If you’re not a member of RWA, Romance Writer’s Association, consider joining. In addition to a wealth of resources, information and support for aspiring romance writers there are also local chapters and online chapters you can join. The support you receive from your fellow RWA members is beyond measure.
When you sign up there are a few different choices for membership. The options include:
- General – General membership is open to anyone pursuing a romance writing career. Membership is $110.
- Associate – “An Associate member is either a non-writer who works in the publishing industry, a writer pursuing a writing career in something other than romance fiction, or a writer who is seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction but who also works as an editor or reader for a publisher or agent, and whose responsibilities in any way affect whether or not a submitting writer’s work is accepted or rejected by that publisher or agent.”
- Affiliate – This is a new membership program and is available to booksellers and librarians. You don’t have voting rights however it only costs $10 and they provide you with a number of tools and resources to promote and sell romance.
Most likely you’ll sign up for a general membership. As a general member you can also choose to apply for PAN or PRO membership. Here’s the difference in a nutshell:
PAN is for published authors. It stands for Published Authors Network. It’s designed to help writers work together to promote the interests of romance writers and the romance publishing industry.
PRO is for writers actively seeking publication. If you’ve submitted a completed manuscript to an agent or editor within the past year you qualify for a PRO membership. The benefits of PRO include information and support about the business side of being a romance writer. There are many decisions to make and RWA can help guide you to make the right choices for your romance writing career.
As the annual conference is approaching and you’re now able to register, consider joining RWA and/or applying for PRO membership.
Happy Writing!
I was a member for a year and I really found no benefit to it.
Because the chapter meetings were a long way away from where I live (Detroit) – they didn’t hold meetings in the city. they held meetings about a twenty to thirty minute drive away at 630 on a weeknight which meant i didn’t get home until about ten.
On top of that, i found it difficult to find any resources and had to join more subclubs to get other things which meant an additional amount of money.
maybe i didnt try hard enough. maybe they should offer mentors for new members to usher them in to help them navigate the large organization
I can definitely understand that there are chapter differences. I couldn’t find time to visit my local chapter in Denver either. However, I have found great support and resources with Passionate Ink and the RWA Online chapter.
What resources would you recommend for romance writers interested in self publishing? I’d love to have your insight on the subject!
Thanks!