To join RWA or not to join?

I think it really comes down to value. If joining will profit you in some way that is worth the hefty membership fee... then yes. And by profit I mean not just money. In networked connections you couldn't otherwise obtain... in support of your writing, like beta readers you cannot otherwise find elsewhere... in savings on conventions... any intrinsic value that outweighs the dues, seems like a good reason to join.

For me, the chapters around me are not male author friendly, and I currently do not attend any conventions where RWA members are discounted... so there is nothing to be gained by my joining. As you already mentioned, I also feel their policies are antique and their resistance to change is notorious. And I avoid drama where possible. All told, the RWA is not a good fit for me. But that doesn't mean it's not a valuable resource for others!

I agree, the question is--what will you get from it. Many people have said that if your local chapter is good it can be worth it. But if they are not...?

They other factor being whether the national group (their policies and actions) are one you want to actively support with your membership and money.

I've gotten along quite well without a membership to it or SFWA.

Mostly I just didn't want to spend the money. I still don't and let my SFWA membership lapse.


If they want me for something they know where to find me.

If the local group underwhelms you, go with your instincts and find another writing group that's a better fit. I get more out of AW than any other group.

If it's to go to the conventions--oi vey. They are EXPENSIVE. Compared to S.F. conventions, they are seriously overpriced.

The one I went to back in the day cost me a grand before I even got in the door--and I wasn't even there as a speaker. (Plane ticket, hotel, food, banquet ticket, get-in-the-door ticket, buy boxes of my books at the mega-signing, take unsold books home or they strip the covers and show as unprofitable returns to my publisher).

Better believe I did NOT make back my expenses in sales.

At least S.F. conventions comp my ticket in, and they really do throw better parties. There's more free booze to swill and a lot of the guys are in kilts!

I was a member for a year, and very unimpressed. I did not renew my membership. Granted, at that time I was unable to join a local chapter due to my work schedule.

A few days ago I met someone online who is a member of the local RWA chapter. We chatted for a little bit, I did some additional research about the local chapter and as a result, today renewed my membership. We'll see if it pays out. The workshops they have planned for the coming year are impressive, a few by well-known authors. I figured that if I got nothing else out of it, the workshops alone are worth the price of renewal.

I attended my first RT a few weeks ago, and like Gillhoughly said, it was damned expensive. But I can also tell you that I plan on being a regular. The networking alone made it valuable to me. That experience also helped nudge me in the direction of renewal. It's awesome being around other people who share your same writing passions.

I think you just have to decide what it is you want from your membership. Do you want craft workshops, industry news, or networking opportunities? Might be worth joining. Maybe.

I've seen query samples where the writer mentions being a member of RWA and/or the local chapter, in their list of writing credits. However, it sounds like you already have at least one published novel out there, so that's probably not as much of a consideration for you.

I think I'll agree with the general opinion, and say if they don't have much to offer you, don't join.

I'm a member of RWA, but only renewed this year because of two specialty chapters that I value (both of which are online, NOT the local chapter which left me a little *meh* too).

I'm unpubbed and don't really get much other tangible value out of it (at nearly $100 a year, it's not even washing out the convention discount). I get better networking on AW, Twitter and blog networks. I may not be renewing next year; still on the fence.

There are a lot of other resources for pubbed authors (PAN, etc) that I understand many people value, so depending on whether or not you qualify, that may or may not be an additional consideration.

I'm going to the RomCon this year and really looking forward to it. Sounds like a fun new reader/writer convention, some great authors are going, and many of the same folks I'll be seeing at RWA (in Orlando now). Hopefully, since it's new, also without the drama of RT. It's also very very reasonably priced and I like it's over a weekend so I don't miss much work.

According to RWA, I am not a "real" author. Ergo, they obviously don't need my money. And ditto what Dee said about RT. I couldn't have spent my money better for the advantages that being at RT (and fairly visible throughout the convention) has given to me. Now that RT appears to be getting over its squick over the ghey in the past couple of years, I'm much more comfortable supporting them than I am RWA.

Granted, one of the authors' panels I attended basically said, "If you want to publish with the big dogs, you need to run with them and that means RWA." I am not yet convinced of that.

Bubastes said:

Bingo. I'm trying to figure out what I would get out of RWA that I couldn't get at AW. So far, I'm coming up with nothing.

I plan to go to RT next year to network and pitch, but I don't need to be an RWA member to do all that.

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FWIW, you don't have to be a member of RWA to attend their big shin-dig either. The difference in early registration conference fees for non-members is less than a yearly membership (for Canadians, anyway)

Paid my RWA dues for three years, don't have a local chapter (2 hour drive to Toronto is closest) and couldn't stand the bitch-slap of the little guys being disqualified from entering RWA contests so didn't renew. Didn't gain anything while a member. Haven't missed anything by being a non-member.

If you're meh about the local chapter, don't waste your money. Most of the RWA members I know (myself included) stay because of their local chapter. All you'll get out of it is a very expensive magazine subscription.

The RWA has about 19/20 special interest online chapters, it's not just the local chapter. Listing here: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/about_rwa/chapters_listing A lot of people do not have a local chapter. If you are a member of the RWA and not a member of local or special interest chapters then you aren't really gaining anything from membership.

As to whether you should join -it depends on the person, some people find it useful - others do not. There are two women's fiction special interest chapters.

**headsmack**

I forgot about those special interest chapters (I'm a Beau Monde member as well, duh.)

Are you New York print published in genre Romance?
RWA is your professional organization.

RWA National is where you will meet other professional writers, librarians, booksellers, blog writers, reviewers, book club organizers, and the publishing folks who deal in print production and marketing.
This is largely invisible to the general meeting.

I believe e-pub/POD/small press folks and those involved in niche markets like Inspirational and Erotica make similar professional connections at every National. I'm just outside of this loop entirely and would let those who know about it, talk about it.


Of the 20,000 RWA members, 1800 are published, more than half of them print pubbed.
See a partial list at:
http://www.rwanational.org/cs/rwa_author_web_sites#B


Do you connect with one of the special interest chapters?
If so, that may be worth the price of admission to RWA.

For instance, the Beau Monde special interest chapter at RWA is, hands down, the best research resource for the historical period.

BUT
if you are not New-York-print pubbed,
(i.e. you are e-pubbed or unpubbed,)
if you are not writing Romance genre,
(you write erotica or literary fiction, for instance,)
and you do not need one of the specialized chapters,

then RWA is maybe not so much directly answering your professional interests at this time.

For these folks, the uses of RWA would boil down to --

-- social.
I think it was Groucho Marx who said, "I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member."

Your local RWA chapter is not about the meetings. It's not about the 10% of members who regularly attend the meetings.
What the local RWA Chapter does is allow you to connect, outside the meetings, on your own time, one-on-one or three-on-three, with Romance writers who live near you.

-- recreational
Folks go to National to have a good time.
Maybe folks go to the local Chapter meetings to have a good time.
I dunnoh.
I'm not social in groups, but some people just enjoy this. There are people who jog. What can I say?

-- educational
Craft advice is available everywhere.
RWA is where you come for specifically genre craft, information on the Romance business, and insider industry news.

Social, recreational and educational is good stuff. Might be worth the entry price. Might well be worth trying RWA for a year or two, especially for someone nudging up close to publication.

I think the quality of the local chapter should have nothing to do with joining the RWA.

If you're a romance writer, you ARE benefiting from many things the RWA does, such as constantly pushing for better contracts for writers. The question is whether you think you should pay your fair share for the things they do.

You're also eligible for more contests, and some of these have jumped started careers.

Jamesaritchie said:

I think the quality of the local chapter should have nothing to do with joining the RWA.

If you're a romance writer, you ARE benefiting from many things the RWA does, such as constantly pushing for better contracts for writers. The question is whether you think you should pay your fair share for the things they do.

You're also eligible for more contests, and some of these have jumped started careers.

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I don't agree. As it's been stated in some of the above posts, it does not benefit everyone.

If you're looking for information, the internet will get you just as far, if not farther.

If you're looking for the typical benefits that one gets from a "professional organization" like legal referrals or health and other insurance benefits or supporting advances in the industry (epubbed and m/m need not apply) or assistance with contracts, there's no point in joining RWA. They don't offer them.

I've always questioned the title "professional organization" when it comes to RWA since most professional organizations have some standards required for membership whereas RWA has none. Anyone willing to pay can join. And anyone can go to the convention. You don't have to be a member to attend the convention or the workshops or the events. It's basically open to the public.

Some people like them for the social aspect of their local chapters though.

I am a romance writer, but since I'm an undesirable (read: epubbed), no - they really aren't helping me. My local chapter and Beau Monde do - and that's pretty much it.

You don't have to be an RWA member to enter either the RITA or the Golden Heart. Non-members just pay a higher fee, usually. As for local chapter contests, all I've seen is anyone can enter. Again, members (who usually MUST join RWA in order to qualify for membership) pay a lower entry fee. I haven't seen any that were limited to RWA-members only.

I see RWA like jennontheisland sees it- a club. Not a professional organization. Or, not of the same professional caliber as SFWA, et all. Anyone can join RWA - from the serious, career minded writer, to the hobbyist.

Jersey Chick said:

I am a romance writer, but since I'm an undesirable (read: epubbed), no - they really aren't helping me. My local chapter and Beau Monde do - and that's pretty much it.

You don't have to be an RWA member to enter either the RITA or the Golden Heart. Non-members just pay a higher fee, usually. As for local chapter contests, all I've seen is anyone can enter. Again, members (who usually MUST join RWA in order to qualify for membership) pay a lower entry fee. I haven't seen any that were limited to RWA-members only.

I see RWA like jennontheisland sees it- a club. Not a professional organization. Or, not of the same professional caliber as SFWA, et all. Anyone can join - from the serious, career minded writer, to the hobbyist.

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And there ya go.

jennontheisland said:

I've always questioned the title "professional organization" when it comes to RWA since most professional organizations have some standards required for membership whereas RWA has none.

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I'd agree with you that RWA is not an organization of professional writers. Because of this, published folks are often members of both RWA and a professional writers group. (I'd recommend either AG or NINC for those who find RWA too much a 'social club'.)

But RWA is still the go-to point for industry networking. National is where authors meet their agent/editor/other authors/industry professionals.

I think the PAN/general membership hybrid works reasonably well. The maybe 8% published members make RWA more than a social club. The 92% enthusiastic fans and unpubbed provide support all round and make things exciting.

The downside of the hybrid is that it dilutes RWA's voice as a negotiator in the industry, and the huge general membership does continually challenge the central, professional purpose of the organization.

Bubastes said:

I've been avoiding joining RWA for a while, but now I'm wondering whether I should. I went to a local chapter meeting a while back and was underwhelmed, although I'm willing to give it another shot to keep myself accountable in my writing. The politics and drama in RWA over the years hasn't made me want to join either. So, what am I missing by not being a member? Since I write women's fiction rather than romance, does that make a difference? Thanks!

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In your case, who knows?

Although when I walk into any situation there must be reciprocity. I recently joined RWA, and have already contributed a great deal to my chapter.

I encourage you to ask yourself whether you have anything to offer your local chapter, not just what you could benefit by joining.

There may be a young woman in urgent need of hearing your voice.

Good Luck!

I've been a member of RWA for about 7 years. Mostly, I continue to belong because of two internet chapters: RWAOnline and FF&P. The people I've met there I would have a difficult time meeting anywhere else in one fell swoop. FF&P stands for "Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal" which is what I do. RWAOnline is a mix of everything and the best part of that chapter is that there are members from all over the WORLD. There's presently 358 members of that chapter, from 8 countries and multiple genres. Hard to get a better mix of people to ask questions of, and because of the time differences, there's nearly always someone online to chat with. Very cool people at every stage of publication!

If not for them, or if they disappeared tomorrow, I'd probably be gone too. Sometimes, it's worth the money to belong just for the relationships you gain. I've met people at RWA and RT that I wouldn't have known existed but for the online groups. Just like here at AW. Great people that gather to all talk about the same thing. Not all of them know about places like AW, so sometimes you've got to go where the people are.

I'm considering joining for the online FF&P chapter, and if there is ever a SFR chapter. I don't live close enough to make it to regular meetings in Denver(6hr drive) so online appeals to me.

I'm not really interested in going to a National Convention (crowds of people and air flights are two of my least favorite things in life), but think I will aim for a Romancing the Rockies convention in the next year or so. Though I just got laid off so will have to see what the financial situation shapes into.