Membership Benefits
As a member you gain access to a wide variety of benefits to build on your skills, grow your career, find connections and make a difference for writers in Aotearoa.
These include:
- Professional Development Programmes
- Awards, Grants, Prizes and Fellowships
- Connect with Other Writers
- Information Services
- Opportunities to Promote Your Work and Your Services
- Discounted Services
- Advice
- Advocacy
If you’d like to learn more about our work please download a sample of articles from our 2023 members-only New Zealand Author’s magazine.
Professional Development Programmes
NZSA StartWrite Writing Sample and Synopsis Assessment Programme
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Awards, Grants, Prizes, and Fellowships
NZSA administers a range of literary and writing awards, grants, residencies and fellowships. Some of these are exclusive to NZSA members while others have a discounted entry fee for members.
- NZSA/CLNZ Research Grants – opens June
- The Michael Gifkins Prize for an unpublished manuscript – opens July
- NZSA/CLNZ Writers Award – opens July
- NZSA/Peter & Dianne Beatson Fellowship – opens August
- NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize – opens October
- NZSA Lilian Ida Smith Award – runs triennially
- NZSA Shaw Writer’s Prize – opens May
Check out our Literary Bulletin for local, national and international opportunities to submit your work, apply for funding, awards and residencies.
Workshops, Conferences and Courses
Information Services
Literary Bulletin
All members receive the Literary Bulletin, our fortnightly e-newsletter sharing the latest book industry news, events and opportunities.
NZ Author Magazine
All members receive our quarterly NZ Author Magazine packed with articles about writing issues, advocacy and more. Members can choose whether to purchase the print or electronic version when they join.
For a sample of our 2023 NZ Author articles, download this NZA Chapbook
Member Resources
Members can access a range of members-only information on our site about everything from audiobooks to wills, copyright and publications.
Opportunities to Promote Your Work and Your Services
Members Profiles
Members can easily create a dedicated profile page on our website. Profiles can include your photo, bio, book-cover images and link to your website or social media. This profile is publicly accessible for anyone looking for a writer or writing services.
Monthly New Books Bulletin
Members can promote their new book free of charge in our monthly New Books Bulletin This monthly email of new publications is sent out to NZSA members, posted to the NZSA Facebook page, and emailed to key stakeholders in the literary community.
Promotion of Events and Opportunities
Members can promote opportunities, events, book launches and workshops on our website.
Advertise on the Coalition for Books
NZSA is a full member of the Coalition for Books, which means all our members can join the Coalition for Books as an Associate Member Individual for only $50. All Coalition members get 2 x yearly free adverts on the book platform Kete, among other benefits.
Discounted Services
Connect with other writers
Get involved with our NZSA Branches
As a member we will connect you up with your local branch. If you whakapapa Māori, you can also join Te Kāhui Māori, a safe and supportive environment for Māori writers. If you are a young writer under 30, you can also join Pens and PJs.
Participating in a branch offers the opportunity to network with other writers, attend workshops, take part in social events, learn aspects of the craft of writing, enter branch specific competitions and participate in decision-making about the Society.
Meet Writers at Other NZSA Events
Come along to our Regional Roadshows to connect with writers in your areas or one of our other annual events such as the Janet Frame Memorial Lecture.
Advice and Support
NB: The service is not a substitute for legal advice.
A number of model contracts are available in the members’ area of the website.
Advocacy
The main aim of the Society’s advocacy is to represent the professional interests of writers. We actively lobby government, publishers, broadcasters and others to ensure that writers are treated fairly and adequately rewarded for the use of their intellectual property.
Issues covered: Copyright, AI, Public Lending Right reform, Library purchasing, Fair Pay Rates, Read Local, Buy Local, as well as NZSA representation on committees, advisory boards and groups across the book sector, representing the interests of writers.