SFWA opens membership to self-published and small press authors

[Fishbowl Helmet]

Interesting news. Wonder what the older trad published writers will think of the influx of young punks. I foresee variations of "Get off my lawn."

http://www.sfwa.org/2015/02/sfwa-welcomes-self-published-small-press-authors/

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

That's an interesting development. It was certainly time, but I don't think many small presses will qualify, though some of their authors will.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Just added my comment to their list. They won't like it.

It seems I qualify to join on the basis of at least a few of my books - which is nice. But as an indie my first question always has to be - what's in it for me? And I just don't think they can do a lot for me. Or for indies in general.

In fact to be brutally honest. I suspect the indies they could best help would be those just starting out who haven't yet sold a lot. But they don't qualify for admittance. While those who do qualify, don't need them - they already know how to write and publish successfully. And putting "Member of the SFWA" on my author bio won't bring me a single extra sale.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

People don't always join SFWA because of what is in it for them. They do it because they think it is a voice for SFF writers in general, or because they want to help writers who are less experienced (but serious enough to have met the membership requirements). Of course there are plenty of people who join for the gossip, or what they perceive as the prestige, or for a number of other reasons. But it has a huge impact when it chooses to exert its influence. Publishers have backed down when SFWA applied that influence. (Of course they have to pick their battles.) Some people want to be part of that.

(And, no, I have not been a member of SFWA for years. There was a time when I wasn't being published and I couldn't afford it, so I let my membership lapse. In fact, they hade a fund that they used to pay for members who fall on hard times and would otherwise lapse, but I felt guilty taking advantage of that for a second year in a row. I do feel I ought to join again, but somehow never do.)

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I understand that Teresa. I even sort of applaud it. But what have they done for the indie SFF writer? Where's their voice for me? I mean in the Amazon / Hachette battle they sided with Hachette. You could argue that it was six of one half a dozen of the other - I did in fact - but that definitely wasn't in support of the indie. Then there's the whole sexism scandal.

And as far as indies go, the biggest battles are in getting your work ready for publication, finding the right people for covers, editing, promotion etc. That's the time when indies need the most help. The SFWA isn't involved in helping them - that's not their core membership. I can do more to help indie writers by joining fora like this one where such people can come and view the posts, and neither they nor I have to pay for the privilege.

My thought is that if the SFWA is going to be serious about this move to embrace indies, it needs to show its support for us guys.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It would be interesting to find out (because I really don't know) whether SFWA invited in indies authors because they wanted to expand their membership, or indie writers have been asking to get in for a while and SFWA opened the doors because they thought it was about time, and as a show of support. Or whether it was a bit of both. I suspect that it was both.

SFWA is good for networking, and affiliate members include artists, freelance editors, and other people who might be useful to self-published writers. So I imagine that, no matter how the decision came about, and who was actively pushing for the change, there have been indie writers who have felt left out and wanted in for a long time. They will be glad about this decision. For those who feel it doesn't benefit them, they'll be no different from traditionally published authors who feel the same. It's always been true that of those who can join, a lot of them don't want to, and I am not aware of any efforts to recruit them. But it's been years since I've been a member and a lot could have changed during that time.

They undoubtedly lost members over the sexism scandal -- people who were appalled by what was happening, people who liked things the way they were and thought that any change was trampling on their rights to use SFWA as a forum for their sexist views. Trad writers who never intended to join, or left in disgust at some point because of the politics (which can be very unpleasant for those who are drawn in), probably felt vindicated by the whole thing.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

The politics would put me off, even if I was eligible.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

They put a lot of people off, and have caused a lot of people to quit. But when I was a member I wasn't involved in running things or anything else that would have drawn me into the politics, so they simply made for an interesting spectacle.