Yup, I drank the Koolaid.
To be fair, I drank it a long time ago.
When I was a kid, my mother was a member of the Science Fiction Book Club. We had these built-in bookshelves in the spare room that were half full of science fiction hardcovers by many of the Golden Age and later SFF greats – Tolkien, McCaffrey, Clarke, Asimov, LeGuin and many more.
One thing I learned early on – all these folks were members of a mysterious organization called SFWA (pronounced (Siffwah).
I knew at the age of eleven, when I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time, that I wanted to be a writer, and I wanted to be a member of SFWA.
What SFWA Was
From the SFWA.org website:
On January 15, 1965, Damon Knight, a well-known author, critic, and co-founder of the Milford Conference writer’s workshop, sent an announcement by US Mail to every professional science fiction writer he could locate, asking for $3 from anyone who wanted more of the same. Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) was born.
It was not the first attempt to create an organization of American professional science fiction authors, and there were genre writer precursors. In the 1930s, The American Fiction Guild was formed to help pulp writers with their business concerns; it’s mainly remembered now because L. Ron Hubbard was president of its NY chapter. Mystery Writers of America, arguably a model for some aspects of SFWA, had been established in 1945. MWA’s membership policy was not one of those aspects, however.
Writing in the 10th-anniversary issue of the SFWA Bulletin, SFWA’s primary publication through most of its existence, Knight talks about attending a meeting of the MWA and realizing that most of the attendees were not writers: “I knew that about 70 percent of that audience was composed of hangers-on, relatives, friends, and friends of friends. And I made up my mind that if I ever did start SFWA, it would not be like that.” (Figure 1.)
From the beginning, SFWA was an organization for professional writers, dedicated to celebrating science fiction and helping writers improve their craft.
Alongside this was born the Nebula Awards, one of SFF’s most prestigious honors (entering its 62nd year in 2027).
SFWA quickly became a Who’s Who of sci-fi authors. Originally the Science Fiction Writers of America, it added Fantasy as a genre in 1991, and became the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (still SFWA). In 2022 it would broaden its reach again to recognize that it had turned into a truly international organization, becoming the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (once again, still SFWA).
Over time, the membership grew and became more diverse, and in March, 2015, it allowed independently published authors to begin to join.
Why This Matters
Originally, the barrier to entry was rather steep for indie authors. To join as an associate member, you had to have made at least three short story sales to magazines at the professional rate (places like Asimov’s, Astounding, Clarkesworld, etc). Even more difficult, for the full membership level (conferring nebula voting rights) you needed to show at least $3000 in sales in a single year, a very steep mountain to climb for many authors.
As more and more authors have moved to hybrid (trad and indie publishing) or started as independently published, SFWA has responded by making it easier than ever to join. You can now become an associate member if you can show $100 in SFF sales over your lifetime to date, and a full member with just $1000 total sales. And a new membership category is in the works (hopefully to launch in 2027). The Aspiring Author level will allow authors who have not yet met the existing requirements to become a part of SFWA.
I’m really excited about this latest step, because it completes SFWA’s transition from a gatekeeping organization created to support professional authors of a certain level to a much more open support network that covers the entire lifecycle of the writer, with resources for everyone from beginning authors through their mid-careers and when they have reached their height. And even beyond – SFWA manages a database of writer estates for authors who are no longer with us.
I became a member around 2017, when I made a few qualifying magazine sales, and soon became a full SFWA member when I had a BookBub that generated enough income to propel me to voting member.
Now I’m the SFWA Events Coordinator, working on the organizations Nebula Awards weekend in early June and online events throughout the year.
In 2025, SFWA transitioned from mostly part-time employees to a full-time professional team, and our Communications lead Maggie is about to launch a whole new SFWA website as an immersive (and educational in the best way) experience.
So that’s my pitch. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a SFWA member and didn’t think you would qualify, you probably do (or will soon). You can submit a member application here.
And if you want to join me at a great developmental writer con – it’s in downtown Seattle next year! – sign up now (price goes up on January 1st) here. There will be two days of panels and workshops, the Nebulas ceremony, activities out in the community, an onsite games experience, and much more.
There’s also a virtual version that will have more programming specifically tailored for an online audience.
If you’ve ever been to the Sacramento Book Festival, you know I can throw a great event! Join me at SFWA, and come hang out with me at the Nebs!