Membership

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry and related fields of writing are represented by members of California Writers Club branches.

There are two categories of membership, active and associate. Both active and associate members are eligible to sit on the central board of directors and enjoy full benefits and discounts offered by the state organization.

Active membership is accorded those writers whose work is in print and meets some minimum criteria. There are no limits to the number of active members in any branch.

Writers who are not yet published but can show work in progress may be given associate membership. In any branch, the number of associate members must not exceed active.

Supporting membership is for people who are interested in the writing craft but either do not meet the minimum qualifications or must wait for an opening in the associate ranks.

Qualifications: Active Membership

Fiction, Nonfiction or Poetry
Have a book published by a publisher of standing within the past ten years or have a book currently under contract; or publication or acceptance within the past three years of three stories in a periodical or periodicals of general circulation.

Photojournalist
Generally the same as for fiction, nonfiction or poetry, except including material submitted for consideration should contain photographs and text of evident quality.

Playwrights
A writer of stage plays, screenplays, radio plays, television plays, or videos, must have had a publication, performance, production, or production in development within the past 10 years.

Literary Occupations
Editors, feature writers, columnists or regular bylined reporters may be considered eligible for membership, provided the work is the writer's professional occupation.

Self Publishers or Electronic Publishers, whose material has been published under their own imprint, will be judged at the discretion of the branch accreditation committee. The material will be judged on: Professional presentation of writing style and graphics, and plans of distribution.

Associate Membership
Non-writing literary professionals, including agents, booksellers, publishers, producers, directors and book illustrators.

Fees and Dues
The annual membership fee is $45 with a one-time $20 initiation fee for active and associate members.

For more information about membership in California's most prestigious club for writers, go to the Branches list within this site and click on the link for the branch nearest you to visit their website.