Better Know A Media Org: AIW

We’ve compiled as many professional organizations as we can find in all the disciplines that mediabistro visitors work in, and will be featuring one a day til we run out. We’re going in alphabetical order so nobody feels slighted, but if we skipped your favorite group by mistake, please let us know.

Today: American Independent Writers (AIW; formerly Washington Independent Writers/WIW)

About the organization:

American Independent Writers (AIW) was established in 1975 by a group of Washington writers to promote the mutual interests of freelance writers.
AIW members write and edit fiction and non-fiction. Some specialize in magazine or newspaper writing, while others write through contracts with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Members also write novels, short stories, poetry and film scripts.

AIW

Today, AIW is a wide-ranging, full-service organization for regional writers

Number of members: About 1,200 in the DC area and a handful outside.

To join, you must:
As long as you’ve written anything for publication (vanity press excepted), you’ll qualify for a Full Membership.
Or, if you fall under one of the following two categories, you’re in:
Senior Member: Any person 68 years old or older.
Student Member: Any person 30 years or younger who is enrolled full-time at an accredited university, college or post-secondary technical school and is interested in writing as a profession.

You’ll get:
Job Bank
Insurance
Professional Development Activities
Social Activities (local to DC only)
Washington Writers Conference (ditto)
AIW Writing Contests (ditto)

And for that, you’ll pay:
Local: $145
Local with Job Bank: $300
Local Student or Senior: $100
Local Student or Senior with Job Bank: $255
National: $100
National with Job Bank: $255
Plus an initiation fee of $45/person.

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