Membership in SCBWI-Illinois is free and automatic for Illinois residents who join the national organization.

Introducing PAL: A New Level of SCBWI Membership (from the November/December 2009 Bulletin)

PAL membership, which stands for “Published and Listed,” will exist alongside Full and Associate Membership and help to further distinguish among SCBWI’s authors and illustrators.

PAL Members will be those who have published or have a contract with a traditional publisher. The approved list of publishers for people qualifying for PAL will be established by merging our SCBWI Market Survey, Magazine Survey, Small Press Survey, Educational Market Survey, Religious Publishers and International Publishers Survey. For applicants who are produced in a medium other than print, we will use the approved list from the Writers Guild of America, and add legitimate non-guild production companies on a case-by-case basis.

When a new author or illustrator whose publisher does not appear on either of these lists joins SCBWI, they cannot become PAL Members, but they may still become Full Members. The same applies for authors published in a field other than children’s books.

Additionally, there will be a PAL Appeals Committee to whom anyone denied a PAL Membership can appeal. If the committee, after vetting the publisher, decides it is a legitimate claim, then the publisher will be added to our PAL list for future applicants.

These rules apply for members who have a book under contract as well as members whose book has already been published.

Qualifications for Associate Membership will remain the same, and as always, if an Associate Member makes a sale before his/her membership is due, the change to PAL can be made by calling the SCBWI office. As for new or renewing members, they will have an opportunity to update their membership when they receive their renewal notice.