Achievement Unlocked: SFWA Membership

[rowyn]

SFWA stands for "Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America"*. It's a professional writer's association: members have to qualify. For a long time, the qualifications were approximately "sold three short stories to qualifying markets" (broadly speaking, I believe that means "ones that pay at least $0.05 per word", though it's more arcane than that) or "sold at least one novel for a professional advance" (presently defined as $3000). Recently, courtesy of the efforts of haikujagur and others, SFWA updated the criteria to include "or received $3000 in royalties in the first year of publication of a book", so that the growing number of indie-published authors would have a path to membership, and to keep SFWA relevant in a changing world.

A Rational Arrangement qualified me for membership, which is on the long list of things RA has done that I never expected it to. (Nice job, book! Keep up the good work.)

I applied for membership, half-expecting that it would turn out I somehow misunderstood the self-pub criterion. But no, they let me in! I am an actual member of SFWA. Just as if I were a real author!

There are various perks to being a member; the ones most relevant to me are the quarterly Bulletin, which includes honey badger cartoons by Ursula Vernon and MCA Hogarth, and the members-only forum, which always sounds neat when I hear people talking about it.

I think part of me thought that joining would lessen the imposter-syndrome voice in my head, but this was clearly ridiculous. I am merely upgrading the quality of the identity I'm falsely assuming. Thanks, voice. You're very annoying.

Anyway, inner voices aside, this is a Cool Thing and joining SFWA has been on my list of life goals for many years. So: Yay! I did it! \o/

* Yes, I know there's not enough Fs for that to be the right acronym. I am pretty sure the "& Fantasy" was added later. They've been around for a while.

Comments

*ding!*

[medicmsh.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on unlocking this achievement! Well done & awesome & WOOT (&annoying impostor-syndrome Voice can go pound sand while being stung by flounderbees)! WOOHOO! :-)

RE: *ding!*

[rowyn]

Thanks! Also, that is a good use of flounderbees. I'm just sayin'. n_n

Congratulations!!

[vik_thor]

Very Many CONGRATULATIONS!!!

RE: Congratulations!!

[rowyn]

Thanks! <3

[terrana.livejournal.com]

Just as if I were a real author!

Sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but you are a real author. That's what you get for publishing a book.

Though I'd been calling you one for quite a while before you published. Being acquainted with a "real author" is actually something of a point of pride for me.

[rowyn]

You know Bard! Bard is a much more Real Author than I am. n_n

[duane-kc.livejournal.com]

Congratulations. I look forward to seeing you accept your Hugo at the Worldcon in KC next year :)

[rowyn]

Be sure and nominate RA! I'm counting on you! :D

[gnibbles.livejournal.com]

Woooo congratulations! :D :D :D

[rowyn]

Thanks! *cat snuggles*

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Now I'm imagining your false author ID card that you take out when the guards come to audit your status.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

She'll whip out her Poetic License, of course. ;)

[rowyn]

I think mine got revoked at some point. c_c

[rowyn]

I don't think the SFWA issues me a membership card, even. I can't be a card-carrying member! How will I prove I belong?

Maybe they teach the secret handshake on the forum. -_-

PAARRRRTYYYYY

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

*does a little dance*

*Nik and his lovers make a little love*

*everyone gets down tonight*

*more or less*

RE: PAARRRRTYYYYY

[rowyn]

*giggles and disco-dances*

[tagryn]

Congrats! It's very well deserved, RA is fantastic!

[rowyn]

Thanks! I'm glad people have been enjoying it. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry I'm not helping you with that sfwa membership qualification, but I am enjoying the serialization. Among other things it means I don't stay up 3/4 of the night blasting through in a single sitting.

[rowyn]

That's fine too! I wouldn't run the serial if I didn't want people to read it. <3

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[rowyn]

Thanks! I love that icon. :)

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The icon is what Tod drew when I asked him for an icon that has the same feeling as Dancing Snoopy. I was quite delighted. It's perfect!

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Awwww yeah!

-TG

[archangelbeth]

Grats here, too! Now go post on the Introduce Yourself forum so I can make a tab for ya and welcome you there, too! O:D

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! :)

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

Hooray!

[angiereedgarner.livejournal.com]

New to your lj-- read ARA last weekend and much enjoyed it, and then found you from there. Congrats for milestone SFWA membership!