My SFWA Dilemma

[blairmacg]

I've a decision to make-multiple decisions, in truth-about where and when I want to devote my non-writing energies as a professional writer. It might seem easy, choosing to join or not join SFWA. It would indeed be so if I'd opted against self-publishing, if I didn't tend to plow into organizational upheavals, if I didn't have strong opinions, and

Comments

[blairmacg]

I think it's perfectly valid for SFWA to institute membership eligibility standards. I'd prefer those standards be on equal footing with those for trade-published writers. (Forex, if a sale needs a $2000 advance to qualify, should a self-published work be required to show $10000 in sales to qualify? I'd say no.)

What they shouldn't do--nor do I think they'd want to do--is get into the business of evaluating who is putting out "quality" work, as measured by subjective standards.

Do I think my craft is better than others? Yes. Do some of those others sell more than I do? Yes. Would I have a problem with them qualifying for membership ahead of me, based on sales? Nope. It's about connecting with readers. If someone else connects better than I do, more power to 'em.

(And I didn't find the question at all disrespectful. :)

On the other hand, SFWA would do well to examine the parameters for associate membership, too. SFWA's own website says it has less to offer to the established writer (which is not the best statement to have there methinks). Growing a membership should begin with beginners.

[queenoftheskies]

Whew. I was worried the question sounded inappropriate.

I sure wouldn't want to be the one to determine eliigibility requirements and I could see that it could be a time-consuming process to set requirements that would be fair to all.

[blairmacg]

I think it could be simple:
A sale to a qualifying market must be for a minimum advance of $2000. So... require a self-published title of over 20K to hit $2000 of author income (as opposed to sales) in twelve months, or three self-published titles of less than 20K to hit whatever the five-cents-a-word would come out to be. Ta-da! :)