Frequently Asked Questions about the National Writers Union

Why should I join the National Writers Union? What's in it for me?

We give writers the resources we all need to make a living, especially contract advice and grievance assistance. We are an activist organization that believes in working together and sharing information. Our resources come from pooling information and speaking out collectively.

What will you give me?

We are not solely a service organization. We are an activist organization of writers who work together to get better wages and conditions for all of us. Members get access to valuable resources (contract advice, press pass, etc.) but we are a union, not a club. Our primary raison d'etre is advocacy and change.

Why should I join an organization that's open to both professionals and writers just breaking into the field?

In our experience, more established writers aren't treated less well when less experienced writers demand better treatment. We all gain. Since writers are constantly expanding into new writing fields, anyone could be a beginner at any turn in his or her career. When a journalist writes a novel, she's suddenly a beginner again.

My agent does my contract negotiating for me.

Agents' loyalties are to some degree divided: since they represent a number of clients, they may have to back down on some issues to protect their ongoing business relationships with publishers. Agents also get a cut of money an author gets but may not fully back the author on other issues. We advise members on author-agent agreements and have formulated contract language that even experienced agents have found useful. No one agent has the cumulative knowledge of our nearly 2000 members.

I write for pleasure. I consider myself an artist, not a worker.

Yes, some of us write for pleasure and don't depend on writing income to support ourselves. Yet our writing has value: since publishing is a profitable business, we deserve to be treated with respect and consistency and to receive a fair share of the proceeds. We all need to ask for what we deserve so that we don't become a society where only the wealthy can afford to write.

I belong to another writers' organization (Authors Guild, PEN, ASJA, etc.)

It makes sense to join the NWU as well as organizations that focus on the craft of writing, international censorship, a particular genre, or promoting literature. NWU is a grassroots, activist organization of writers in all genres who actively work together to advocate for better pay and treatment. We're also the only organization with a formal grievance process in place − and we've collected over $1.4 million for our members.

Why are you affiliated with the United Auto Workers?

Our affiliation with the UAW gives us the clout we need to speak up against conglomerates with deep pockets. And because we've been able to organize freelancers working out of their homes and for more than one contractor simultaneously, we're helping the labor movement improve conditions for this rapidly increasing sector of our country's workers.

Do writers really need a union? Things aren't so bad.

Working conditions for writers are worsening. Established writers are turning to us to help them deal with problems they've never faced before.

I can't get to meetings.

We communicate via email, websites, genre-specific listserves, enewsletters, as well as in person. We post workshop write-ups on our website. We have 16 chapters, some state-wide; others centered in a city but encompassing many who live at a distance. The Boston Chapter, for instance, has members living in mid-MA, Rhode Island, NH and Maine. The At-large Chapter has hundreds of members, including writers who live abroad. Wherever you live, joining the NWU allows you to feel less isolated.

Even "friendly" publishers can be unfair, sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes because their lawyers are the ones who create the contracts, and do so to their employer's advantage alone.

I don't use a contract; I work on a collegial basis.

Publishers (or other employers) and writers benefit from a contract or letter of agreement that makes clear what's been agreed on: such agreements clarify expectations and prevent misunderstandings. Many aspects of a publisher's standard contract are actually negotiable.

I'm a loner, not a joiner; that's how I get my writing done. If I have to be active, it will distract me.

We need a core of activist members but we don't need any particular member to be active. You can be as active or as inactive as you want.

Join online at www.nwu.org or download an application form to mail in. Explore our Boston Chapter website, www.nwuboston.org, which links to www.nwu.org

.