Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) #RWISA #RRBC

Q:  Since there is already a RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB, why the formation of RWISA?  It’s like a club within a club.

A:  Membership into RRBC is open to anyone who completes an application and pays their annual membership fee (if they were members and left the club, they are able to return, as long as they left in good standing), and since we are such a huge community of support, we welcome everyone.  We feel that the more members we have, the greater our support base. With membership into RRBC being open and available to everyone, we do find that there are those who join, yet aren’t serious about their work, and there are also those who join, who don’t really care about the level of work they put out.  That carelessness tends to reflect in the many books that are found on Amazon with major issues such as poor sentence structure, excessive typos, under-developed characters, unrealistic dialog, and more.  Simply put, they are books not worthy of having been published.

With RWISA, membership is exclusive and is not open to the general public.  Membership is available to those writers and authors who are committed and dedicated to excellence in their writing.  These writers and authors care extremely deeply about their work and are willing to do all that it takes to ensure that they are introducing only the best into the literary market.

Q: What is the greatest benefit of becoming a member of RWISA?

A:  We live in a world where anyone can be tagged as a good/great writer simply because someone likes them, because someone felt they supported them greatly on Twitter, or because they gave someone a favorable review and that person felt the need or the obligation to tag them as such.  This is sad because in none of these scenarios, did you find the fact that their book had actually been read by the person who tagged them as “great/good writer.”

By this time, everyone knows our Founder, Author, Nonnie Jules‘ position on good/great writing.  She is a true Connoisseur of words, which might be why she has a waiting queue of hundreds of requests for reviews from her peers.  So, to be aligned with an organization such as this, or any organization where she has endorsed and assured only the BEST will reside, you can feel safe in knowing that your association in this society is truly a reputable one.  Those who seek out the work of the members of this society will be assured that the writing is great/good, and more importantly, that the authors here truly CARE about what they are putting out onto the literary horizon.

Q:  How does one become a member of RWISA?

A:  One must complete a Membership Request Form and once their work has been vetted thoroughly and meets the criteria for membership into this illustrious group, they will be extended a personal invitation to add their name to the roster.

Q:  I understand that there is a vetting process as a requirement for membership.  What are the criteria?

A:  Please visit VETTING / CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP.

Q:  Who makes the final decision as to whether one is invited to membership?

A:  Our TEAM of seven (7) Vetters vote on each individual potential member. A potential member must garner at least 4 of these 7 votes to be invited to membership.

Q:  Who serves on RWISA’s Vetting TEAM? 

A:  We will not divulge the names of the members on our Vetting TEAM.

Q:  Once I submit my request for membership, how long will the vetting process take?

A:  Although it is our intent to process all requests immediately, the entire vetting process could take anywhere from 7 to 21 days, depending on the number of requests that we have in queue before you.  Sometimes, this process may take a bit longer.

Q:  Do I have to be a member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB to join RWISA?

A:  Yes.  We like to offer amazing benefits of membership to the members of our clubs.  Being able to add your name to the roster at RWISA, is just another perk for RRBC members!

Q:  Once I have been accepted into membership with RWISA, how long before my complete profile is built on the site?

A:  Once you return the requested information in to us, it can take anywhere from 7-14 days for your profile to be completely built on the RWISA website.

Q:  How is my membership with RWISA tied to my membership with RRBC?

A:  Your membership with RWISA is tied to your membership with RRBC by your having to first be a member of RRBC before your name can be added to the RWISA roster.  And, because your membership at RWISA is based on your membership with RRBC, you can decide to quit RWISA and still remain a member of RRBC, but you can’t quit RRBC and remain a member of RWISA.

Q:  Are there any fees associated with joining RWISA?

A:  Yes, there is a one-time NON-REFUNDABLE application processing fee and it is only $75.00.  This small increase is offset by the fact that there are NO ANNUAL FEES with your RWISA membership!  This fee covers the cost of your establishment on the site with your Author page, Author’s Story (bio) and Author Showcase.  It also covers the cost of listing up to 2 book titles with covers and up to 1 book trailer on your Author page and in the RWISA catalog.

Q:  I understand that you have a catalog of books.  Is there a fee to add books to the catalog?

A:  With your membership association, you are allotted up to 2 titles and 1 book trailer to add to your main author page and to the catalog without charge.  After your second title and first book trailer, there is a $5 per title or trailer listing fee.  At this time, as a member of RWISA, you may list an unlimited number of titles and book trailers in the catalog for a $5/ea listing fee.  This may change in the near future as our membership grows.  IF in fact, we have to change this policy, the number of books that you have in the catalog when the change is made, will remain the same.  You may have a maximum of 5 title listings ONLY added to your AUTHOR PAGE, with only one of those displaying a cover or trailer.  (There is a $2.50 per title listing fee for each title added to your main author page, past your allotted two titles); 

Q:  I have friends who I think would fit in well with this group, as I think they are amazing writers.  How can they get their names on the roster?

A:  Anyone interested in membership with RWISA, must complete a MEMBERSHIP REQUEST Form.  Once their writing has been vetted and approved, they will then receive a personal invitation from us to join.

Q:  Do I pay my processing fee when I complete my MEMBERSHIP REQUEST Form?

A:  YES!  In the beginning, this answer was NO, but since we have had members to complete membership requests, have our vetters take their time to vet and approve said members, only for them to turn around and decline the invitation, as of 6/5/16, the response has changed.  If you are serious about adding your name to the RWISA roster, please submit your $75.00/non-refundable processing fee at the time you make application.  If your application is declined, at that time, your fee becomes refundable and you will receive a FULL REFUND of your fee.

Our vetters spend a lot of time devoting their full attention to the vetting of each member application, and it is unfair for them to have wasted that time for naught.  Again, if members are serious about being added to our roster, they won’t mind this change in process at all.

Q:   What are some examples of how I can be considered an active and supportive RWISA member?

A:   Here are the ways that you can be considered an active and supportive RWISA member:
-Purchase, read and review fellow member-author books
-Support your fellow members on Twitter and other social media forums by using the #RWISA hashtag
-Join the RWISA Tweet Support Team
-Spend time sharing fellow member profile pages from the RWISA site onto social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
-Participate in RWISA club activities (and not just when there’s an opportunity that directly benefits you)

–Familiarize yourself with the RWISA Member Handbook

Q:  What do I have to do to remain a compliant member of RWISA:

A:  As with your membership in RRBC, all RWISA members must ensure that they are purchasing, reading and reviewing at a minimum, 4 fellow member books per year.  To remain compliant here at RWISA, you must ensure that at least two of those four annual required reads are by RWISA authors.  You may make your selections from either the RRBC or the RWISA Catalogs.  All RWISA Members are depicted within the RRBC Catalog with RWISA in front of their names.

B:  All RWISA members must have #RWISA in their Twitter bio to remain in a compliant status.  If the member has no Twitter account, then it must be displayed in their Facebook account.  It is an honor and a privilege to be a member here and we feel that is a small ask to have FREE membership each year.

Q:  What happens if I become Non-Compliant with my RWISA membership or labeled as Inactive and/or Non-supportive?

A:  Non-Compliant, Inactive and/or Non-supportive members will experience the following without further notice:
-Books will be removed from the catalog
–Author name will be deactivated on the MEET THE  AUTHORS page and all pages (i.e. About the Author, Showcase, etc.) will no longer be public
-Tweet support will be revoked

-Will be sent a membership renewal notice to remain on the roster

Q:  What must I do to become Compliant again within RWISA:

A:  If you’re negligent in your reviews, to become compliant with RWISA and have your books re-listed in the catalog, you must first make the request to have your titles placed back into the catalog by sending an email via the CONTACT US page on our site; you must show that you have completed a purchase, read & review by directing us to your review on the Amazon site;  you must have been given and agreed to a Compliance Plan by the Reviews Dept. to catch up on ALL your past reviews, and you must also pay a $5.00/per title or trailer re-listing fee.  If your pages have been deactivated on the site, there is a $15 re-listing fee to have each of them listed back on the site.  If they have been deleted, you will be required to make application again into RWISA. It is hard work listing books and authors in our catalogs or listing pages on the site, and when we have to remove them and then re-list them, that’s more added work on our plate, and also very time-consuming.

Q:  Why is my name deactivated on the MEET THE MEMBERS page and RWISA is not listed next to my name in various other places under the RRBC/RWISA umbrella?   

A:  Notice above that one portion of remaining compliant is that RWISA is in your Twitter bio if you have a Twitter account.  As a member of RWISA, we also only advertise RWISA membership for those members who are shown to actively support their fellow members.

Q:  What if I leave the club and then decide to become a member again?

A:  If you leave RRBC, you are automatically no longer a member of RWISA.  Once your profile has been removed from the RWISA site, the same fee which applied when you initially joined will apply upon your return.

Q:  How will I receive credit for my RWISA reads?

A:  When you report your reviews to RRBC’s the Reviews Dept. at RRBCInfo@gmail.com, we will log your reviews and ensure that you are properly credited for reviews performed on RWISA member books, but you must state which book is a RWISA-read.