The Word Guild

If you write, edit, or communicate in a medium that requires writing, The Word Guild is for you! We even have an affiliate membership category for readers, booksellers, librarians, and others in the publishing industry.

We help Canadian writers, editors and speakers who are Christian connect with others in the industry, develop their skills and learn new expertise, and work as a team to impact our nation. We believe that by working together, we'll all move closer to excellence. Membership in The Word Guild community is open to anyone who:

• has an interest in writing or editing;
• is a Canadian citizen or has permanent resident status, no matter where he/she is currently residing;
• affirms The Apostles' Creed.

In order to join, you do not need to write predominantly "Christian" or "inspirational" material that is published in the church press, is sold in Christian bookstores or deals with faith, religion, theology, spirituality and related subject matter. In other words, the writer needs to be Christian, not the material!

Our members work in many spheres of communications that encompass business, community and church readerships, writing and editing both Christian and mainstream (secular) material. The Word Guild's membership includes the whole range of ages and experience levels, from students and people who are aspiring writers but haven't been published yet, to professional writers and editors who have decades of experience and have published many articles or books.

Our members write and edit in many genres, from humour, biographies, poetry, children's picture books, devotionals, suspense novels, musicals for community theatre and television scripts – to interior design and gardening articles or physical fitness columns.

They get published in everything from trade publications, technical manuals and textbooks to national daily newspapers, denominational magazines, Internet sites and community weekly newspapers. Our authors are published through a gamut of methods: mainstream, multi-national royalty publishers; small literary, academic or regional presses; large or small Christian publishing houses; or independently producing their own books.

The Word Guild's goal is to strengthen the Canadian Christian writing and publishing community and to raise the bar for excellence and professionalism. By taking concrete steps to accomplish that (such as our conferences and writing awards programs), we are working toward our long-term goal of impacting the Canadian culture through the words of writers, editors and speakers with a Christian worldview.

The Word Guild's mandate is to be a co-operative effort, with all members working together to expand the quality, scope, impact – and markets for – our writing and editing. Yes, we must charge a membership fee in order to cover a portion of our administrative costs. But we need each member's participation in order to serve each other.

Our affiliate membership category is open to non-writers who work in related fields such as the publishing industry, church or public librarians, booksellers or avid readers, and to those who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents.