Riverdale Avenue Books #MeToo Anthology Wins Bronze Medal from the Independent Publishers Awards (IPPY)

For the fourth consecutive year, the innovative hybrid publisher Riverdale Avenue Books will receive an Independent Publisher Book Award. #MeToo: Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again received a bronze medal in the Women’s Issues category at the IPPY award ceremony on May 29th at the Copacabana Times Square.

Published in early November of 2017, #MeToo is a collection of 24 essays written as an immediate reaction to the Twitter hashtag #MeToo as the multiple revelations of sexual predation in Hollywood and elsewhere quickly spread throughout the world. The authors see #MeToo as the tipping point of the need for change and the book calls for ways to figure out how to drive that change.

“I am so proud that this book has won this award.  All the authors wrote their essays within a week and donated their work so this book could be available free and could reach as many people as possible.  This award will help that message reach even more people,” said Publisher Lori Perkins.

Attending the awards ceremony were Publisher Lori Perkins, #MeToo essayists Camilla Saly, Cathy Brown and Veronica Vera, and RAB Social Media Manager Trevor Lang and Formatter Judi Fennell.  “It takes a village to publish a book in eight days, “ said Publisher Perkins.  “This is my village.”

#MeToo is available for free digitally, and at cost in print.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards, affectionately called the IPPY Awards, has identified a reading list of progressive, thought-provoking books, the kind that can touch lives, advance careers, and stretch our imaginations. "Recognizing Excellence in Independent Publishing," the IPPY Awards showcase the best books from throughout North America and the English-speaking world. Launched as the first unaffiliated awards program open exclusively to independent, university, and self-published titles.

Romance Daily News to Launch in June to Carry-on RT Reviews Traditions

I was a little surprised that I announced that I am starting Romance Daily News (which we already affectionately refer to as RDN) at this morning’s opening breakfast for Romantic Times.  I had been asked to talk about how much Kathryn Falk has influenced my life in publishing. I wanted everyone to know that she has been a role model for me, a friend, and a constant force of positive energy for everyone who falls under the romance umbrella for three decades in this ever-changing book world, but I hadn’t really anticipated that I would just blurt out the news.  It’s just not how these things are done.  But when I saw how sad so many of the attendees of the convention were at the news that this would be the last RT convention and that RT Reviews would be closing, I couldn’t keep the exciting news to myself, and I didn’t want anyone to think that Kathryn’s legacy would fail to go on.  I have been on the phone with Kathryn, late nights and weekends, talking about how I could fill the gap with a new publication so there would be no void left by the closing of RT.

My vision for Romance Daily News will include a lot of what RT Reviews did – reviews, interviews, trends, free reads, etc., but it will be a little more expansive in its definition of what romance news is.  As I’ve gotten older I can see the romantic in places I never saw it before.  And as my world gets more complicated, and often darker, I want to share the joy that romance brings in everything I do.

So, Romance Daily News will have a lot of new elements, more like a print women’s magazine -- horoscopes, This Day in Romance, an editorial cartoon by Last Kiss artist John Lustig, but also features on trends in romance on everything from books to films and TV and theater, as well as clothing, vacations, food and drink, friendships, real life romance, and even romance in art, history, gaming, sex, politics, science and math.  Romance and the romantic is everywhere, and we, as the readers and writers who love romance, need to show the world that there’s another way to see things every minute of every day. For many, romance is an escape.  For me, it’s a reality.

We’re putting together columns and features and new sections.  We’ll need reviewers and writers, and all kinds of input, so please feel free to write me with suggestions at submissions@riverdaleavebooks.com.

We are hoping to launch in June, just as RT Reviews winds down.

Some of you may be asking, “Why is Lori Perkins doing this?”  Aside from the fact that I personally want Kathryn Falk’s legacy to continue, journalism is my first love (see there’s some romance for you, right there).  I have a B.A. in journalism from N.Y.U., and I started the local newspaper in upper Manhattan when I was 22. I also taught journalism at NYU when I was 23 because, as the feminist that I was then, I mentioned that there were no female professors teaching journalism and they asked me if I wanted to teach.  I taught at NYU on and off for the next 20 years.

I believe in the power of the press, and I believe in the power of women’s voices and perspectives.  We need our own presses where we can express ourselves, and we need women-centered spaces that are inclusive.  Kathryn Falk created that space 37 years ago.  I want it to go on.