1 Welcome to the Horror Writers Association! Formally founded in 1986, the Horror help keep the organization running Writers Association has grown smoothly or promote the genre. There to be the premiere international are also many levels of commitment, professional organization for horror so even if you can spare only a little literature. By becoming a member time new members are encouraged of the HWA you have joined a to get involved, meet your fellow long tradition of horror writers, members even if only online, and readers, publishers, editors, poets, become part of the HWA community. screenwriters, and many others working together to advance the genre This Guide highlights many of the key and to support fellow writers. benefits of membership and notes what may be found in the Members Only The HWA offers many resources area of the HWA website. It’s a great to help you plan and advance your place to get started. Follow the links writing career, to network with fellow to check out some of the resources and writers, and to promote your work. features online. Then make sure to Like many professional organizations, drop by the Message Board, introduce though, what you gain by being a yourself and get to know your member has as much to do with what colleagues. you contribute as the work done by the group. Volunteers are always needed. Don’t worry, most of us only bite after There are many ways to pitch in and dark…

James Chambers Chair HWA Membership Committee

PS: File a copy of this Guide somewhere where you can easily find it – you’ll find yourself referring to it regularly. If you have questions and can’t find an answer here check our Member Contacts.

Copyright © Horror Writers Association Version 1.8 June 2019 2

Before you Start – Your Website Log- The Horror Writers Association in Details has a storied history and is home to many of the most accomplished You have already set up your login and respected authors in the genre. details for the Members Only The group has evolved from a small section of our website,www.horror. gathering of horror writers to a org, which you will need to access major genre organization. Check many of the benefits listed in this out a short history at our About Us Guide. These are the login details webpage. you created for Wild Apricot, which you can use to view and update your membership account information. 2. Industry News and Information If you have difficulty accessing your Wild Apricot account or Members The HWA is a great place to keep up Only area at any point, simply email with what’s happening in the horror [email protected] for assistance. field. Several member resources offer information about markets, HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION— events, publishing news, trends, MEMBER BENEFITS member sales and publications, 1. About the HWA as well as advice and tips on the 2. Industry News and Information business and craft of horror writing. 3. New Release Form HWA publications are open to all 4. Networking and Mentoring members to submit announcements 5. The Bram Stoker Awards® or articles. 6. Writer’s Resources 7. Scholarships The HWA Newsletter: Published 8. Other Member Benefits monthly, the official newsletter 9. Volunteer Opportunities of the HWA is full of news of 10. Social Media genre events and occurrences, market information, publication 1. About the HWA announcements, writing advice, and much more. You will receive an email about the 1st of each month with a hyperlink to the new issue. Back issues are also posted and archived on the website. 3

The Editor, Kathy Ptacek is always during the month of October. HWA looking for new and interesting also offers a blog dedicated to articles. If you would like to pitch Young Adult Horror and another for something to her please email Poetry. [email protected] . 3. New Release Form The HWA Internet Mailer: The Internet Mailer (fondly known as You can submit your upcoming the IM) is published about the 15th books for automatic publication on of each month and includes time- the HWA blog via the New Release sensitive announcements such as Form. market news, signings, readings, and other member news. Other The beauty of using this form is special IMs are sent out on an that it also submits the relevant as-needed basis. information about your new book to the HWA Newsletter! You may opt in or out of receiving the Internet Mailer in your profile at https://hwa46.wildapricot.org/. Look for the “Subscribe to HWA Emails” field at the bottom of the Private Information section.

If you have material for the Internet Mailer send it to: [email protected]

The www.horror.org official blog of the HWA is the place to find the most up-to-date information on upcoming events and member perks. Members may post announcements about their upcoming work and submit articles for publication. It is also the home of the HWA’s annual online Halloween Haunts event, celebrating horror writing daily 4

4. Networking and Mentoring consideration before using the Directory for that purpose. The Message Board: You can search the Directory in The HWA Message Board is a forum any number of ways (including for members to meet online, share states, countries, zip codes and so information, and discuss HWA on) by using the Advanced Search business, industry and market function. information, the horror genre, Importantly, you can use your Wild and anything else you’d like to Apricot login credentials to change communicate about. It is also a your personal information at any forum for official announcements, time—this includes addresses, calls for volunteers, offering your email addresses, etc. We strongly work for Bram Stoker Award encourage you to keep your consideration and a great place to information up to date, so you don’t seek advice. miss any benefits of membership.

Membership Directory: Membership Mentoring Program: HWA’s in the HWA gives you access to Mentor Program offers new writers contact information for a veritable a personal, one-on-one experience horde of the horror writers, editors, with a professional writer, while agents, and others associated with established writers get a chance to the genre, who are members of the pay it forward by offering a helping Association. hand to another writer. Every year, the Program is divided into two four-month sessions: January Use the Directory wisely - Please through April, and June through take great care in following the September; to reserve your spot protocol: Most of us dislike spam, so in the next session, please contact please employ the Golden Rule when the Program Coordinator Brian at using this Directory. If you would [email protected] like to make an announcement to HWA members, consider using Chapters: We have a number of the HWA Internet Mailer or doing active regional chapters in place, a snail-mailing instead. NEVER with more being added all the time. INCLUDE ANYONE WITH THE NO Chapters provide a great way to MASS MAILINGS PLEASE TAG meet other members face to face and AFTER THEIR ENTRY. to get involved with events in your Also, see the Protocol for promoting area. Please check http://horror. your work for Bram Stoker Award org/members-only/2017/03/11/ 5 chapters/ and use the links to membership. Active and Lifetime contact your nearest chapter. Members may serve on the Award Juries and vote on the Final Ballot. 5. The Bram Stoker Awards® There is extensive protocol around the Bram Stoker Awards and how Each year since 1987, the Horror you may participate as a member, Writers Association has presented and as a writer. The main page to the iconic Bram Stoker Awards® for read about the protocol and find out Superior Achievement in various about such things as the Rules and categories of horror writing. Any to see lists of past winners is HERE. work of Horror or Dark Fiction first published in the English language It is worth your while to carefully may be considered for an Award study the protocol for during the year of its publication. Submitting your own Work for Bram Stoker Award consideration. Please The Bram Stoker Award categories take great care to comply, as failure are Novel, First Novel, Long to do so can offend other members Fiction, Short Fiction, Anthology, and in extreme circumstances Young Adult Novel, Fiction make your work ineligible for Collection, Non-Fiction, Graphic consideration. Novel, Screenplay, and Poetry. StokerCon: The Bram Stoker The Bram Stoker Awards ceremony Awards are presented at HWA’s is the major event of the HWA’s StokerCon, held in a different city year, an opportunity not only to each year. Each StokerCon includes recognize the achievements of our an exciting roster of Guests (in fellow writers but to celebrate 2016 and 2017, guests included the vitality of the genre. All R. L. Stine, George R. R. Martin, HWA members are permitted to Stephen Jones, Ellen Datlow, Elizabeth Hand, Chuck Wendig, recommend works to be considered and more), workshops and special for the Bram Stoker Awards; presentations designed to help this is a notable feature of your writers at all levels advance their careers, and the gala presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards. HWA members may purchase StokerCon memberships for discounted rates. For details on upcoming StokerCon events and to register, please visit http://www.stokercon.org . 6

Use of the Term “Bram Stoker Agents: We also have available a Award®” or “Bram Stoker Awards®”: directory of agents interested in HWA holds the Registered horror or who represent one or more Trademark for the terms Bram HWA members. Note that this is a Stoker Award and Bram Stoker very fluid market and some entries Awards. When referring to the may be outdated. Awards in your correspondence, blogs, Facebook posts and any other Contracts: Resources to help written form please try to use the members understand and negotiate Registered Trademark symbol - ®. contracts are available in the The simple protocol is to use the ® in contract reference section: any headline; and the first time the term appears in any article or post. Reviewers and Booksellers: It is not required to use the ® when A directory of reviewers you subsequently use the term in provides quick reference to the same article or post. print publications, websites, and independent book reviewers 6. Writer’s Resources who review horror. A database of Bookstores that favor our genre may Markets: The HWA provides links be found at the same link. to several websites that maintain active directories of markets for Libraries: We also have a horror writing. library database, listing those who are known to favor horror. This may Submissions to HWA Anthologies: be useful for pitching your book for From time to time we publish our them to acquire, or to attend and own anthologies, using well known give readings. Please note that Editors and major publishing contact information at libraries houses. HWA members are changes frequently and you may invited to submit stories for these encounter information that is anthologies, and all contributors are out of date or contain broken links. paid professional rates. Watch out for calls for submissions, which will Events: If you have a horror- be in our Internet Mailers. writing-related reading, convention, workshop or other Here is a list of our event coming up let us know and Past Anthologies. we’ll add it to our public event calendar. 7

Book Expo America/Literary 7. Scholarships Festivals, Conventions and similar Events: Every year HWA has a The Horror Writers Association booth at North America’s largest (HWA) maintains multiple annual book fair – Book Expo America. We scholarships: also have booths at such events at the Printers Row Literary Festival • The Mary Wollstonecraft in Chicago, the the LA Times Shelley Scholarship, open to female Festival of Books and the New York writers. Comic Con, and Festival of Fear in Toronto. We encourage members • The Horror Writers to run booths at their local events. Association Scholarship, open to all Please contact the individual writers. organizer for more information. • The Rocky Wood Memorial If you know of one and are Nonfiction Scholarship, open to interested we may be able to nonfiction authors and scholars. subsidize or pay for the costs and provide promotional material. • The Dark Poets Scholarship, Contact the Conference Committee open to poets. about your event. • The Scholarship From Hell, We have large membership which provides transportation to representation at most horror and accommodation at StokerCon, conventions and many literary with a full membership that conventions. Look out for your provides access to all workshops fellow members or advertise in the and special presentations offered IM or on the Message Board for during the event. others who are attending so you can meet up with them. All Scholarships are designed to assist in the professional Banners and Buttons: Promote your development of horror writers and membership of the HWA proudly poets. Scholarship deadlines and with banners and buttons you may announcements vary throughout use on your website, blog and other the year. Please visit http://www. social media. horrorscholarships.com for current updates. A Scholarship Committee will choose the winners, who will be 8 announced around March 15 of each to be determined from time to year. Each Scholarship may be spent time by the Board.” The Board’s on approved writing education over current policy is that we will only the two years following the granting waive Dues for one year at a time. of the scholarship. For more If you feel you qualify you should information, please visit write to [email protected] . All http://www.horrorscholarships. applications are treated in strict com . confidence.

8. Other Member Benefits Grievance Committee: Where Members have a grievance over Hardship Fund: The Association issues such as plagiarism, with maintains a Hardship Fund a publisher over a contractual for when long term members, issue, or a similar matter; and that particularly those who have grievance has not been resolved served the HWA or the genre, fall after the member has made upon hard times. Tax deductible reasonable endeavors, the Member donations may be made to this may approach the HWA Grievance fund via PayPal to our account – Committee. The Committee will [email protected] or by posting a consider the facts and endeavor check to: to assist the Member in getting a satisfactory resolution. If you Horror Writers Association have such a matter and require PO Box 56687 assistance you should write to the Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 Chair of the Grievance Committee, currently via [email protected] Members wishing to avail themselves of the Fund should first Discounts: The HWA provides a contact [email protected] . All program of discounts for members. applications are treated in strict confidence. Merchandise: You will find HWA merchandise online. Waiving Dues: The ByLaws allow the HWA Board to waive Dues: A percentage of sales from these “The Board may by unanimous items comes back to the HWA. vote waive the payment of dues of any Member for the sole reason of financial hardship and for a period 9

9. Volunteer Opportunities YouTube: We have our own YouTube channel, which includes The HWA is a largely volunteer material such as the full Bram run organization and there is Stoker Awards presentations always plenty to do to keep the for recent years as well as many HWA running smoothly. Currently interviews with horror authors and around 160 members volunteer and editors, roundtable discussions, and serve the Association! other items. Volunteering is a great way to make friends, network, and learn 11. Last Things the ins and outs of the business of horror writing. Volunteers Keep your details up to date: If are needed for many different you change your email address or functions: administering the HWA, other contact details please keep record-keeping, qualifying Bram us informed. If we don’t have your Stoker Award recommendations, current email address we will be coordinating committees, website unable to contact you with the maintenance and management Newsletter, the Internet Mailer, and so on. Those interested in Ballots, Bram Stoker Award lending a helping hand should information and Dues Renewals. contact the President (president@ Use this form to update your details. horror.org) to be directed to an Updating your information is quick appropriate volunteer opportunity, and easy. or should check out current calls for volunteers on the message board. Dues Renewal: Dues are annual and are based on calendar years. You Other calls for volunteers are issued will receive a Renewal Notice in in the Internet Mailer. November each year, covering you for the following year. We appreciate 10. Social Media it if you can renew at the earliest possible time, as this reduces the HWA maintains a number of social administrative load in chasing media outlets: members who have not renewed. Any member who has not renewed Facebook by January 31 is no longer in good Twitter standing and those who do not LinkedIn: Visit ‘Horror Writers renew by March 1 are automatically Association’ deleted from the membership rolls 10 and must re-apply to re-join. You may also renew online here.

Questions?

If you’ve made it here and still have questions please consult the Contacts page and reach out to the appropriate person.

If you can’t determine the right person to contact you can always write to [email protected] . About the HWA, 2 Facebook, 6, 9 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship, 7 advice, 2, 4 Grievance Committee, 8 The Rocky Wood Memorial announcements, 2, 4 Halloween Haunts, 3 Nonfiction Scholarship, 7 banners and buttons, for Hardship Fund, 8 The Scholarship From Hell, websites, 7 7 horror genre, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 blog, 3, 4, 9 signings, 3, 7 Horror Writers Association, Bram Stoker Awards, 3, 4, 5, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 Social Media, 9 6, 9 HWA Anthologies StokerCon, 5 ballot, 5 past anthologies, 6 trends, 2 banquet, 5, 6 submissions, 6 Twitter, 9 categories, 5 HWA Internet Mailer, 3 Volunteer Opportunities, 8, 9 ceremony, 5 HWA Mentoring Program, 4 waiving of dues, 8 juries, 5 HWA merchandise, 8 World Horror Convention, 5, protocol, 4, 5, 6 6, 7, 9 HWA Message Board, 1, 4, 7, 9 recommendations, 5 Writer’s Resources, 6, 7 HWA Newsletter, 2, 3 rules, 5 HWA, short history of, 2 YouTube, 9 submitting your work, 5 Industry News and use of term, 6 Information, 3 Weekend, 5, 6 LinkedIn, 9 Chapters, 5 market information, 2, 4 contracts, resources, 6 markets, 2, 3, 6 conventions and festivals, 7 member discounts, 8 Book Expo America, 7 member sales, 2 Printers Row Literary Membership Directory, 4 Festival, Chicago, 7 etiquette, 4 Street Wise, Toronto, 7 Networking and Mentoring, 4 databases New Release Form, 4 booksellers, 6 Other Member Benefits, 8 libraries, 6 publishing news, 2 directories readings, 3, 6 agents, 6 Scholarships, 7 reviewers, 6 Dark Poetry Scholarship, 7 dues renewal, 9 Horror Writers Association events, 2, 6, 7 Scholarship, 7