Writing in the Dark: Are Writers' Organizations Obsolete?

Are Writers’ Organizations Obsolete?

Before you start in on this entry, you might want to read my previous blog post about writers’ orgs – “Alone or Together: Are Writers’ Organizations for You?” https://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/2025/01/alone-or-together-are-writers.html

And while I talk about the Horror Writers Association in this post, this isn’t meant to be a condemnation of the entire org and everyone involved. There are a lot of good people in the org who want HWA to be the best it can be.

Okay, on to the entry…

During the tail end of the 80s, one of my most cherished writing goals was to make enough pro-level fiction sales to qualify for membership in both the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction Writers of America, as it was called then. (It’s now the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.) Pro-level meant that you sold three stories for 3 cents a word or a novel for…maybe a $2000 advance (I can’t recall the exact amount). Once you had enough qualifying sales, you had to provide documentation of them by physically photocopying acceptance letters and mailing them to the organizations. (No email yet.) My first pro-level sale was to an anthology called Young Blood, and I never received payment. As far as I know, none of the contributors did. I was afraid HWA and SFWA would somehow find out, and I wouldn’t get in, but they didn’t, and I was able to join as an affiliate member. This meant that I couldn’t vote in elections or for awards, but I had access to all the other resources the organization offered to members. I didn’t give a damn about voting. I wanted to advance my writing career, and affiliate membership was more than good enough for that purpose.

The biggest perk of membership was free access to the GEnie message boards, and specifically to HWA’s and SFWA’s private areas for members only. Genie was basically a huge message board with different topics. This was in the earliest days of the Internet (we used dial-up), and there were no websites yet. Being able to interact with pro writers on the boards and in private chats was incredible. Writers like Charles L. Grant, Rick Hautala, F. Paul Wilson, George R.R. Martin, Jerry Pournelle, Damon Knight, Judith Tarr, Joe Haldeman, Katherine Kerr, Tad Williams, J. Michael Straczynski, Nancy Collins, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Douglas Clegg, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Mark Rainey, and many more trod the boards in those days. It was like a 24/7 bar con. I learned so much from Genie.

And then websites began to appear.

Writers left GEnie in droves and created their own websites with dedicated message boards for their fans. GEnie withered and died, as did SF/F/H topic areas on AOL, Delphi, and CompuServe. There were members-only message boards on SFWA’s and HWA’s websites, and that’s where SF/F/H writers hung out virtually until social media became a thing. Now writers have multiple social media accounts, YouTube channels, TikTok accounts, Patreon accounts, and email newsletters. How-to-write, marketing, and publishing info became easy to find on the Internet (although knowing whether you could trust that info was a different matter). Online commerce allowed small-press publishers to compete with the Big 5 (as well as publish cool, quirky books the Big 5 wouldn’t touch). Then self-publishing became a viable career path. Then AI showed up, but fuck AI. No self-respecting writer uses it.

Why the history lesson? Because the world has evolved beyond the need for writers’ organizations. What can they do that writers can’t do for themselves (at least in terms of networking and career education)? They can provide access to healthcare, and – if they’re large enough and powerful enough, such as the Authors Guild – advocate legally on behalf of members (as individuals or as a group). Writers orgs can put on writing conventions, but you don’t have to be a member to attend them.

If you’re a Horror writer, you probably know about the HWA’s recent troubles. If not, you can read about them here: https://file770.com/hwa-dissolves-excecutive-director-position-amid-series-of-controversies/

There were serious problems that people absolutely should’ve brought forward, and it’s a damn good thing they did.

I’ve been a member of HWA and SFWA for 30 years or so, and both have had their fair share of controversies and conflict over the decades. But for HWA, this time was different. It was a lot in a short time. Most of the reactions online were from people with legitimate concerns about the events and the organization in general. But people also aired unrelated grievances with HWA, and they used the events as “proof” that HWA (or that the overall concept of writers’ organizations) was useless at best or downright evil at worst. HWA listened and has begun the process of trying to right their ship and make substantial changes going forward. But it may be too little, too late. Many people quit the organization or decided not to renew their membership, and many decided to boycott StokerCon. I have no idea how much of a financial hit the organization might take from this, but it could be substantial and possibly fatal.

Many people called for the end of HWA, viewing it as irredeemable by this point (and perhaps it is in a public relations sense, if nothing else). Others suggested a major overhaul, stripping it down to just the programs it offers that writers can’t get elsewhere, such as StokerCon and the Bram Stoker Awards.

Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni recently discussed “5 Reasons Your 5 Reasons to Stay with HWA are Moot” on Keeneversations, but many of their points apply to writers’ orgs in general: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QecF2y0xXYrs02y2VUWGG

People often join writers’ organizations at the beginning of their careers and then leave when they feel they’ve gotten what they need. In a sense, they “graduate” from the org. And orgs often struggle to serve the needs of established writers, since by that point in their careers, these writers have enough knowledge and experience to do without an org, relying on colleagues, editors, agents, etc.

So if you're considering joining – or leaving – a writers’ org, how do you judge it? By the services they offer to members.

The Authors Guild is widely accepted as one of the best organizations for writers, and I think the member services they offer are a good template for what an effective org should offer. Member benefits include (quoted from the Guild’s website):

Legal Services: “Navigate the legal aspects of writing with the help of our experienced lawyers, including contract reviews, copyright questions, dispute intervention, and more.”
Web Services: “Manage your online presence with our web services for members, including our exclusive website-building software.”
Insurance and Discounts: “Get help with Marketplace coverage, find liability insurance, and save with discounted products and services to support you and your writing business.”
Writers Community: “Meet fellow members and discuss the business of writing in our online forum.
Regional Chapters: “Get involved and find the support of a local writing community in your area.”
Educational Events: “Learn the business and legal side of writing with our recorded webinars and panels.”

If you want to check out the Authors Guild member benefits yourself: https://authorsguild.org/membership/

What on that list can’t you do for yourself (or do for yourself easily)?

Legal Services. This is probably the most important benefit, and the one that is useful to writers at all stages of their careers. And the Guild advocates for writers as a group, and they have enough clout for their advocacy to have some muscle behind it.
Insurance. If you don’t have insurance via your day job (like I do), you can obtain it through the Guild.
Educational Events. Your mileage may vary on this one. You can find zillions of articles and videos about writing and publishing on the Internet, but you have to vet them and decide for yourself whether the authors know what the hell they’re talking about. The Authors Guild vouches for all of the resources they offer, so you’re guaranteed they’ll be of professional quality. You can also learn a lot from social media, provided you follow experienced writers, editors, and agents who know their shit.

Everything else on the Guild’s list of benefits, you could do for yourself. You can build your own website, create a community of writers and readers online, find or create a local writers’ group…

If you aren’t sure if a particular organization is for you, join one for a year or two, then quit and try out another. You could also pool money with friends, buy an organization membership in one of your names and then share the resources.

Cost is, of course, a big issue, and it’s important you feel you’re getting your money’s worth as a writer. After all, just because an org offers certain benefits doesn’t mean they do so effectively or consistently. Below are some orgs’ membership and conference fees for comparison.

NOTE: The conferences listed below all have cheaper early-bird registration links.

Authors Guild

Dues: $149 per year.

Horror Writers Association

HWA Dues: $94

StokerCon General Admission Fee: $300

The Bram Stoker Awards Banquet: $100

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association

SFWA Dues: $100 per year.

Nebula Awards Weekend: $275

International Thriller Writers Association

Dues: None.

Thrillerfest: $550 (but they have add-on programs for additional fees)

Thriller Awards Banquet: $273.

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs

Dues: $70 per year.

AWP Conference: $440.

So Where Do I Stand on Writers' Organizations?

One of the points I made in my previous blog post about writers’ orgs is that you need to actively take advantage of whatever services they offer. Many people in the last few weeks posted on social media that “HWA never did anything” for them. Whenever I read comments like this, I always wonder if the poster tried to avail themselves of any of the org’s services.

But if you belong to a writers’ org, you should ask yourself if you feel your membership has been and continues to be valuable to you and is worth the cost. No orgs are perfect, though. Mistakes happen, as does the bad behavior of individuals, but you need to decide when those mistakes become big enough and numerous enough that you no longer want to be associated with that org. (Or don’t want to join in the first place.)

I’m a member of HWA, SFWA, ITW (The International Association of Thriller Writers), and the IAMTW (the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers). I wouldn’t quit the ITW, mostly because there are no dues, and I occasionally use some of their promotional opportunities for members. I find the IAMTW valuable – members share experiences with various publishers, as well as submission calls – and its dues are minimal. I haven’t used the vast majority of SFWA’s services in decades. I do use some of HWA’s services (and I try to volunteer/help out when I can), but I love so many of the people involved with the org, and that’s the main reason I’ve remained a member. I’ve quit before, though, because I didn’t agree with the direction the org was going in at the time, but I eventually rejoined. I’m giving serious thought to not renewing my membership, though. Same with SFWA. For years, I’ve regarded my dues for SFWA and HWA as donations to those organizations. But I’ve “donated” for decades now. Maybe that’s long enough.

Do you need to be a member of a writers’ organization? No. If you become a member, will you see any benefits? Sure, if you actively take advantage of them. Will those benefits be worth your dues? That’s something you’d have to decide.

Logically, the Authors Guild is probably the best organization to belong to if you want to be part of one, especially if you’re a writer with an established career. I tried it out once and liked it, but I didn’t renew my membership (primarily because I decided I belonged to too many writers’ orgs back then). Maybe now I will renew, though.

Following are some links to resources you might find useful, whether you’re seeking to join a writers’ org for the first time or looking to switch to a new one.

Genre-Focused Writing Conferences Not Affiliated with a Writers’ Organization

AuthorCon: https://scaresthatcare.org/author-con

GenCon Writers’ Symposium: https://www.gencon.com/gen-con-indy/writers

List of Writers’ Organizations

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs: http://www.awpwriter.org/

The American Society for Journalists and Authors: http://www.asja.org/index9.php

The Authors Guild: http://www.authorsguild.org/

PEN America: https://pen.org/

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: http://www.sfwa.org

The Horror Writers Association: http://www.horror.org

Women in Horror Arts & Media Association: https://www.socowomeninhorrorfestival.com/

The British Fantasy Society (You don’t have to be a Brit to join.): https://britishfantasysociety.org/

The Romance Writers of America: https://www.rwa.org/

The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators:

http://www.scbwi.org/

The Mystery Writers of America: http://www.mysterywriters.org/

The Western Writers of America: http://www.westernwriters.org/

The American Academy of Poets: http://www.poets.org/

The International Thriller Writers, Inc.: http://www.internationalthrillerwriters.com/

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers: http://www.iamtw.org/

Association of Ghostwriters: https://associationofghostwriters.org/

Editorial Freelancers Association: https://www.the-efa.org/

The Alliance of Independent Authors: https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/

National Writers Union: https://nwu.org/

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

My Super-Secret Novelization

My next novelization comes out in less than a month. It hasn’t been officially announced yet (for reasons), nor are there any preorder links. That should soon change, and I’ll announce it far and wide on social media when it does. I’ll also write a blog post about it.

New Audio Releases

A couple of my books have audio releases soon!

Writing in the Dark (read by David Stifel), out 9/29/26

The World Turns Red (read by Andrew Mitakides), 10/6/26

Both are available for preorder in the usual places!

SCHEDULED APPEARANCES

AuthorCon VII. March 5-7. Williamsburg, Virginia.

StokerCon. June 10-13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE

Want to follow me on social media? Here’s where you can find me:

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

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