I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow, gone until Friday. I’ll have limited internet access, but I will try to watch the survey links. However, I doubt I’ll tally up the results until the week after.
ETA: Please be aware of the fact that this is NOT any sort of official survey. I threw it together in about ten minutes, just basing my questions off questions and concerns that I’ve had during my writing career. I didn’t expect as many to respond-although I’m very happy, because it shows we do care. However, I still wasn’t prepared. So again, this survey ISN’T any kind of official. I’m just a regular member in RWA and I plan on staying that way. However, I will share the results and keep people up to date. (Once I’m back in town-I’m on vacation, effective 6/21)
But for the curious, here’s about where we stand with 300+ responses so far.
Just so you know, after about 70 people had done the first one, I realized I’d made a mistake (failed to add a response) so I went in and added it. The question was:
For those that aren’t epublished, do you feel RWA-as a whole-has done much to educate you and other members about epublishing?
And I’d meant to include this response as an option as well:
No but I want to learn more.
Sorry! Other than the first 70, that option was there for the others taking the survey.
For a rough average:
- 65% are RWA members
- 70% are published
- 40% are pubbed by traditional print pubs
- 80% are pubbed by epubs ( allowed multiple answers since some of us do both)
- 80% would like to see more education offered by RWA in regards to epublishing
- 70% don’t think RWA does enough education on epublishing and they would like to see more
- 80% of epubbed authors don’t feel RWA has done anything to forward their careers
- 90% of all respondees would like an organization that focused on both print AND epublishing.
- Here’s the best one-out of all respondees, 92% feel RWA needs to do more to educate members about epublishers. This isn’t just the epubbed talking. It’s those published by traditional print houses, the aspiring writer and various industry pros.
Granted, this isn’t exactly a formal survey (and I did leave out an option that the first 70 members didn’t have). But if this is any indication of the typical RWA member’s mindset, then the board doesn’t really have any idea what the general membership would like to see from them.
To the members of the board if any of them happen to read this: It’s time you step up and acknowledge epublishing and start educating your members about it. Get a liason to the board that’s experienced/educated in epubs. Stop allowing something and then changing it three weeks later. Pick a path, and stick to it, but it needs to be a path that is the best for all members. Which, I’m sad to say, can’t be the path that ignores epublishing. You’re keeping too many members in the dark, and ignorance is never the best path.
More and more aspiring writers want to know about epublishing which means more and more of them need to know.
You can’t do what’s in their best interest unless you educate them.
Give them the tools they need.
Be the advocate RWA is supposed to be.