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 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 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 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 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 Stoker 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.

As you review your publications, remember to check the longer works against our approved publisher list. If the house does not appear there, it will not meet our standards as a pubishing credit.

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, 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	$45	$45	$25	$25	Free
Individual Membership	$65	$50	$35	$20	Free
Corporate Membership	$110	$95	$80	$65	Free
Family Membership	$85	$70	$55	$40	Free

3. Fill Out and Send the Application Form with Your Payment

• TO APPLY ONLINE, simply click here. HWA has a secure server, so your credit card information is safe. The first step is to fill out our online application form. Be sure to provide a detailed list of your qualifications, as even Affiliate-level membership in HWA requires at least one small sale. When you have finished filling out the form, you'll be asked to pay a non-refundable $5 application fee. If you are accepted for membership, this fee will be credited toward your membership fee. Shortly after filing your application and application fee, you will be contacted by HWA's Membership Chair with further instructions about where to send your credential verifications and what types of evidence are required..
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• 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 your check, money order, or credit card instructions and 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 have arrangements in place for European members to pay dues in pounds sterling. Current standard membership dues are 38 pounds a year, but that's subject to 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.

We will review your application carefully and notify you as to whether you have qualified or not. If you do not qualify, we will refund all but $5 of your application fee. The $5 covers our adminstrative costs.

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 Application Form.
Online form