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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44558
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44558
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

It depends on the specific organization. The one I know best is the SFWA -- the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. They're pretty amazing; so they're a great example of what benefits a _good_ writers' organization might have to offer:

Some of the things the SFWA does are:

- Runs an Emergency Medical Fund. Writers don't get much in the way of medical insurance.
- Regularly collects and publishes important resources for writers, like [Writers Beware](https://accrispin.blogspot.com/) (information on avoiding publishing scams and empty promises) and its [Contract Committee](https://www.sfwa.org/member-links/committees/contracts-committee/) (examples of contracts).
- Runs the well-respected Nebula Awards, and it's only members who get to nominate and vote.

Additionally, the SFWA has a professional bar for joining. This means that if you _have_ cleared the bar, the simple note that you're an SFWA member is a nontrivial marker of achievement and professionalism. _And_, since it's grown into a significant and influential marker -- the SFWA has some actual influence on what counts as "fair" or "professional" payment for writing work; the rates they choose as "pro" is pretty much what the genre industry goes by.

There's more than this -- and this is all for just the one organization. Different guilds and groups and organizations will, obviously, offer different things. Some will benefit you professionally; some socially; others are good for the field at large. Some are entirely worthless. But the good ones? Are pretty darn good.

Original score: 5