Why I Joined

The NWU has been pivotal to me in my freelance writing career. One member gave me a lead on a client that so far has generated $2,000 worth of earnings. Consulting with a member yielded accurate information on hourly rates, which to date has netted over $1,000. And the support and constructive feedback is priceless.
Heather Campbell, business writer

I joined the NWU when I got my first publishing contract and it read like the Dead Sea Scrolls. A contract advisor walked me through the minefields, explained what all the hieroglyphics meant, and advised me on what I should ask for. I was sold. Thanks to union activities I've become wise in the ways of the publishing world over the years. I am convinced that without the hard work, support, and dedication of so many union friends, I would be flipping burgers at McDonald's.
The late Al Blanchard, author of Murder at Walden Pond; past president of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America

The packet of NWU info arrived just when I was having a dispute over nonpayment with a major magazine, and I thought, well the union could obviously help where my agent couldn't. And it did.
Cecilia Tan, author of Sexcrime

It is damned hard to make a living (or even occasional lunch money) as a writer, and anyone who commits themselves to the craft deserves to be treated as a colleague, and with respect, no matter what their level of professional accomplishment.
Charles Coe, Picnic on the Moon

I joined the NWU originally because I had decided to write fiction seriously and regularly, and thought it would be a good idea to be a part of an organization dedicated to writers. I stayed not only because of what the NWU has to offer a writer toiling in isolation/exile but because writers and artists need a union¬óespecially in a time when even good, solid liberals are afraid to whisper the word. The media tyrants will not go down without a fight. Rock is cool, but the struggle is better (Amy Ray, Indigo Girls).
Tara Mantel, editor and fiction writer

One of the reasons I joined the NWU was because of the visible commitment I saw to representation of a diverse range of writers, including LGBT writers. But I wouldn't have stayed with the NWU if all it did was support LGBT concerns. I stay because the NWU supports the entirety of my writerly self as well as the principle of diversity.
Daniel M. Jaffe, fiction writer, editor, literary translator

When it comes to offering a supportive writing community, the NWU is the only game in town. There is no other organization in Boston where you can attend regular events and be part of a strong network of local writers who generously share their knowledge and experience. It is the best remedy I know for relieving the isolated writer syndrome.
Elaine Gottlieb, business writer and essayist

I have rarely signed a contract without modifying it, and my clients have rarely objected. Typically, the contract was created for some other purpose, then thoughtlessly applied to a writing or editing assignment. NWU taught me to be careful about contracts and not to accept terms that were obviously to my disadvantage. In teaching me, the union has also taught a number of editors who probably weren't trying to cheat anyone, but weren't trying not to, either. For me, NWU membership is worth the dues and more.
John Elder, business, academic, and journalist writer and editor; author of The Experience of Hermann Oberth

When we got into the Boston Globe fight, the NWU's UAW affiliation provided both financial resources and clout. If we are going to have a chance in the big battles for intellectual property rights and freelancers' rights to organize for a better deal, we need the clout of a union such as the UAW.
Elijah Wald, author of Josh White: Society Blues

I have been a member for at least 15 years. I have twice received excellent advice from grievance officers in dealing with problems with my publishers. The NWU book Guide to Freelance Rates and Standard Practices was useful in setting rates. The NWU agent database was invaluable in helping me learn which agents to avoid and which to approach. I have enjoyed the panel discussions and workshops that I have attended.
Carole G. Vogel, author of science and disaster books for children.

I heard about the National Writers Union agent database. As a former teachers' union member, I was attracted to the idea of the National Writers Union, not only to get access to the agent database, but because it seemed the right thing to do. I believe that people become empowered and protect themselves through getting together and working together. That is what the NWU does.
John Hodge, nonfiction writer

There is something as right as revolution about putting the word writer together with the word union. I feel lucky to be able to find a single home for these two magical concepts. Writers are very easy to pick off. We sit alone with our backs turned, after all. I came into the union via the Diversity Committee (where the best food is) and now I am knee-deep in building our community. I guess I am just lucky.
Sue Katz, wordsmith and rebel

I've been particularly grateful to the NWU for all of the counsel it has provided on protecting publication rights and for its contract reviews
Helen Marie Casey , columnist and poet, author of Fragrance Upon His Lips

I joined in 1982 at the first Boston NWU meeting at the Kennedy School at Harvard. I had been writing and editing for years in a solo capacity. It made absolutely perfect sense to me that the solitary scribes in the U.S. needed to combine their efforts into an honored tradition like a trade union. I believed that 23 years ago, and I believe it now.
Jim Stallings, PhD, anthropologist, editor & fiction writer

I was a signer of the original call for a writer's conference that led to the NWU. I signed and joined because I felt writers needed a political voice, and one historically aligned with the labor movement. But I have also had a lot of practical help over the years -- health insurance when I couldn't get it any other way, collaboration advice, and backing on the odd grievance. Although many of my jobs have been in editorial management -- the enemy -- I've always been a freelance writer at the same time, and always cared about copyright, kill fees, and the ability of freelancers to take concerted action on our own behalf.
Mark H. Zanger, author, The American History Cookbook, The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students