How to Start an Author Society

Starting an author society is an excellent way to show your appreciation for your favorite author while encouraging scholarship based on his or her books. This takes some effort, but can be a great deal easier if you involve other interested parties who share your enthusiasm in forming an official author society. Involve a community of like-minded individuals in an endeavor that helps build an intellectual community.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Browse the Internet to make sure the author you intend to celebrate is not already represented by an official author society.

2. Look for scholarly publications, either full-length books or individual journal articles, that support your claim for the author's scholarly significance.

3. Talk to scholars at different universities to determine if they are interested in starting an author society for the author of your interest. Their enthusiasm is key when you consider the work you ask them to do is entirely voluntary.

4. Develop a website and put together a list of the society's board members for contact information. This makes recruiting future members far easier and more efficient.

5. Contact major literature conferences to let them know you have founded an official author society and that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the conference programs.

6. Disseminate a call for papers to various universities to encourage quality paper submissions to respective literature panels at the most prestigious national conferences.

7. Follow up with prospective society members for dues once you have finished starting your author society and are moving on to administrative chores. Financing is key to meeting website upkeep demands.

8. Consider the merits of publishing a newsletter as part of your society. Expanding your society's mission only enhances its scholastic credibility.

Resources

• Mla.org is the official site for the Modern Language Association.
• Castela.edu has a listing of active author societies throughout North America.
• Acla.org is a gathering place for the American Comparative Literature Association.