Question of the day

[james_davis_nicoll]

Should SFWA consider opening membership to writers of comic books and graphic novels?

[Wow, that was a dull way to frame that. Please add "Why or why not?]

Inspired by a discussion on one of the blogs that I read regularly, which I will not name for the moment so that people will not run over there and have their reactions influenced by the discussions that have already occured.

Comments

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

More SF publishers, such as Tor and Del Rey, are getting into the comics game. Why would an author who gets $5000 in advance from Tor be more of a pro and more in need of assistance than an author who gets a $25,000 advance from Tor for a comic script.

Really, the question is, "Do we need genre-based writer organizations?" and the answer is no. MWA, RWA, SFWA, HWA, International Thriller Writers, WWA, et al. should all combine into one group with different interest groups within to deal with awards and whatnot.

A zillion years ago, when there were 100 publishers in New York, the various groups made sense. Now that there are a small handful of publishers, with formerly existing genre publishers simply being a desk in an office somewhere right next to the desk that represents a former competitor, the orgs should merge as well in order to be a meaningful force.

[sclerotic-rings.livejournal.com]

Great idea, if you convince the competing egos to merge as well. Oh, former RWA members would just adore having Andrew Burt telling them that he's their newest representative.

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

Indeed, there are many more people eager to preside over various sets of ruins than there are ready to do the unsexy work of harmonization and unification, but after the current crop of orgs collapse into black holes of their own irrelevancy, there will be room for a more inclusive org to emerge.

[julesjones]

Oh god. I have enough nightmares about RWA without adding *that* one.

[amberite.livejournal.com]

That actually does suggest an answer to the question. SFWA's current membership requirements are based on a list of accepted publishers; it would make sense from there for a comics author who made sales to an SF publisher to join.

(If they wanted to.)

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

Indeed. There are legit complications (the artist for example and any ownership stakes he or she may have) and approved publishers also publish non-SF. Also, the approved publishers have many and varied programs, not just SF, but I don't think anyone actually does an aesthetic means-test on the content of the books. I suppose someone with a Tor/Forge mystery book would have no problem joining SFWA, for example. (Not that I think he or she should have a problem.)