The bylaws stipulate that a literary club should be licensed by the ministry and should have the primary goal of promoting Arabic literary and cultural activities with a stress on highlighting cultural and literary production and history in the region where the club is working in particular and of the Kingdom in general.

A club should also encourage young literary talents besides striving to preserve the intellectual and material rights of writers.

As part of efforts to promote literary activities the clubs should organize periodic cultural and literary seminars, meetings and lectures and issue publications in addition to establishing libraries and other sources of literary and cultural information in the province where it is operating. The clubs should also prepare a database of writers in their regions.

According to the new bylaws, a club can have mainly two types of members. Working members should have published works or some similar qualifications. A Saudi living outside the province would be an associate member. Non-Saudis are also eligible for associate membership.

Honorary memberships are accorded to persons supporting club activities financially or morally.

A working member is eligible to contest for the 10-member board of directors of the club. He will also have voting right in the general assembly of the club.

The annual membership fee of a working member is SR300.

While an associate member does not have voting rights in the general assembly or membership of the board of directors, he can attend the general assembly meetings and receive all publications and schedules of the club. His membership fee is fixed at SR200.

A membership will cease either by resignation or by violation of club regulations. Any members who delay the payment of subscription renewal by three months will lose their membership.

Members of the board of directors should be elected by secret ballot from the general assembly. Board members will elect their chairmen, deputy chairmen, administrative managers and finance managers under the supervision of the ministry. The chairman of the board should be at least 30 years old and the board’s term will be for four years.

With the resignation of half of the members, including the chairman, at a single go and with the permission of the ministry the board will be dissolved.

The financial sources of a club include membership fees, government grant, revenue from publications, any other investment made by the club and contributions.