NZSA Membership Benefits

 

Your NZ Society of Authors membership gives you access to a wide variety of benefits. Along with our longstanding membership benefits, we have sourced a range of discounted services from editors, proofreaders, digital conversion, typing services, book designers and at bookstores!

Visit the discount page for more details. Members only service badge

Here is a list of all the membership benefits now available to you.

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Page Contents

Information Services

New Zealand Author

Our quality quarterly magazine carries amongst other things, governance matters, updates from National Office, and local and international issues that impact on writing and getting published. It carries articles from industry professionals and writers, and first-person essays that inspire, inform and motivate, including the series Writers on Writers. New members receive a complimentary hard copy.

Fortnightly Literary Bulletin

Our popular LIterary Bulletin is emailed out and keeps members up to date with news about writers, writing and publishing. We also notify members about competitions, fellowships, awards and events and freedom of expression issues both locally and overseas. Our Death by Deadline calendar compiles all the opportunities in date order. The Literary Bulletin informs members about the Neilson Bestsellers book list and writers and book readings on radio and TV. Members can use the Literary Bulletin to celebrate successes, and events and opportunities. Events and opportunities and member book launches are also promoted on our website in our events listing.

New Books Bulletin

This bulletin lists the monthly new publications from NZSA members – it goes to all members and to all NZ bookshops, library suppliers and book sector stakeholders.

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Advice and Advocacy

Members’ Consultancy Service

We have a committee that responds to contract queries. We also advise members on steps they can take when a publisher does not honour the terms of a contract or someone has illegally copied your work. NB: The committee gives recommendations based on their experience in the literary sector, not legal advice. The service is not a substitute for legal advice.

Advocacy

The main aim of the Society’s advocacy is to represent the professional interests of writers.  To this end 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.

Model Contracts

A number of model contracts are available in the members’ area of the website.

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Professional Development Programmes

Mentorship Programmes

The NZSA adult mentorship programme is for writers and illustrators who want professional development, a safe space to discuss their work, intellectual community, role models, accountability and substantive feedback. Selection for places in this popular and successful programme is based on a competitive application process, open only to NZSA members. Adult programme opens for applications in November, Youth mentorship programme opens February

CompleteMS

This successful programme provides writers with critical feedback on an advanced work of poetry, fiction, short fiction or non-fiction in order to bring it closer to publishable standards. Selection for places in this popular programme is based on a competitive application process, open only to NZSA members.
Opens March

StartWrite

This popular programme operates throughout the year, offering 28 subsidised assessments. StartWrite offers a written assessment of a chapter sample (up to 6,000 words) and a 2-page synopsis. This non-competitive programme is particularly useful for writers seeking feedback at the early stage of their project and can assist with content, viability of concept, structure, character, and plot development, suggesting improvements and advice on the next step. StartWrite assessments are available at full price once all subsidised assessments have been utilised.
Opens February

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Awards, Grants, Residencies, 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
  • NZSA/CLNZ Writers Award – opens July
  • NZSA Lilian Ida Smith Award – runs triennially
  • NZSA / Peter & Dianne Beatson Fellowship – opens August
  • The Gifkins Prize for an unpublished manuscript – opens July
  • NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize – opens October

Watch the Literary Bulletin for all local, national and international opportunities to submit your work and apply for funding, to competitions and for residencies, that is updated weekly.

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Promotional Opportunities

Members Profiles

Members can easily create a dedicated profile page on our website. Profiles can include your photo, bio and book-cover images.

Monthly New Books Bulletin email

Members can promote their latest book free of charge in our monthly New Books List. 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 the authors.org.nz website.

Ghostwriters and Writers for hire service

The opportunity to list yourself and your skills with our Ghostwriters and Writers for hire listings. This list is made available to those seeking skilled writers to assist with paid writing projects.

Your book has been assessed, edited, designed and is going to press. How can NZSA help?

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Additional Services

Members-Only Web Pages

The Members-only section of this website is a source of information on all aspects of the publishing process including a range of contracts and guidelines for you to download. This is where you go to download leaflets and purchase discounted booklets.

Regional Branches and Hubs

Our eight regional branches (Northland, Auckland, Hamilton, Central, Wellington, Top of the South, Canterbury and Otago/Southland) offer the opportunity to network with other writers, attend workshops, take part in seminars and social events, learn aspects of the craft of writing, enter branch specific competitions, hear speakers invited to Branch meetings and participate in decision-making about the Society. In 2023 NZSA established a 9th branch for Māori writers.

Professional Development:

NZSA WebWorkshops

An ongoing series of virtual professional development workshops. These are virtual live, two-hour interactive workshops. Members are able to attend these for half the price of non-members. New members receive a free Webworkshop when they join.

NZSA Regional Roadshows

Regional roadshows are held around the country comprising a day of professional development: workshops, panels, and talks about the craft and the business of writing. All are welcome, members receive a significant discount to attend. They are also a great place to connect with writers in your region and network. Discounted price available for NZSA members and students. Non-members receive a discounted NZSA membership if they join when they sign up for a Roadshow.

NZSA Writer Toolkit

Writer Toolkits are an ever-expanding set of online mini-courses made up of a series of modules. These are low-cost and can be done at your own pace. Some are free, such as those on Copyright and Writers in Schools, developed with our sector partners. They can be accessed by anyone, and again there are member discounts. New and renewing members receive access to one free Writer Toolkit per join or renewal.

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