"You can't get me, I'm part of the Union..."
Wednesday I joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an active member. The Analog story was my third "qualifying" sale.
On the one hand, joining SFWA marks a kind of progress, sort of like "growing up". It means that I get certain privileges, and that my name can now be found on a list including writers I admire. SFWA provides advocacy for writers, warnings about unreliable or suspicious markets or agents, contract advice, and so forth. I like all of these things.
But on the other hand, there is a certain protectionist or trade-union strain in some of SFWA's public statements that bothers me. Especially I'm worried about its approach to copyright, notably orphaned copyrights. Still, within SFWA is a good place to address these issues, I suppose.
Meanwhile, I get to vote for the Nebula Awards. Any suggestions?