What's up with SFWA?

So, RWA (Romance Writers of America) just had their annual convention a few weeks ago. It's always a huge event, and many writers I know were there and had a terrific time. But do you know what makes RWA great in my eyes? It's not the convention (no one has more conventions than sci-fi, after all); it's their inclusiveness.

Pop quiz: How many publications do you need to join RWA? 1? 3? How do they define a "qualified market" for these publications? Well, let's check their website:

RWA welcomes new members. You need not be a published author to join Romance Writers of America; only seriously pursuing a career in the romance fiction.

Well, isn't that interesting? But maybe that's just RWA, though, that makes the commitment to culitvating new talent, to helping people get their start. Maybe it's a chick thing. Women helping women, in that Ya-Ya sisterhood kind of way. I mean, surely the Horror Writers Assocation (HWA) isn't so open to the unwashed masses:

HWA's active (voting) members are all published professional writers of horror. But you needn't be an established professional writer to join HWA. Your demonstrated intention to become a professional writer is all that's required to join HWA at the Affiliate level, because we know the first professional-level sale is often the hardest.

Oh. You can see where I'm going with, but here's MWA, Mystery Writers of America:

Affiliate members are writers of crime/mystery/suspense fiction who are not yet professionally published, and others with an interest in the genre, including unpaid reviewers.

Or SCBWI (Society of Childrens Books Writers and Illustrators):

Associate Membership is open to unpublished writers and illustrators of children’s literature or media, and those with a general enthusiasm for the field. Writers or illustrators who have been published in markets other than children's literature (but not in children's literature) would be considered Associate Members.

Some call it associate, some call it affiliate, but all these groups reach out to include new writers. Which is cool. But SFWA doesn't do this. Oh, they have an associate level. It's this:

To become an Associate member of SFWA, applicants must demonstrate:
One Paid Sale of prose fiction (such as short stories) to a Qualifying Professional Market, paid at the rate of 5c/word or higher (3c/word before 1/1/2004), minimum $75.

And those key phrases "Paid Sale" and "Qualifying Professional Market" are very stringently defined. You can't publish just anywhere, they have a short list of what markets count. I read most of those magazines. With the exception of the Writers of the Future anthology, which is by definition all new writers, you'll be lucky to find more than one story by a new writer in any of them. Not that I blame the magazines; I'd rather read the new Gene Wolfe short than something from a writer I've never heard of. But why does SFWA set the bar so discouragingly high?

This juicy quote comes from elsewhere on their website:

If you don't have enough sf/f fiction credits to get you into SFWA, SFWA membership would be of very little (if any) value to you.

Which frankly sounds a little elitist and snotty. How does SFWA differ from every other writers' organization, that there is no place for newbies? I don't know.

I've heard talk that sci-fi sales are declining and have been for more than a decade. Most booksellers when asked to name their favorite sci-fi novels name books that are all 15+ years old. Are these two things related? Maybe not. But what if they are?