Q&A: Do you need a writer mentorship program? Or is traditional querying better?
Hey friends,
Phew, what a month. It’s been a whirlwind of travel and I’ve gotten very familiar with my local airport’s terminals—aka I now know where the best bagel sandwiches are in the airport and have a mental map of all the water bottle refilling stations. Hah.
I had a wedding → work conference → wedding in the span of 2.5 weeks and a self-imposed deadline for book I’ve been working on since 2020 before that, one which taught me a LOT about writing. But we’ll get to that in another newsletter. 😉
Today, I wanted to start answering the questions that you all sent in!
Let’s get to it.
Q:
Hi! I l love your trilogy, and learned recently that you submitted it through Author-Mentor Match. My question is do you recommend something like that or Pitch Wars as opposed to traditional querying, and how is it different?
A:
Hey there! I'm thrilled to hear you loved the TIGER trilogy ❤️ and I can definitely dive into this.
For some context, the question is referring to writer mentorship programs like Author Mentor Match (where I was a mentee/mentor later) and Pitch Wars (where I was a mentor).
For a little background, I queried my first book (that I had revised on my own) and also didn’t get into Pitch Wars that year, which taught me a lot! I got a new idea, drafted it and then after some revision, I applied for and got accepted to Author Mentor Match. I’m so grateful that I got to work with my mentor, Axie Oh, and later, got to meet my two mentees (shoutout to Brittney Arena and Lena Jeong!) through AMM and Pitch Wars. After the program was over, I participated in #DVPit and queried traditionally to get my current agent.
As you can see, while I was a part of Author Mentor Match, there were so many twists and turns in my story. My experience with AMM was that it was a wonderful opportunity to learn as an early writer and a fantastic way to build community. A mentorship program can be a great way to hone your craft and make writer friends, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get an agent.
Here's the thing: I’d say most of the authors you see on the shelves got there through the slush pile. And the slush pile continues to be the best way to get an agent. Even with Pitch Wars, which had an agent showcase, many of the authors I knew who participated got their agents through traditionally querying AFTER the showcase.
So! If you’re looking to improve your writing and work with a mentor, I definitely recommend these sorts of programs. AMM and Pitch Wars are both defunct now, but WNDM (We Need Diverse Books) still offers mentorship, and you can always be mentored informally as well.
What’s really essential is to find a way to improve as a writer. I think one of the biggest things I learned from my experiences with these programs is to build your writer community and to find writer friends to go on this journey with—ones who are willing to grow with you and support you through the ups and downs. Ones who will read your manuscripts and early, ugly drafts and give you the tough feedback (and all the cheerleading). That was the true value of these programs, at least for me.
But, if you’re looking to mentorship programs to get you agented, they won’t. Not on their own. Traditional querying is still alive and well (and not as scary as it seems, I promise). And you don’t need to be a part of these sorts of programs to become a published author. Not by any means.
Hopefully that helps! And let me know in the comments/ask a question below if y’all are interested in more information and tips on querying. I know that the whole process can feel so intimidating.
Cheers,
Swati
Have a question to ask for the next issue?
ICYMI, The Boyfriend Wish
And if you missed it…I have a new book coming out!
Think classic teen rom-com meets a magical wish, with prank war hijinks, a cozy cul-de-sac, sibling antics, and neighbors/enemies-to-lovers.
This book was such a joy to write and it’s coming your way February 13, 2024, just in time for Valentine’s Day!
I’d be super grateful if you pre-ordered TBW or added it to Goodreads! Every ounce of support makes a huge difference for authors. ❤️