Professional Writers Associations

When it comes to professional associations, the two biggies for picture book writers are SCBWI and the Author's Guild. If there are other professional associations that you recommend, please post them in a reply. We'd love to hear from you!

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)
www.scbwi.org. See the member benefits.

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The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a non-profit , 501 (c)3 organization which is one of the largest existing organizations for writers and illustrators. It is the only professional organization specifically for those individuals writing and illustrating for children and young adults in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia.

The Author's Guild
www.authorsguild.org. Note the eligibility requirements.

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The Authors Guild has been the nation's leading advocate for writers' interests in effective copyright protection, fair contracts and free expression since it was founded as the Authors League of America in 1912... Members of the Authors Guild receive free book contract reviews from experienced legal staff, discounted health insurance rates in some states, low-cost website services including website-building, e-mail, and domain name registration, access to our free Back in Print service, our quarterly print Bulletin, and invitations to panels and programs throughout the year.