Why I don't think I will join SFWA ever

SFWA = Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

First off: they don't seem to have a membership for beginners. You can be an Affiliate member if you are allied with the genre in your profession and have three active members vouch for you. Mystery Writers of America's Affiliate membership is for the writers who haven't been published yet.

All memberships seem to be based on sales. I wonder where e-publishing falls in their regards? Romance Writers of America are figuring it out, albeit very roughly according to December Quinn's blog, but at least trying. In both organizations the list of acceptable markets doesn't break apart a list of e-publishers and I don't know enough e-publishers to recognize them.

Second off: they pull stunts like this: Making Light: SFWA: DMCA abusers

I'm wondering how much sales = membership figures into this mess. SFWA doesn't have a membership slot for unsold writers. Writers giving away stuff for free must be stopped also seems to be their attitude.

Good work is done by people within the organization (Writer's Beware and the Emergency Fund) but when I have the sales to qualify, I doubt I join. Unless they go through a massive paradigm shift.

While one should not attribute to malice anything that is adequately explained by stupidity, any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice. -- James D. Macdonald

Read Free!
The BookWorm

There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/