Romance Writers of America® PAN Application

General PAN Membership: Any RWA General or Honorary member who has earned at least $1,000 on a single published Eligible Novel or Eligible Novella shall be eligible for membership in PAN, provided however that works offered through Predatory Publishing companies shall not qualify. To prove eligibility for PAN, the member must submit a copy of the qualifying work’s copyright page or a verifiable ASIN, ISBN, or other unique vendor product identification number to the Office, along with proof of earnings.

Provisional PAN Membership: Any RWA General or Honorary member who has: (1) contracted for the publication of an Eligible Novel* or Eligible Novella** for an advance of at least $1,000, but said work is not yet commercially available (“Option One”); or (2) published an Eligible Novel or Eligible Novella, but not yet earned $1,000 (“Option Two”) shall be eligible for provisional membership in PAN, provided however that works offered through Predatory Publishing companies shall not qualify.

Provisional PAN members may attend the PAN Retreat and subscribe to the PAN forum but may not participate in the RWA trade-show booth, may not hold a PAN office, chair a PAN subcommittee, nor vote in PAN elections. Upon providing proof to the Office that the all General PAN requirements have been met, the Provisional PAN member shall become a General PAN member.

Upon providing proof to the Office that the all General PAN requirements have been met, the Provisional PAN member shall become a General PAN member.

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* Applicant Name:

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* Author Pseudonym:

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* Applicant RWA Member #:

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* Title of Qualifying Novel or Novella:

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* I am applying for:

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* Publisher of Qualifying Work:

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* Acquiring Editor of Qualifying Work:

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* Word Count of Qualifying Work:

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* Date of Release of Qualifying Work:

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* ISBN, ASIN, Other Unique Product Identification #:

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* Qualification for PAN
I qualify for PAN membership based on (select only one):

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* I certify that I have read and understand the definitions and requirements for PAN membership.

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* Upload the following for General PAN Membership:

1) A copy of the qualifying work’s copyright (if a verifiable ASIN, ISBN, or other unique vendor product identification number not provided on form).

and

2) Proof of $1,000 earnings. Proof of earnings must reflect a single novel or novella. In the case of multiple-book contracts, or in the event royalty statement(s) show earnings on multiple books, the earnings on the qualifying novel or novella must be shown separately.
Any percentage of earnings deducted by an agent shall be considered earnings to the author; however, the pre-deduction
figure must be reflected in the documentation.

Upload the following for Provisional PAN Membership:

Provisional PAN Option One. A copy of the signature page of the contract, along with either of
the following: (1) copy of the contract page showing an advance of at least $1,000; or (2) letter from an acquiring editor
stating that the author has earned at least $1,000 in the form of an advance.

or

Provisional PAN Option Two: A copy of the qualifying work’s copyright page, or a verifiable ASIN, ISBN, or other unique
vendor product identification number (if a verifiable ASIN, ISBN, or other unique vendor product identification number not provided on form).

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Terms and Benefits


Priority for Editor and Agent appointments at the RWA Annual Conference goes first to current Golden Heart and RITA finalists, then to past Golden Heart and RITA finalists from the previous two years' contests, then to PRO, PAN, Provisional PAN, and PAN-Equivalent members, then to all General members.

Participation in RWA's trade-show booths shall be available to all PAN and PAN-Equivalent members on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the understanding that the members will pay all fees and expenses.

PAN, Provisional PAN, and PAN-Equivalent members may purchase a BookExp badge at RWA's reduced rate.

PAN-Equivalent: a member who would otherwise be eligible for PAN membership, except they are classified as Associate Members.

General PAN (also referred to as PAN): refers to a General or Honorary member who has earned at least $1,000 on a single published Eligible Novel* or Eligible Novella** provided, however that works offered through Predatory Publishing companies shall not qualify.

Provisional PAN: refers to a General or Honorary member who has qualified for Provisional PAN membership, as described above in Option 1 or Option 2 for Provisional PAN.

*Eligible Novel: A work of Romance Fiction of at least 40,000 words (as determined by computer word count) that is or has been commercially available.

**Eligible Novella: A work of Romance Fiction of 20,000-40,000 words (as determined by computer word count) that is or has been commercially available.

Romance Fiction or Romance means the work contains a central love story and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic. RWA staff reserves the right to challenge or contest where a book is Romance Fiction. In the event the classification of a novel as Romance Fiction is challenged or contested, it will be subject to a peer review panel. For purposes other than the RITA contest, a five-member peer review panel will be randomly chosen by the staff among members of PRO and PAN. The peer review panel will read the novel and make the final decision via majority vote as to whether it qualifies as Romance Fiction.

Predatory Publishing means a business based on selling products or services to authors rather than selling books to readers. Services or publishing packages offered by the entity are usually priced higher than similar services found in the open marketplace. Promises of mass-distribution, marketing services, or expertise in editorial, design and delivery of quality works made by Predatory Publishing companies are rarely fulfilled and often result in unsuccessful distribution or sales. This definition includes but is not limited to, publishing programs that withhold or seek full or partial payment or reimbursement of publication or distribution costs before paying royalties.

Questions? Contact info@rwa.org

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