Cracking the computer keys again

The Golden Gate Bridge a San Francisco landmark

I’m back after several days in the gorgeous City by the Bay, San Francisco. I joined more than two thousand folks for the 28th Annual National Romance Writers of America Conference. The soft economy has some markets in publishing struggling; not romance, which is keeping the cash registers humming.

Here are some quick statistics. In 2007, romance fiction grabbed the biggest share of the publishing market with more than $1.3 billion in estimated revenue. Also, many of the top selling romances racked up the kind of book sales that got them spots on the New York Times, Publishers’ Weekly, and USA Today best-sellers lists. The Romance Writers of America has more interesting stats on its website.

The RWA conference included more than a hundred workshops, as well as numerous publishing events, book signings and yes, parties. It was a terrific opportunity to learn, get inspired, to network with writers and editors and agents in the publishing biz.

Also, I took advantage of the social scene in the Bay City, which welcomed the conference with wonderfully warm temperatures and clear skies for the entire week.

I will have more on my travels and adventures later.