Applying for Membership
To apply for HWA Membership, just follow the three steps
below:
1. Determine Your Membership Category
SUPPORTING
Supporting membership in HWA is open to all those who are interested in horror; you do not need to meet any requirements. As an HWA Supporting Member, you may make recommendations for the Bram Stoker Awards, and you will receive other benefits available only to members.
AFFILIATE
If you would like to join HWA as a writer, but have sold only one or two short works, you might qualify for Affiliate membership. To determine whether you
meet HWA's Affiliate standards, please review our Membership Regulations. You may also wish to
e-mail our Membership
Chairman with specific questions. You will probably need to
provide proof of sales in the form of photocopied contracts, check
stubs, editorial correspondence, or copyright pages. As an HWA
Affiliate Member, you may make recommendations for the Bram Stoker
Awards, and will enjoy all the other benefits of membership except
the right to run for office (other than Affiliate/Associate
Trustee) or vote in elections or on Bram Stoker ballots.
ASSOCIATE
If you are a non-writing horror professional (such as a bookseller,
agent, illustrator, editor, teacher, or librarian), you should
apply for Associate membership. You will need to supply convincing
evidence of your professional affiliation in the form of a
letterhead, company brochure, web site URL, etc. Associate members
may make recommendations for the Bram Stoker Awards, and enjoy all the
other benefits of membership except the right to run for office
(other than Affiliate/Associate Trustee) or vote in elections or on
Bram Stoker Award ballots.
ACADEMIC
If you are working as an academic and have an academic interest in the field of horror or dark literature you may apply for Academic membership. You will need to provide documentation of your research, teaching, writing, or other appropriate activities within the genre. This may include work published in academic journals, a class syllabus, lecture schedule, or similar materials. Academic members may make recommendations for the Bram Stoker Awards, and enjoy all the other benefits of membership except the right to run for office (other than Affiliate/Associate Trustee) or vote in elections or on Bram Stoker Award ballots.
ACTIVE
If you are an established professional writer, you should apply for Active membership. Active members enjoy all benefits of membership, including full voting privileges. To determine whether you meet HWA's standards for professional writing, please review our Membership Regulations. You may also wish to e-mail our Membership Chairman with specific questions. You may need to provide proof of sales in the form of photocopied contracts, check stubs, editorial correspondence, or copyright pages.
To qualify for HWA membership on the basis of royalties when no advance was received, you must provide documentation of royalties paid by a publisher that meet the sales thresholds stated in the bylaws. Royalties must be for a single work, except in those cases where the bylaws require multiple works, such as for non-fiction articles, poems, and short stories. Royalties, as defined in this context, do not include money earned by an author's direct sale of books. Documentation must clearly show the title of your work, your publisher, and the royalties your book has generated. Acceptable documentation shall include:
- a royalty statement from your publisher; or
- proof of payment (e.g. a scan of a check) and an e-mail or letter from your publisher confirming the total royalties paid
Current members who wish to upgrade should send documentation to the Membership Committee Chairman at membership@horror.org with the subject heading: Membership Upgrade Royalties Documentation.
HWA reserves the right to withhold membership from any
individual or firm whose business practices do not meet generally
recognized industry standards for ethical conduct.
2. Choose a Membership Type and Dues Rate
HWA offers three types of memberships. They are:
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS
Dues for individual Affiliate, Associate, Academic, and Active members are $65.00 per year; members joining at these levels receive one listing in the directory and one userID for access to HWA's Members Only website. Dues for Supporting members are $45.00 per year; Supporting members receive one userID for limited access to HWA's Members Only website.
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIPS
Corporate members receive one Directory entry (status is
automatically "Associate") and up to 10 userIDs for access to HWA's
Members Only website. All official street mail is sent to a single
specified address. Dues for businesses are $110.00 per year.
FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS
Family membership holders (up to three members of a family, whose
status will vary according to their individual qualifications) each
receive separate listings in the Directory and separate userIDs for
access to the HWA Members Only website. All official street mail is
sent to a single specified address. Dues for families $85.00 per
year.
HWA's dues year is the same as the calendar year, running from
January 1 through December 31. If you join after March 31st, your
dues will be prorated by a specific amount, depending on the date
of your application. However, prorating applies only to
individuals, businesses, and families who have not been members of
HWA at any time in the previous two years. The proration schedule
is as follows:
| Membership Type |
Jan 1 -
Mar 31 |
Apr 1 -
Jun 30 |
Jul 1 -
Sep 30 |
Oct 1 -
Nov 30 |
Dec 1 -
Dec 31 |
| Supporting Membership |
$48 |
$47 |
$27 |
$21 |
Free when paying the following year's membership |
| Individual Membership |
$69 |
$53 |
$37 |
$21 |
Free when paying the following year's membership |
| Corporate Membership |
$115 |
$99 |
$83 |
$66 |
Free when paying the following year's membership |
| Family Membership |
$89 |
$73 |
$57 |
$41 |
Free when paying the following year's membership |
3. Fill Out and Send the Application Form
- TO APPLY ONLINE, click here.
- TO APPLY BY
MAIL, download the PDF
application form and print it (you'll
need Adobe Reader), or use your browser's "Print" function to print out
the HTML application form.
Fill out your hardcopy of the application
form and mail it with any attached
verification papers to:
HWA Membership
244 5th Ave., Suite 2767
New York, NY 10001
U.S.A.
Please allow at least two weeks for response to applications sent to this address. We will review your application carefully and notify you as to
whether you have qualified or not.
Once your membership is approved, you will be asked to pay the annual dues. Your membership is not active until your dues are paid.
We have arrangements in place for European members to pay dues
in pounds sterling. Current standard membership dues can change at any time as exchange rates
shift. E-mail our Treasurer for details. Do not
send payment in sterling to any U.S. address.
If you have further questions, feel free to e-mail us at
hwa@horror.org. Thank you for
your interest in HWA. We look forward to welcoming you into our
ranks!
Proceed to the Online Application Form
