Nine Writing Mentorship Programs—And Why You Should Apply

When you’re an author with a finished book, it is crucial to get feedback on the manuscript before you begin querying agents or submitting to publishers before it is sent out to publishing professionals. This is where the writing community becomes a true asset. Through your writing friends, you have access to beta readers and critique partners equipped to help you improve your work rather than simply saying “I loved it” or “It’s okay.”

However, having a mentor in the writing community—ideally an established author or publishing professional—can be an invaluable resource, especially in the early stages of your publishing journey. Unfortunately, mentors won’t knock on your door or slide into your DMs like publishing fairy godparents. Making that connection will be on you, and sliding into their DMs unannounced to ask for help is not the way.

Luckily, author mentorship programs exist to help new authors find experienced mentors who can not only aid them in polishing their books but also guide them through the querying process. And there’s a bonus: with application to those programs also often comes the chance to join various online communities geared toward writers of all genres.

The Waiting Is (Not) the Hardest Part

When I entered the writing community via Twitter in 2020, writing mentorships seemed to be everywhere. I applied for both PitchWars and AuthorMentorMatch, and while I did not get picked as a mentee, I met three people who became my writing besties and critique partners in the “waiting” support groups on Twitter. Instead of a mentor, I found a community and made a group of amazing friends, and the four of us have critiqued for, cheered for, and commiserated with each other for more than three years.

This chance to find a community is as much a reason why I encourage new writers to apply for mentorship programs as the opportunity for mentorship itself. You may not get picked as a mentee, but you will still learn from the process of applying—and you can meet other writers via Discord or social media groups.

However, as with almost everything else involved with publishing, applying to mentoring programs means opening yourself up to the possibility that you won’t get picked. Rejection is never easy, on any level, but you can gain quite a bit from simply shooting your shot.

It’s Raining Mentorships

Now that I’ve made my case for applying, here’s some bad news: several of the higher-profile mentorship programs that were big back in 2020 have closed. That includes both PitchWars and AMM, may they rest in peace. However, the good news is that several programs are still going strong, and new programs have been created that have great potential to succeed and strengthen the community.

What follows is an alphabetized list of mentorship programs with free applications that are currently in operation as of this writing. It is not an exhaustive list; I’ve included only programs that I’ve checked for legitimacy and that are free to all writers who fit their criteria. Many writing organizations like RWA, SCBWI, HWA, IALA, AWW, WFWA, AWP, and more have mentorship opportunities, but those are usually for subscribing members only, which involves membership fees. (Hence, not “free.”)   

  • The Editor-Writer Mentorship – This mentorship is offered by The Word, A Storytelling Sanctuary, with a focus on amplifying BIPOC, queer, disabled, and neurodiverse voices. The Editor-Writer Mentorship has been bringing publishing professionals and upcoming writers from those communities together since 2019. Check out https://www.thewordfordiversity.org/editor-writer-mentorship for more information.
  • Kiss Pitch – Open to members of the FridayKiss Facebook group (free to join, with prospective members vetted by moderators), Kiss Pitch allows unpublished, unagented romance writers to “query” the mentors they hope to work with based on the mentors’ wish lists. Once a mentee has been selected, the mentor works with them to create a plan for their work together. For more info, check out the FridayKiss Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fridaykiss
  • Latinx in Publishing Writers Mentorship Program – Latinx in Publishing offers fellowships and other programs for authors who identify as Latinx, including the Writers Mentorship Program for unagented, unpublished Latinx authors. For more information, including the mentorship classes of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, check out the website here: https://latinxinpublishing.com/mentorship
  • Revise & Resub/RevPit – RevPit is a little different from the other programs listed here; it is an editorial-focused program with mentors who are primarily editors and editorial agents. However, RevPit is first and foremost a writing community, and joining it means getting access to editor chats and workshops throughout the year in addition to winning a full developmental edit on a manuscript. Follow RevPit on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReviseResub and visit https://www.reviseresub.com/ for more information.
  • Round Table Mentor – Round Table launched in 2023 to provide authors with guidance that focuses on content rather than publishing. The “round table” of mentors matches mentees with their mentors for year-long and half-year mentorships in adult, YA, and MG. Applicants are also invited to join the RTM Discord to build community. Learn more here: https://www.roundtablementor.com/
  • SmoochPit – Focused on romance fiction, SmoochPit has provided a traditional mentorship experience with an experienced romance author for a few years now, and ensuring opportunities for authors of color has been a foundational tenet of the program. Mentee applications for 2024 open in September! Follow SmoochPit on Twitter at https://twitter.com/smoochpit and check out https://www.smoochpit.com/ for more info.
  • We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Programs – WNDB offers multiple programs plus mentorship and workshop opportunities for diverse authors and illustrators of YA and children’s lit, including opportunities specific to Black creatives. As an organization, WNDB provides resources for published and unpublished creatives as well as educators and librarians, with a full list provided at https://diversebooks.org/programs/.
  • Write Team Mentorship Program – WTMP is unique among these programs in two ways: it provides both one-on-one mentorships and alternating Open Inbox mentorships (providing Q&A opportunities between mentors and mentees), and it kicks off with an application-only Twitter pitch contest. The next pitch lottery will open for applications on July 14, and the next Open Inbox with launch November 1. Visit https://www.writeteammentors.com/about for more details.
  • WriteMentor – The WriteMentor mentorship program is specific to children’s lit. It has gone through some changes and is no longer an editorial program but is more focused toward guiding mentees through their publishing journey. More information, including a link to an explanation of how and why the program evolved, can be accessed here: https://write-mentor.com/mentoring-programme-summer/.

A word of caution: I strongly recommend that you research any mentorship program fully before sending your work, as even established programs can sometimes lag or miss the mark in terms of reliability and scope for diversity. Likewise, if you find a new mentorship opportunity not on this list, be sure to investigate both it and its founders and volunteers thoroughly before applying.

A Candle in the Window

Mentorship programs are only one path through the publishing wilderness, and while finding a mentor through one of these programs may seem like one of Wonka’s Golden Tickets, it is not a guarantee of success. Having a mentor can be a tremendous asset, but it by no means always leads to getting an agent or a book deal. Likewise, I know several writers who didn’t get selected as mentees, sometimes even after applying for multiple programs, but got agents for their manuscripts via cold-querying—often with query letters perfected with the help of their writing friends.

When all’s said and done, it’s good to know that writing mentorship programs are out there, keeping a candle in the window for all writers traversing the dark, bumpy road of publishing. But remember, the destination is not all that matters, as the companions you find along the way can make the whole journey worthwhile.

A Letter of Introduction

Hi! I’m Mary, and this is my blog.

First off, I should explain that I am not that Mary Morris–the celebrated author of several story collections, novels like The Jazz Palace, and memoir like All the Way to the Tigers. If you’re looking for that Mary Morris, just google the name we share. I promise, she will be the first author who pops up!

The author of Vanishing Animals & Other Stories, The Jazz Palace, All the Way to the Tigers, and more

The Mary Morris you’ve found here at marymorris-writer.com does write various things, and she’s a lifelong reader of a little bit of everything, from narrative and historical nonfiction to horror to romcoms to superhero comics to fanfiction to the works of the other Mary Morris pictured above. The Mary Morris you’ve found is pictured below.

The author of this blog and some other stuff

I’m delighted to say that as a writer, I have published short fiction, short nonfiction, and even a poem over the past few decades. I also co-write urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the pen name Phoebe Walker, two of which are published, and write contemporary romance novels under my own name. (While I do read everything, romance is my favorite thing to read.) I’ve got various writing projects going at pretty much all times!

But I was not always such. Once upon a time, I had just graduated with an MFA in creative writing and severe burnout from that program. I spent several years, back when I was Mary McGlasson, working as a copy editor, freelance writer, and newspaper reporter while raising my daughter and for the most part avoiding writing as a creative or personal exercise. I also got a divorce and moved back to my hometown—classic mid-twenties life in the ’00s.

Later, I got a full-time gig as an English professor at a teeny-tiny community college near my hometown, and I both found my calling and rediscovered my love for writing. A year or so into my teaching career, just a few months after my mother’s death from cancer, I got my first publication in an online literary journal, a little scrap of flash nonfiction called “Our First Kiss.” Getting that acceptance helped renew my belief in myself as a writer, and I will never cease to be grateful for it.

During my twelve years of teaching full time, I remarried and became Mary Morris, built a house, birthed two more children, became a grandmother (!), and continued writing and publishing short works in various lit mags. I also completed my first novel, something I had never managed in two decades of writing literary fiction. What changed? I decided to write what I loved most—romance.

When I started writing a contemporary romance that had been bouncing around my head for awhile, I was able to truly throw myself into it with my whole heart and finally finish a full-length novel. Romance is quite simply my happy place, and I’ve found a wonderful, welcoming community for that in Chicago-North Romance Writers, where I am honored to serve as vice president and director of programs for 2024. (If you’re reading this and are a romance writer, come check us out! We’re not just for northern Illinois authors!)

Today, I live in the middle of the woods in southeastern Illinois with my husband, our two youngest children, and miscellaneous cats, while my oldest daughter, my grandson, and my bonus grandson pop in to visit as often as I can get them out here. I teach creative writing to grad students and reading/writing enrichment to middle-school students. I edit fiction as a freelancer for an independent publishing company and editing service. And I write as much as possible.

I’m lucky enough to have wonderful writing friends and critique partners all over the country, so I get to read for them and provide feedback on their work as well as scream with them in the group chat over all things good and commiserate with hug GIFs over all things bad. It’s a joy and a privilege to be part of their lives and their writing journeys. And through CNRW and other writing groups on Discord and Facebook, I get to support other writers of all genres in various ways, from simple encouragement to critiquing queries and chapters.

Outside of writing, I serve as a founding member of my rural area’s first dedicated Pride group and an advocate for the queer community however possible. I volunteer, donate, and in general hope to help make the world a better place for all.  

I also spend as much time as possible with my weird and brilliant children, my handsome Viking of a husband, and my friends and family. In my “spare” time, I read those aforementioned books and fanfic, watch TV and movies, play board games, take hot baths, build LEGO structures, and play online word games.

My life is many things, but it is never, ever boring.

***

If you’re still with me, thank you for reading to the end! You’ll find that my future blog posts may wander over 1,000 words, but I’ll do my best to make them worth your time.

If you would like to connect or have questions about any of the above, feel free to reach out to me via my contact form. In the meantime, happy writing and happy living!