Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I become a member of SCBWI?
   Go to www.scbwi.org Click "About SCBWI" then "Become a Member." Once you are a paid member of SCBWI, you are automatically a member of your local region as well at no additional charge.

Q: I’m confused about local regions. What’s my local region?
   We are very lucky to have 3 very active and vibrant regions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, each providing all kinds of great events. SCBWI members living in all three regions are welcome to  participate in this website and of course to attend events in any SCBWI region.
   Because there are so many SCBWI members in the S.F. Bay Area and North/Central California, the regions are divided as follows:

• San Francisco South Region www.scbwisf.org : Includes members living in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties.  
• North & East Bay, & North/Central California regions share a website at www.scbwinorthca.org :Serves members in the East Bay, the North Bay, and 34 counties in Northern & Central CA. See  www.scbwinorthca.org/regions/regions.htm for a county by county breakdown to determine which local region you belong to.

Q: Where can I find out about local SCBWI events?
   Click on the Events tab above.

Q: What if I want to attend events and conferences in other regions?
   No problem. You may attend SCBWI events wherever they are offered—locally, nationally and internationally. Many events require advance registration, pre-payment, and often sell out quickly so you will want to bookmark and frequently check the national site at scbwi.org, this site at scbwisf.org, and the sites of regions located near you for event postings. You might also sign up for the NORCAL Announcement List  (a one-way Announcement List on Yahoo Groups) where events for all three of our local regions are periodically posted.

Q: How do I sign up (or unsubscribe) for the NorCal Announcement list?
   Anyone (SCBWI members and non-members)  may request membership in the NorCal SCBWI Announcement list by going to http://groups.yahoo.com and creating an ID on Yahoo Groups.  Then request membership by sending an email to:
  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it    
To unsubscribe from the Announcement List, send an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Q: Why would I need to register as a member of this spiffy new scbwisf.org site?
Couldn’t I just see all the useful content without becoming a member of scbwisf.org?
   If you are looking for a speaker for your school or literary event or merely need general information about scbwi or local events, you would not need to register as a member. Those areas of the site are open to the public and available to anyone.
   But if you would like to be able to communicate with fellow local scbwi members to form or join a critique group, become listed on our "Find a Speaker" page, post Good News,  etc, you will need to register. These special “non-public” areas and functions are open only to registered users who log in to participate. Only  SCBWI members can become registered users on scbwisf.org
BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN AND SAVE YOUR LOG IN NAME AND PASSWORD FOR FUTURE USE.

Q: Do I need to use my real name and email that I use for my regular national SCBWI membership when creating my scbwisf.org Member Login and “My Profile?”
   Yes. In order to verify your membership in SCBWI and approve your status as a current member, we check your name and email against the national roster.

Q: How do I find a critique group in my region?
A: First off you must be a member of SCBWI. For local members in all three regions, we will now be offering a Forum on the scbwisf.org website for members to connect to potential crit groups. Once you’ve registered with the scbwisf.org site, and have been approved, simply login, then click on the “Forum” tab at the top or on the Main Menu at the right. There are specific discussion topics for “Seeking a Crit Group,”  “Crit Groups Seeking Members” and “Form a Crit Group.” Post to one of these areas, depending on what you want to do.  Once you have found a satisfying critique group, you can delete the posting.

Q: How do I participate in the “Find a Speaker” section?
   If you are looking for a speaker, simply go the Find a Speaker tab and search. Then contact the authors or illustrators directly.
   If you are a local SCBWI member, and you would like to be added to our speaker list, you must be a local current member of scbwi, register as a user/member of this site, and create a “My Profile” under the User Menu on the right. You will be prompted with fields to fill in if you want to be a speaker.  Be sure to save your profile or any future updates. If you would like to update your profile in the future, click on “My Profile,” then “Edit,” then “Update Your Profile.”   The “Additional Details” tab is where most of the updates will be made. Once you’ve updated the fields, be sure to click the “Update” button at the bottom of the page to save any changes. BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN AND SAVE YOUR LOG IN NAME AND PASSWORD FOR FUTURE USE.

Q:How do I subscribe to the Norca-illustrator listserv?
A:SCBWI members may subscribe to the NorCa email listserv for Northern California. Contact Nancy Barnet ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )  to subscribe to the NorCa-Illustrator list.

Q: How may I apply to be the Featured Author, Featured Illustrator or Featured Volunteer on the scbwisf.org site?
The Featured Volunteer will be chosen at the discretion of the Regional Advisor.

The Featured Writers and Illustrators section of the website will showcase local published members.  We will give priority to those with books coming out near the time they are featured. We cannot guarantee that all who wish to be featured will be, though we will do our best.  If you wish to be featured, please send the following information to  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
-whether you wish to be a featured writer or illustrator
-a biography of 50 to 60 (max) words
-a jpeg of the book cover (72 dpi, maximum 150 pixels wide by 150 pixels high)
-a jpeg of your author photo (headshots look best:  72 dpi, maximum 150 pixels wide by 150 pixels high)
-your website or blog URL
-a URL where the book may be purchased
-the title and publication date of your book
-the name of the publisher (please, no self-published titles)
To assure consideration for the Featured Writer/Illustrator section for the remainder of 2008, please submit by 7/30/08.
For 2009 and beyond, deadlines will be Jan 1st and July 1st of each year.

Q: Something is not working on the website. What should I do?
This is a brand new site created by our hardworking volunteers. There may be glitches. If you find something that’s not working, please let us know by sending an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thank you.

Q: I sent an email to your organization. Why is it taking so long for a response?
We are all volunteers who donate our time between our writing and illustrating obligations, family life, and jobs. Thanks for your patience.

Q: I’d like to get more involved. How can I volunteer to help out?
Members of the San Francisco/South region should contact the Regional Advisor Amy Laughlin at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     Members of the other Northern CA regions should go to www.scbwinorthca.org to see how to volunteer.

Q: I have a question that hasn’t been answered in your FAQs. Where should I ask my question?
Contact the Regional Advisor Amy Laughlin at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it