San Francisco Bay Area Organizations for Authors
There are MANY great organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area for writers, authors and publishers! I’m not going to attempt to list them all in this post. I’d like to just highlight a few for today: Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA), Nonfictions Authors Association (NFAA), and Women’s National Book Association (WNBA).
BAIPA – Bay Area Independent Publishers Association
I’ve been a member of BAIPA for many years now, and President for about 6 (I have to admit I’ve lost track). BAIPA meets monthly, currently on the second Saturday of the month (which may be changing as of June 1, 2020). Each month we have an educational and inspiring presenter, most often leaders in the world of indie publishing. One of the qualities I most appreciate about BAIPA is the culture of generosity. Members readily share their expertise, experience, knowledge and encouragement to their fellow members. And who are those members?
- Writers who have published or not – maybe they are just considering writing a book, or are partway through their first draft, or have a complete manuscript – doesn’t matter. At any point in the writing and publishing journey, BAIPA is a great way to learn and connect with other writers.
- Publishing professionals, including editors, designers, audiobook producers, printers, coaches, book shepherds, marketers, etc. – folks who work with authors in some capacity to help them in the indie publishing process.
NFAA – NonFiction Authors Association
The NonFiction Authors Association is an organization founded by Stephanie Chandler to support authors writing nonfiction and seeking the guidance and resources to succeed. NFAA runs two NonFiction Writers Conferences each year (Spring and Fall) – all online, so you can attend without travel expenses! There are also a tremendous number of money-saving benefits for members and a regular flow of valuable information and resources. We’re in the process of organizing local face-to-face meetings in the Bay Area in Marin, and/or the East Bay, and/or San Francisco. We’d love to have you weigh in on that!
WNBA – Women’s National Book Association
The Women’s National Book Association is a vibrant national organization that advocates for women’s literacy and for women’s role in the community of the book. WNBA holds events about once every month or every other month, including the annual popular Pitch-o-Rama event – coming up March 21, 2020. I’ll be part of the Pitch-o-Rama this year, helping authors understand how to get started in audio and how to leverage their book content via audio to build their author platforms.
Get Involved to Get Ahead
No matter where we are in the publishing industry, we can all benefit from the excellent connections available to us when we get out there and get involved. There are SO many great opportunities to connect and wonderful organizations for writers and those of us who work with authors.
