We are delighted to announce a new partnership between the RNA and Simon & Schuster UK to launch the Jackie Collins Award for Romantic Thriller of the Year. This award will be a new category at the RNA’s annual Romantic Novel Awards from 2020, as announced this evening by Ian Chapman, CEO of Simon & Schuster UK and International, and a close friend of Jackie Collins.  The publisher has committed to the sponsorship of the award for a minimum of five years.

Jackie Collins was a creative force, a trailblazer for women in fiction, and, in her own words, ‘A kick-ass writer!’ Since her 1968 debut The World is Full of Married Men, her books have sold in their millions in more than 40 countries and she is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. Jackie passed away in September 2015 after privately battling breast cancer.

The launch of this award coincides with Simon & Schuster UK’s forthcoming reissue programme of Jackie Collins’ backlist titles beginning this Spring. Four bestsellers will be re-published in ebook format, plus a new-look paperback reissue of The World Is Full of Divorced Women, and each is accompanied by forewords from Veronica Henry, Helen Ellis, Jessie Burton and Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Publication will be marked by a special event at Waterstones Gower Street on Thursday 21st March, featuring a stellar line-up of authors coming together to celebrate the work of Jackie Collins.

Ian Chapman, CEO of Simon & Schuster UK and International, said “Jackie was kind, brilliantly astute, with a wicked, mischievous sense of humour. She was a consummate storyteller and made her craft look easy, like all great practitioners.  I – along with many others – miss her still and often expect to see her appear suddenly in our midst.  Jackie was a wonderful friend, too, always there to offer advice, support and wisdom.  We have long made a solemn commitment to ensure that her legacy endures and are incredibly proud to partner with the Romantic Novelists‘ Association and launch this wonderful award to support her fellow writers. Jackie continues to be a hugely important author on our list and we hope to welcome a new generation of readers to her fabulous work.“

Nicola Cornick, Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, said: “The  Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award is a wonderful way to recognise Jackie’s inspiring talent. She was an absolute phenomenon and we are thrilled to be partnering with Simon & Schuster to celebrate her work and her legacy.”