This is another manuscript mentoring contest that I haven't plugged quite as heavily as in years past, as, again, I'm not entering. I'm still wrestling with the emotional beats for Dragon Scales, but it's getting closer to draft-ready.
I actually know a writer who went through the 2019 Summer Mentoring Programme (yes, it's UK based, so with an "e" at the end), and wow, she's awesome at her craft, so this one I highly recommend.
This is a free manuscript mentoring contest. If you're looking for "...a full manuscript developmental edit," this is your best bet. From the WriteMentor website:
"Mentors will read your full manuscript and give you a report on the relative areas of strength and areas for development (this is the minimum obligation and we will not ask mentors to re-read revised manuscripts, though they are welcome to)."
So, if you have a finished MS that's never been published before, and you're not agented (you don't have a literary agent), go ahead! Give it a shot. It's a free developmental edit. Who wouldn't love that for your MS?
And this contest has a category for picture books (PBs), unlike any of the other contests I mention on this blog. I don't pay much attention to those rules, so you'll have to go over the requirements, and how many manuscripts they want you to submit, on your own. For those authors who write novels and may not be familiar, PB writers often submit 3-5 works, because a PB is only around 500 words -- but they're darn hard to write!
Mentee Application Window Opens: 7th-8th April 2022
Mentor-Mentee announcement: 28th April 2022
Mentoring programme period: 1st May-31st August 2022
Agent Showcase: Friday 2nd-9th September 2022
Get your standard submission packet ready and in tip-top shape: a query, synopsis (single-spaced 1 page), and this contest asks for your first chapter (double-spaced, max 3,000 words).
In years past, applicants were asked to answer this question: Why have you applied to WriteMentor? It's best to have a response written and ready to copy and paste into the application window.
Good luck! If you enter your MS, let me know! I'll cheer you on, while I wrestle with mine. ;-)
