Question 7
Besides AMM, Pitchwars, and Avengers of Color, what other mentorship programs are available? When do the submission periods open for those programs?
You can find this mentor, Molly Steen, here!
SUCH. A GOOD. QUESTION. There are SO MANY MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS! IMPORTANT CAVEAT: seek out past mentors/mentees alike. Just like you’d vet a potential CP, agent, editor, or other pub industry partner, recognize that not all mentorship programs are created equally! Do your own vetting 100%.
Your first question should be, “What am I looking for?” Your second question should be, “Who AM I?” There are a lot of mentorship programs for folks of specific identities. Do your research. Find programs with structures that appeal to you and APPLY to you. ONWARD!
WTMP (WriteTeam!): A mentorship program focused on community and support! THIS open inbox is ongoing in Jan. and March, and the full program will return in 2023. And our name is a PUN, which is fun. https://bit.ly/3qQbOqU
DiverseVoices Inc.’s DVMentor, a 6mo program from June to Dec. each year. DVInc’s mission is to get more marginalized voices at the table. While apps are currently closed, sign up for their newsletter to be the first to know when it’ll open next! https://bit.ly/3G5ipV9
SCBWI, the most notoriously difficult acronym in the industry to remember, has a plethora of programs. Not all are free, and it’s largely location-based; app periods vary. But if you write for kids, this is THE org for you. Check ‘em out: https://bit.ly/3q2sRqx
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB)’s mission is to put more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children! Even tho their app period ended in Oct. for 2022 mentorships, they offer lots of resources and point to many other mentorship programs on their site. https://bit.ly/34kXNtO
WNDB (cont.): Please sign up for their newsletter at the bottom of this page to truly stay in the loop! https://bit.ly/3zAdXuR
Latinos in Publishing has a mentorship program with apps typically happening in September! They’re here to support and increase #s of latino/a/x in the industry. Check them out and sign up for their newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eYpgU7
Desi Kidlit has a 6mo program! They are working to fill literary shelves with South Asian voices. It seems that apps also open around Oct. each year. Sign up for their newsletter to stay in the loop! https://bit.ly/3q4HpGi
Association of Writers & Writing Programs: apps open NOW for their Writer-to-Writer mentorship. They match emerging and pub’d authors for a three-month education series! https://bit.ly/3qYCBBr
And lastly, BE YOUR OWN MENTOR: a site collecting numerous resources on writing, revising, querying, and more. Why? Because you’re a badass—you got this! https://bit.ly/3n7qL6W
