Is it Still Worthwhile to Join a Trade Organization for Writers?
I recently attended my fourth NATJA conference and it rocked. We partied at the Puerto Vallarta beaches and drank an untold amount of tequila. We went to panels and sessions that made us better (or hopefully wealthier) writers. We made mutually beneficial relationships with people we hung out with for days. Including some major editors. We got to see far more of coastal Jalisco in a week than most vacationers manage to see on multiple trips.
As we all gravitate to our own little niche-focused social media groups, there’s the inevitable question as to whether these trade organizations still make sense. In the old days of the past millennium, if you didn’t belong to something like SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), you had trouble connecting with people in your field and meeting editors. If you didn’t belong to something like ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors), you had a tough time figuring out if the contract you were signing was a raw deal just for you or if everyone working for that publication was getting screwed as well.
Now it’s very easy to connect with other writers or bloggers. There are a hundred e-mail newsletters, blogs, social media groups, and meet-ups that can link you to your kind. You can send out a tweet or put a question on Facebook and have responses within the hour. So it’s easy to think these organizations don’t matter anymore.
Really though, they still do. They might even matter more than they used to. That’s because as it gets easier and easier to connect online, we’re all inundated by more and more information coming through a fire hose. We don’t really need more info or more virtual friends. We need curation. We need face-to-face. We need more colleagues we can help and get help from, not just people who will retweet our blog posts without even reading them.
We need more of what we need and less of what we don’t need.
NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association) is having a membership drive right now, after coming off their best-attended conference ever. So I’m giving them a shout-out here. That’s the one I belong to and I gladly pay the dues each year.
I shunned SATW from the start because I thought the leadership was way too snooty and treated digital media like a thorn in its side. (A stance that has only slightly improved in their annual awards.) I still see a disdain for bloggers there that makes me keep my distance and I know a few people running websites getting more than 100K monthly visitors that have been turned down when applying for membership. I might join later when I’m in my 60s like most of their members. I know a few members who get a lot out of the regional meet-ups.
But NATJA always felt to me like the more welcoming, inclusive, clued-in community. There’s not much ego, no real cliques, and no sense that people are trying to outdo each other based on how big the mastheads are where they appeared 20 years ago. It’s far from perfect, as any big organization like this is bound to be, but I feel comfortable recommending it. If you haven’t been a part of NATJA and you want to learn more, contact yani (at) natja.org and tell her Tim Leffel sent you.
With all of these organizations, you get some informational perks in terms of press trip invites and industry connections, plus the chance to hobnob face-to-face at their convention. With NATJA you get a discount on entries to their annual travel writing contest too, which means a big savings and the opportunity to win some sweet prizes. I got three nights at a vacation condo I’ll use with my family this year, three nights at an all-inclusive that I used with them last year. Those are pretty typical first place prizes.
You also get a profile page on their site, which means a link back and some visibility, plus NATJA has their own digital magazine that pays and you’re not competing with 3,000 other writers for a slot.
So back to the original question of whether it’s worthwhile to join SATW, NATJA, ASJA, PTBA (Professional Travel Bloggers Association), TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada), IFWTA (International Food Wine & Travel Association) or any of the other collections of Scrabble tiles. The real question is…are you serious about your career? Joining one is not essential, but it certainly can’t hurt. Is it worth an investment of two or three hundred bucks to maybe meet the editor or partner that’s going to open up a new outlet or income stream for you? That’s a pretty easy return on investment floor to meet.
At a minimum, you should attend TBEX if you’re a blogger. But if you want to step it up, joining an organization with a built-in opportunity infrastructure could take you to a new level.
About Author
Tim
Tim Leffel is the author of Travel Writing 2.0 as well as several other successful books. His work has been recognized by SATW, NATJA, and the Solas Awards. He has contributed to more than 50 publications as a freelancer and is the editor of four websites and blogs, including the "Best online travel magazine" and the popular Cheapest Destinations Blog, established in 2003. He served six years as Conference Director for TBEX and five years as co-chair of the NATJA Advisory board.
I’ve belonged to three of the organizations mentioned at different times. They’re all useful in some way and it is not hard to justify the dues if you put anything at all into getting something back. I mostly agree with your rundown, though SATW does seem be genuinely trying to lower the average age and finally wake up to this thing called the internet. It never felt very inclusive to me though. Some of the members are very full of themselves.
SATW is famous for talking about how there is this ‘new generation’ of leaders and members who really understand the digital realm. But in my experience it’s as Tim suggests–an expensive membership fee $250 a year, plus a huge hassle getting admitted and little to show for the outlay. You have to have three sponsors write recommendations for you and fill out a long form. I am not sure you would actually get $250 worth of value from joining. I once applied and they turned me down because they thought that since I was a publisher I had influence over editorial and advertising (welcome to the 21st century!). But since then I haven’t re-applied, even though I have dozens of friends who are members.
This is a great article, Tim. I’ve been on the fence about joining one of these trade organizations for a while — not a specific one, just “one” of them — and have struggled to see the value (especially as I find that many, *many* of the products, groups and features aimed at travel bloggers turn out to be pretty worthless). This is interesting to consider, and I’ll definitely keep it in my pocket for the next time I’m thinking of joining one!
SATW requires two sponsors, not three. I’ve been a member for about six years, and during that time, they’ve only requires two sponsors, however I don’t know if they required more in years prior to my membership.
I’m a member of SATW, ASJA and the Authors’ Guild. All have been incredibly useful to me, and I’m happy to renew my membership every year. I know that SATW has has a past reputation of being full of former writers, but I’ve been seeing that change over the past few years, and haven’t experienced the snooty attitude mentioned here.
I was a member of NATJA for a couple years a while back, and while I like many of the members, membership didn’t do much for me. I’m also a bit skeptical as it’s a for-profit organization. But to each his/her own: The only thing that matters is that whatever organization you choose (if you choose one at all) serve you well and you feel like you’re spending your time and money wisely.
Thanks Max for sharing your experience and you too Jill. I agree that what matters most is what you get out of it. If it feels like a good fit and it’s useful, don’t let me (or anyone else) tell you what to do! But joining any of them should help your networking considerably and open up gig or trip opportunities.
Sorry Tim, While I appreciate your support of NATJA, I couldn’t disagree more with your assessment of this rip-off organization. Their treatment of me over the past 2 years has been nothing short of appalling. Two years ago I requested a refund for my conference fees which they immediately agreed to pay (it was emergency surgery and could not be delayed, and the conference was two weeks away). NATJA then refused to pay it, giving no reason whatsoever. They also refused to refund my hotel deposit despite me actually canceling my hotel booking in person. I was concerned that NATJA would suffer a financial penalty for cancellations a few days out from the conference, but their conference person said that NATJA would not be panelized for any cancelations up to 48 hours before the conference (and I cancelled a week out). Even worse, when I tried to call them to discuss the matter they were terribly rude. Their ‘customer service’ rep, Dana, actually continued to talk over me while I was trying to discuss this, and then she hung up! Charming! And this is not the only time they’ve been offensive to me–there have been several other times when they’ve hung up on me or refused to answer my (very polite) emails. For an organization that is supposed to be an advocate for travel writers, they totally and remorselessly screwed me over–and were rude to me on top of this offensive treatment. And I can prove everything that I claim here because I still have their emails. Sorry, Tim, but I couldn’t stand by and read your glowing endorsement of this group without adding a little balance to the conversation. And, incidentally, lest you think it’s ‘just me being difficult’, I know numerous other travel writers who have been turned off by NATJA with similar experiences. On my press trips, I’ve met plenty of travel journalists who have been deeply disappointed with NATJA. Tim, I’ll be surprised if you publish this comment on your website, as I know you have a tight relationship with them. But obviously you haven’t seen NATJA’s dark side. I will not blame you if you choose not to publish this diatribe as it is, after all, your personal website. Roy Stevenson, http://www.roy-stevenson.com
NATJA makes every effort to provide affordable benefits to our membership, including the annual conference. When NATJA works with host hotels, we are obligated to confirm rooms 30 days prior to the conference, and are responsible for costs of all the rooms, even when cancelled. This is different than booking an individual reservation where this cancellation policy is more lenient. When Mr. Stevenson informed us that he had to cancel, after our full refund deadline, NATJA attempted to work with him to provide a reasonable solution. What happened with Mr. Stevenson is an unfortunate situation, and we would still be interested in providing him complimentary registration for the next conference, which will be held in Oxnard, California.
[Editor’s note: I have edited down the extremely long reply and the name-calling that was in this original comment. For this person and all future readers with an axe to grind, please work your issues out directly rather than airing all the dirty details through my blog. Thanks.]
Yani, You are obviously not talking about me here.
If you are, your facts are totally incorrect. When I contacted your organization requesting my hotel deposit refund you flatly refused–even after I had cancelled my hotel room directly with the hotel.
While I was canceling my hotel reservation, I did check with the hotel’s conference coordinator who told me that NATJA would NOT be penalized if I cancelled my reservation. Despite this, NATJA still refused to refund my hotel deposit, which was a considerable sum ($190, I believe). And, Yani, you seem to have conveniently avoided addressing why your organization at first agreed to refund my registration fee (I still have your email confirming that NATJA would refund this), and then a week or so later refused outright to pay it (I still have your email to prove this).
Your statement above–that you attempted to provide a reasonable solution–is certainly not how I see it. Rather, NATJA refused to answer my emails and you personally continued to talk over me on the phone when I called to discuss the matter.
And now, after being so blatantly ripped off and treated so rudely, you’re inviting me to attend your next conference in Oxnard? Seriously? Because of my “NATJA experience” I will never join any travel writer’s organization. You guys have put me off travel writer’s groups for life.
However, if you really want to settle this matter and “provide a reasonable solution”, let’s see you put your money where your mouth is: Please refund my conference registration fee, as you originally promised via email, and refund my hotel reservation fee which you are still holding.
Mr. Stevens – If you were as nasty and condescending with me as you have been in these comments, I would refuse to refund anything just out of spite. They probably figured having a member like you would be more trouble than you were worth. Most conferences have very strict cancellation penalties because they’ve already laid out the money based on who has registered. Move on already. Jeez.
Jenny, Since when has standing up for your rights been nasty and condescending?
NATJA promised me a refund of my registration fee and then reneged–and is also hanging on to my hotel deposit fee with no good reason to do so. The problem does not lie with me, but with NATJA’s preoccupation with keeping my money. And, clearly you did not read my posts very well because I take great pains to point out that NATJA’s reps were the ones who were nasty and condescending to me when I tried to address this with them. I would imagine that you, in my position, would be just as offended. Thanks for your advice, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll move on when they refund the substantial amount of money they owe me.
I’ve run multiple conferences and it’s very rare that anyone’s fees or hotel costs (if that’s folded in) would be refunded once we’ve gotten close to the date, like two weeks or less. That’s what travel insurance is for. If you bought that, make your claim there. If you didn’t, that’s your fault, not the conference organizers. It sounds like you didn’t handle it very well either, demanding instead of asking.
Okay everyone, no more personal diatribes about ultra-specific disagreements you had many years ago. This is meant to be a discussion about the current merits of travel writing trade organizations in general, not a forum to air personal vendettas best handled in private.
I belong to both NATJA and SATW and don’t want to stir up another hornet’s nest in the comments. Both have gotten a LOT better in recent years, with NATJA getting more professional and SATW getting less ancient and print-centered. I’ve easily gotten 10X what I’ve put into both from a financial standpoint in terms of what I’ve learned about pitching and the opportunities from networking. I’d recommend either.
Hi,
Is there an Australian association for travel bloggers at all?
Mind you I’m prepared to travel internationally but my FF points will run out after a couple of trips.
Thanks,
Dale.
Yes, here you go Dale: http://astw.org.au/