Membership application forms are to be made available as an online form on our website and as a PDF or Word document on request.

Applications will be reviewed by the executive director. The ED may delegate the application review process to another staff member.

Applicants will receive a reply within ten days. This process may take longer depending on our capacity during different periods and/or if additional information is required.

The term of membership is annual, and membership fees are charged annually (see below for fees). Members who are not in good standing due to non-payment of fees are not entitled to a vote until payment has been received.

Accommodations and Discounts

If the membership fee is a financial barrier, a discount or a fee waiver is available. Students in Canada or the United States who are enrolled in a post-secondary program related to literature, publishing, or Indigenous studies are encouraged to request a fee waiver. Students will be asked to submit proof of current enrolment.

Accommodation may be requested as often as needed, but applicant must submit a new request at each annual renewal.

Indigenous individuals in Canada are entitled to a vote. Indigenous organizations in Canada are entitled to one vote per organization. Other classes of membership have a voice, but no vote. Members not in good standing are not eligible to vote.

To be eligible for admission to any class of membership, applicants must:

• meet the eligibility requirements of their chosen class of membership (see below);
• agree to uphold the IEA's bylaws and guiding principles [link when available];
• support and have an interest in furthering the IEA's mission, vision, and values; and
• pay the applicable annual membership fee by the due date.

A member who fails to meet the eligibility requirements of their membership class is not in good standing and their access to membership benefits and their right to vote will be suspended.

There are six classes of membership in the IEA. Eligibility requirements, fees, and voting rights vary according to country of residence, Indigenous or non-Indigenous identity, and whether the applicant is an individual or an organization.

Indigenous Individuals in Canada

Description: Indigenous people who work with stories and reside in Canada are encouraged to apply to this class, whether an emerging or established professional. Applicants may include, for example, editors, writers, poets, storytellers, designers, and agents; language experts and Knowledge Keepers; Elders; and students enrolled in post-secondary programs in Canada related to literature, publishing, or Indigenous studies.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be Indigenous (see the definitions provided in the Indigenous Identity Protocol section of this Membership Policy)
• Must reside in Canada

Voting Rights: Yes

Annual Fee: CAD $10 + GST/HST

Indigenous Organizations in Canada

Description: Indigenous organizations, including publishers, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations, whose head office is in Canada are encouraged to apply to this class. Organizations admitted to this class may delegate up to two Indigenous representatives (limit one vote per organization), who must be named at the time of application .

Eligibility Requirements

• A simple majority of the board or leadership must be Indigenous (see the definitions provided in the Indigenous Identity Protocol section of this Membership Policy)
• Must be headquartered in Canada
• Must name at least one and up to two representatives who are authorized to attend IEA meetings and vote on behalf of the organization

Voting Rights: Yes, one vote

Annual Fee: CAD $100 + GST/HST

Indigenous Individuals in the United States

Description: Indigenous people who work with stories and reside in the United States are encouraged to apply to this class, whether an emerging or established professional. Applicants may include, for example, editors, writers, poets, storytellers, designers, and agents; language experts and Knowledge Keepers; Elders; and students enrolled in post-secondary programs in the United States related to literature, publishing, or Indigenous studies.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be Indigenous (see the definitions provided in the Indigenous Identity Protocol section of this Membership Policy)
• Must reside in the United States or in a territory of the United States

Voting Rights: No

Annual Fee: CAD $10

Indigenous Organizations in the United States

Description: Indigenous organizations, including publishers, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations, whose head office is in the United States or a territory of the United States are encouraged to apply to this class. Organizations admitted to this class may delegate up to two representatives, who must be named at the time of application.

Eligibility Requirements:

• A simple majority of the board or leadership must be Indigenous (see the definitions provided in the Indigenous Identity Protocol section of this Membership Policy)
• Must be headquartered in the United States or in a territory of the United States
• Must name at least one and up to two representatives who are authorized to attend IEA meetings and vote on behalf of the organization.

Voting Rights: No

Annual Fee: CAD $100

Non-Indigenous Individuals in Canada and the United States

Description: Non-Indigenous people residing in Canada or the United States who want to connect with and learn from Indigenous people who work with stories and work with us to ensure publishing projects involving Indigenous stories are led by Indigenous people, are encouraged to apply to this class.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must reside in Canada, the United States, or a United States territory

Voting Rights: No

Annual Fee: CAD $25 + GST/HST (taxes apply to Canadian applications only)

Non-Indigenous Organizations in Canada and the United States

Description: Non-Indigenous organizations whose head office is in Canada or the United States who want to connect with and learn from Indigenous people who work with stories and work with us to ensure publishing projects involving Indigenous stories are led by Indigenous people, are encouraged to apply to this class.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be headquartered in Canada, the United States, or a United States territory

Voting Rights: No

Annual Fee: CAD $250 + GST/HST (taxes apply to Canadian applications only)

Members of the Indigenous Individuals in Canada class and the Indigenous Organizations in Canada class are entitled to vote on IEA business (Indigenous organizations are entitled to one vote).

All IEA members receive the following benefits:

• early notification of new IEA activities and programming;
• invitations to attend general meetings;
• opportunities to volunteer with IEA committees;
• access to all-member programming and services;
• access to all-member educational, professional development, and networking opportunities;
• priority registration for IEA events when applicable;
• subscription to our all-members newsletter; and
• ability to post listings on our Jobs Board for free.

Some IEA programs and services are reserved for Indigenous members only, such as professional development events designed for Indigenous members or the ability to view postings on the Jobs Board.

In addition, Indigenous members receive the following benefits:

• access to Kitchen Table Talks following webinars;
• discounts from vendors: Brush Education and Rabbit with a Red Pen Editing; and
• member rates to our partner organizations: the Editors Association of Canada and the Editorial Freelancers Association.

For details of how to access these benefits, members can log in at any time to view the All Member Benefits page and (if applicable) the Indigenous Member Benefits page.

The IEA wishes to thank the vendors and partners who have generously helped us provide the benefits.

• Brush Education
• Rabbit with a Red Pen Editing
• Editors Association of Canada

The IEA supports First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights to self-determination and recognizes that colonial practices and ideologies have displaced communities and individuals and fractured connections and identities. The purpose of the Indigenous Identity Protocol is to provide information and guidance to applicants and IEA Council, staff, and volunteers on questions of Indigenous identity as they pertain to our membership policy. Our intention with this protocol is to approach issues of identity in ways that reflect the IEA's values and uphold our principles of trust and accountability.

"Indigenous" means:

• First Nations (Status and non-Status), Inuit, or Métis Peoples in Canada; or
• cultural groups outside of lands claimed by Canada who self-identity as Indigenous; are recognized as Indigenous by the appropriate groups in their local context; have historical continuity within a given region or parts of a region; formerly or currently inhabit the region; and have maintained, at least in part, distinct linguistic, cultural, social, economic, and political systems and remain distinct from the dominant or surrounding populations; or
• individuals belonging to the above Peoples or groups.

In the context of this membership policy:

• "First Nations" refers to the self-governing bands, reserve-based communities, or larger tribal groups recognized in Canada as First Nations; it describes status and non-status individuals who are citizens or members of a First Nation;
• "Inuit" refers to the First Peoples of some Arctic regions, which in Canada include Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and parts of the Northwest Territories, and "Inuk" refers to an individual from these Peoples;
• "Métis" refers to people who meet the definition of Métis provided by the Métis National Council: "'Métis' means a person who self-identifies as Métis, is distinct from other Aboriginal peoples, is of historic Métis Nation Ancestry and who is accepted by the Métis Nation."

The application of these definitions to membership applications is at the discretion of the IEA's executive director and Council.

We encourage applicants to read the Membership Policy, including the Indigenous Identity Protocol, before submitting their application. In the application form, applicants are asked "Are you Indigenous under the definitions provided in the Indigenous Editors Association Membership Policy?" Before submitting their application, applicants are asked to affirm that the information submitted on the application is true and correct; and to acknowledge that the IEA reserves the right to suspend a member's account if their eligibility is called into question. In such cases the member will have the opportunity to work with the IEA to demonstrate their eligibility.