenres, meaning readers with all different tastes are catered to.
Subgenres and Popular Themes
From historical romance—with just enough detail to make you feel as though you’ve slipped through the pages of time and are galloping across the Scottish highlands with a kilt-clad Romeo—or perhaps you’re dancing the Tarantella in a just-chalked Regency ballroom with your very own Lord Bridgerton—to Paranormal romance, where your soulmate just might be the powerful alpha alien of another world, and everything in between. Romance genres can be sweet and heartwarming, or super contemporary and spicy, or they might feature mountains of intrigue and suspense. Whatever the genre, the promise of a romance novel is the same: a HEA for the main characters (whatever their gender, gender identity or species!).
RWA and How It Helped Me
Since its inception in 1991, the RWA has helped countless authors achieve their dreams of holding their very own stories in the palms of their hands.