A Field Guide to Genre Fiction Writers’ Organizations

We provide opportunities to develop your marketing skills so you can create the kind of writing or editing career you really want, plus we offer assistance as you meet professional challenges. National Association of WritersThey have been helping writers connect with each other since 1998. Meet fellow members and discuss the business of writing in our online forum. Find insurance coverage and discounted services to support you and your writing business.

PEN America

They campaign on behalf of writers—for example, when it was recently announced that BBC Radio 4 would cut the number of short stories broadcast, the WGGB immediately issued a statement to campaign against the cuts. Since 2010, they have run a self-publishing service, Scriptora, which allows members to publish potentially difficult-to-place work such as poetry anthologies and out-of-print backlists. One of the more unusual benefits of membership is that you receive a Press Card. The Author’s GuildYou must be a published writer to join, but members enjoy many perks.

Literary Awards

Being an active SFWA member is no guarantee that your work will be accepted or even read by editors. It doesn’t mean that your next novel will sell well or at all, nor does it mean that your fellow members will welcome your falling on their necks at 3 A.M. You will also not automatically acquire the opportunity to meet, date or stalk your favorite writers nor they you simply by signing up. Along with these more concrete benefits of membership come the less tangible ones. For instance, Horror Writers of America has member-only anthologies, and the SFWA Bulletin and Forum both carry guidelines for anthologies that may not be open to nonmembers or non pros.

By implementing these strategies, they can unlock the full potential of their writing abilities and leave a lasting impression on their readers. ‘Professional’ in this context means that selling a novel or the equivalent is usually the criteria for full membership in that genre’s organization. Vanity publications don’t count, and depending on the genre, self-publications and e-publications may not be acceptable either.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for example, can provide a handbook, chat rooms for members, and a quarterly magazine, all with lots of other pros’ opinions about what a contract should look like. They provide information and support from writing classes to information about the publishing industry. As well as several online chapters, they have many local ‘real world’ chapters around the US, allowing you to meet other romance writers face to face. As an international organisation, they run a mentoring programme, produce market reports and list agents interested in the horror genre. Membership is open to published professional writers of horror or dark fantasy.

The angle at which you hold the pen also plays a crucial role in legibility. This prevents the ink from dragging and creates a more natural writing motion. Writers’ organizations are notorious for an exciting degree of infighting. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get drained or discouraged by it.

Signing up is not going to bring instant success but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a good and useful thing. Know what you want to get out of membership and know your limits. That said, do some research and check out what organizations do and which one seems best suited to Hong Kong Writers Circle your writing. Take a look at who’s in charge and ask for more information if you need it. Once you’re signed up, volunteer for committees and activities if you can. It’s a great way to meet other members and to give back and to contribute to building an organization that should also be supporting you.