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SFWA Admits Gamewriters, All Heck Breaks Loose, Film at 11

picture of polyhedral diceSo this morning one of the items that’s been hovering in the wings for a couple of weeks now finally went out, which was the announcement of the game writing qualifications. Since there there’s been a lot of stir and some questions about it. So here’s some answers.

Q: Hey, I’m a SFWA member! Why didn’t I know about this earlier?

A: I’m not sure. We publicized the vote before and when it happened, we had a SFWA chat hour devoted to it, and we’ve been talking about it on the discussion forums for over a year, I think, including calls for people to serve on the committee and make recommendations.

Q: Where did these qualifications come from?

A. From the Game Writing Committee, which researched the question first of whether or not we should put the issue to vote and then what form the qualifications might take. We included some game writers on the committee (its members are Jennifer Brozek, Steve Jackson, Richard Dansky, Rosemary Jones, Noah Falstein, and Jim Johnson with Matthew Johnson as the Board Liaison); the SFWA Board used their overall recommendations as the starting point.

Q: What are the qualifications?

A: Here you go. You can find them here too.

Games in any medium may be used for qualification so long as the game has a narrative element, is in English, and in the science fiction, fantasy, horror or related genres.

Prospective members working on games may qualify by showing a sale or income in one of three ways:

By making at least one paid sale of a minimum of 40,000 words to a qualified market, or three paid sales to qualified markets totaling at least 10,000 words. Game publishers may be designated as qualified markets using the already established process and criteria used to qualify fiction markets.
By showing they have earned a net income of at least $3,000 from a game that includes at least 40,000 words of text (not including game mechanics) over the course of a 12-month period since January 1, 2013. Income can be in the form of advance, royalties, or some combination of the three.
If no word count is possible, such as work done for a video game, prospective members can qualify based on one professionally produced full-length game for which they were paid at least $3,000, and with credits to no more than two writers clearly shown on the work.
Note that money from crowd-funding campaigns can be used as part or all of the required income once the game has been delivered to backers, but the amount that can be claimed cannot be more than the net income from the number of games produced and delivered to backers (calculated by the number of backers multiplied by the minimum tier which receives a copy of the game.) Work done for salary is not eligible.

For membership questions not answered above, please contact Kate Baker, SFWA Director of Operations, at operations@sfwa.org.

Q: Why don’t game instructions and mechanics count?

A: Because we consider them nonfiction.

Q. Why don’t multi-book contracts count?

A. Actually, they do. They are not considered “salaried” but often given with contracts w/ advances.

Q: Why have you excluded work done for salary?

A: That was built into the original set of requirements and in talking to the committee, it seems to me to be an oversight. Looking back through discussions, the original thinking was in practice salaried writers are unlikely to qualify because of the rule against works by more than two authors.

So are we re-examining this in light of the many people pointing out the issues with it? Yep! The Game Writing Committee, the SFWA board, and a couple of staff members have all been mailing and talking back and forth about it most of the day.

Do I think it will get changed? *shakes magic 8-ball* All signs point to Yes — but I cannot say definitively. We’re discussing things right now, and I’m pushing to tweak that part.

Q: Why did you put this out if it wasn’t perfect?

A: Because this is how we make it perfect, by putting it into action, seeing how it works, and adjusting accordingly. It’s what we did last year when admitting indies and that also remains an ongoing process. If you’re a SFWA member who wants to help with that process or a non-member who wants to provide useful feedback, mail me at president@sfwa.org.

Q: Will there be a gamewriting Nebula Award?

A: Not at the 2017 Award ceremony, but stay tuned for further developments…

Q: Do you, personally, support gamewriters joining?

A. Dude. I’ve been playing D&D since I was 11 and that was the ancient, original set that came out right after Chainmail. I worked in a book/game store for close to ten years. My bachelorette party was a Call of Cthulhu scenario that turned out to be Paranoia by the end. Of course I support this. I love gaming, and a good game is a work of art. I’m really looking forward to what this change brings.

ETA: I tweaked a couple things to make them clearer. I cannot say what the Board discussion will result in, but we are certainly paying attention.

128 Responses

  1. Is there a word missing? “Income can be in the form of advance, royalties, or some combination of the three.” That’s only two things. I assume the third thing is salary? -E-

    Reply

    1. Oh, wait, no, salary is excluded. So yeah, I’m not sure what the third thing is, there. But it sounds like things are still being worked on, so I’m sure it’ll all come out in the end. Glad to see this change! Game narrative writers deserve it! -E-

      Reply
  2. Pingback: SFWA Says It Will Admit Game Writers, All Heck Breaks Loose | File 770

  3. So, part of the problem here is that there is a negligible number of game publishers who publish 10 books a year. I can’t think of any, in fact, outside of Paizo and possibly Steve Jackson (who I think still has Pyramid, so that’s not entirely the same thing). Onyx Path might come close to 10 books a year, but it’s pushing it, and they don’t pay anything like qualifying rates. I’m also concerned about the distinction between “fluff” and “crunch” in RPGs — I understand that you’re primarily a fiction organization, but game writing is equal parts — there are very few opportunities to write just fiction (game fiction by itself doesn’t tend to sell as well to people looking solely to play the game). The best and most accomplished writers write both, sometimes in combination (fiction with rules to back it up) and that’s problematic given the guidelines. I’m also highly uncertain about the rules against multiple authorship — with large books (more than 100k words) you rarely have just one or two authors, simply because the production schedule is too short AND if an author has life issues come up, it’s too easy to throw everything off. It’s much more common to give out as much as 25k to multiple people, all of whom greatly deserve the ability to join. I urge you to have the committee rethink these guidelines and decide how qualifying markets work within tabletop game publishers. Thank you.

    Reply

  4. And I’m just like, “Wut?” because my writing for games hit the length and rate requirements for membership a long time ago, because I wrote fiction in games. Does that mean I can no longer qualify? That I was un-qualified and re-qualified?

    What’s mechanics compared to fiction? My primary clients are White Wolf/Onyx Path which integrate setting and systems. Does one game mechanics mention spoil thousands of words? Are those mechanics words individually excised? Is somebody actually going to go through the latter picky process?

    We’re y’all really thinking of D&D and video games and nothing else when you approved this?

    Reply

    1. Actually, sorry — that last line was unwarranted. I do appreciate the effort and the difficulties getting qualified for tabletop games mostly says something about tabletop games. But I do find it kind of confusing.

      Reply

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What SFWA Membership Offers You

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A chance to hang out with interesting people is one perk of SFWA membership.
I’m in the process of assembling a SFWA resource that lists what, exactly, SFWA provides its members, which to my mind is a pretty substantial list. I tried to break it down according to the SFWA Mission, “SFWA informs, supports, promotes, defends and advocates for its members.” That’s a broad umbrella but the organization’s been around for fifty years, and it lives up to that mission.

It seemed to me it’d be useful to have something that people can point to. I’ve added a couple of things suggested on the SFWA discussion forums, but I know I’m overlooking some. If you have suggestions, glad to hear them.

What SFWA Membership Offers

Informs you by:

  • Hosting the website and discussion forums
  • Distributing the Forum, SFWA’s members-only publication
  • Publishing The Bulletin, SFWA’s public publication
  • Providing model contracts and other useful information on the SFWA blog
  • Providing sample contracts for SFWA qualifying and other markets in the members-only section of the website
  • Maintaining the SFWA Member directory
  • Supplying a wealth of reading in the SFWA Fiction forums, as well as some guidance from fellow members in the Nebula Recommended Reading List.

Supports you by:

  • Administering the The Emergency Medical Fund
  • Providing networking opportunities, like the annual NY reception, events at conventions, and the Nebula Weekend
  • Working to support diversity and anti-harassment efforts
  • Supplying and stocking the SWFA suite at Worldcon
  • Providing a SFWA table or booth at events like the Baltimore Booth Festival where members can distribute promotional material, sell and sign books, and participate in programming
  • Letting you recommend, nominate, and vote for the Nebula and Norton Awards
  • Providing a community of fellow professional genre writers
  • Presenting an opportunity for interesting and useful volunteer work

Promotes you by:

Defends you by:

Advocates for you by:

  • Making recommendations to government on copyright and other publishing issues
  • Providing a presence at STEM events
  • Raising the profile of the genre with the yearly Nebula, Norton, Solstice, and Grandmaster Awards

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Platform Statement for SFWA Vice President

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I am running for SFWA vice president because I love the organization and think I can do more for it in that position.
Well, the statement’s up in the SFWA forums, so I should probably put it here as well. I am running for SFWA VP. I think I can do a good job. Even if you’re not voting for me, please vote if you’re a SFWA member.

Dear SFWA Members:

I am running for Vice President of SFWA.

I joined SFWA in 2005, as soon as I made my first qualifying sale. Among the work I’ve done for SFWA are stints on the Nebula short fiction and Norton juries, work with the Copyright Committee, interviews and articles for the SFWA blog, articles for the SFWA Bulletin, assisting with the YA-SIG’s move to a mailing list, and helping develop guidelines for and moderating the discussion forums. At the time I joined, I was excited and proud to be joining the ranks of so many writers I’ve admired, and I continue to be an enthusiastic advocate for and supporter of SFWA.

I have worked with the current administration and know that I can interact smoothly with it to maintain and continue to build the organization as a valuable resource for speculative fiction writers and one whose members can take pride in their membership. I’m pleased to see SFWA continuing to adapt to changes in the publishing landscape, such as the recent rate increase for SFWA-qualifying markets and the work of the Self-Publishing committee, and hope to lead similar efforts.

As far as my qualifications go, I’ve worked as both a writer and an editor. I have over 100 original short story publications, including in such places as Asimov’s, Weird Tales, and Tor.com, and three collections (two solo, one with Jeff VanderMeer) (for a complete list, see http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/fiction/). My short story, “Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” was a 2012 Nebula nominee, while others have been nominated for the Locus Award and the Million Writers Award. I was the editor for several years of award-winning Fantasy Magazine, receiving a 2012 World Fantasy nomination for my efforts there, and I have multiple editing projects coming up in 2014. I have also worked as a volunteer with both Broad Universe and the Clarion West Writers Workshop. Last year I wrote and self-published Creating an Online Presence, a guidebook for writers trying to navigate the confusing world of online self-promotion, and am currently writing a similar guide on podcasting with Folly Blaine, the podcast manager of Everyday Fiction. I teach a popular series of online classes on writing and editing and do some podcast narration. I am a frequent convention-goer and make a point of participating in SFWA activities when they’re available at such gatherings. This year, I will be attending Norwescon, the Nebula Award ceremony, the Locus Awards, and Worldcon, with tentative plans for a couple of other conventions.

My priorities as a board officer include:

  • Building SFWA’s name and influence by reaching out to both established and newer F&SF writers who have not joined but would find it useful. I’d like to see SFWA’s social media presence continue to expand and to work to interest and intrigue potential members.
  • Preserving SFWA’s institutional memory through archives and collecting existing information.
  • Improving the existing volunteer structure in order to more effectively connect volunteers with SFWA’s needs, as well as recognizing and rewarding volunteers more consistently.
  • Assisting SFWA as it determines qualifications for self-published writers as well as how it can best serve such writers.
  • Working to address internal miscommunications by better communicating what the board is doing and how people can assist in such efforts. I’d like to help current volunteers and SFWA officers tell other members what they do.

My primary role as VP, though, would be to support SFWA’s President. To assist me in that role, I’ve got good people skills, a sense of humor, and the fact that I don’t take myself overly seriously. I will continue to represent SFWA with enthusiasm and the respect such an august organization deserves.

Currently I am head moderator of the SFWA discussion forums. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, I have asked the other moderators to oversee the election subforum. Over the last six months, I’ve been recruiting new moderators and working out processes so someone else can take my place, should I be elected. As VP, I would continue to work with the moderating team to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Sincerely,
Catherine (Cat) Rambo

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