Year-round mentorship program

Byron Writers Festival year-round mentorships are paid services available to members throughout the year who are seeking a professional mentor to assist with the development of their work.

We have compiled a list of locally-based writers of various genres and categories, (both fiction and non-fiction), as well as professional editors, who are willing to act as mentor to a developing or emerging writer.

Mentorships provide emerging writers with a chance to develop their writing and they also provide employment opportunities for writing professionals living in and beyond the area. The mentorship program is therefore designed as a fee-for-service scheme and is available only to members.

Mentorships, as distinct from manuscript assessment or editing services, provide a two-way relationship where writers are able to be nurtured and to ask questions, seek feedback, gain industry-related advice and work closely with their mentor via email, phone or personal meetings.

Is it for me?

A mentorship would be most beneficial to writers who:

• have a well developed manuscript and would like feedback from a professional who is working in their area of interest
• have a long term commitment to writing and the development of their craft and are ready to take advice and make changes to their work
• have already developed their work through writers’ groups, or by attending workshops or classes on writing
• have specific areas of their work that they want to address such as character development, structure, plot, writing for publication etc.
• have done their research into the genre in which they are writing and are having difficulty bringing their work to the word lengths or standards required for that genre, or
• have published already and are working on a project in a new genre.

Cost

Mentorships are available in blocks of 2, 5, 10 or 15 hours. This includes reading time, email correspondence and face-to-face time. Mentorship charges and approximate reading guidelines are as follows:

2 hour Firsthand Feedback     $175.00    (5 000 word excerpt + synopsis)
5 hour mentorship                    $395.00    (10 000 word excerpt + synopsis)
10 hour mentorship                  $740.00   (25 000 word excerpt + synopsis)
15 hour mentorship                  $1035.00   (40 000 word excerpt + synopsis)

These amounts include GST and full fees must be paid in advance to the Byron Writers Festival prior to the mentorship commencing.

How to apply

Step 1: Explore the list of Byron Writers Festival mentors.

Step 2: Complete the Registration Form

Step 3: We will contact the mentors to determine their availability and get back to you with some possible options.

For more information, please contact [email protected].