Free picture book mentoring

For an underrepresented writer

This week we have a really exciting opportunity for picture book writers…

Naomi is offering three free hours of picture book mentoring to a writer in the UK who feels their voice is underrepresented in children’s publishing.

What does the winning writer get?

Three hours of one-on-one picture book mentoring with Naomi.

Using a combination of zoom calls and written feedback, Naomi will offer guidance on manuscripts as well as advice about the industry and how to submit to agents.

Naomi is an award winning author. Her children’s books are published by HarperCollins, OUP and Hachette Children’s Group and have been translated into 19 languages.

Naomi spent eight years working for Penguin Random House and Hachette Children’s Group. She’s been a freelance editor and mentor for the last seven years working for Cornerstones, Jericho Writers, WhiteFox and Write Mentor and loves sharing everything she’s learned with other authors.

Who can apply?

This opportunity is open to all picture book writers currently living in the UK who feel their voice is underrepresented in children’s publishing whether they’re Black, Asian, neurodivergent, working class or LGBTQ+.

How do I apply?

Email: naomijonesmentor@gmail.com with the following attachments:

• A picture book text under 600 words

• A covering letter with a little information about yourself, your writing journey so far, your aspirations and what you’d like to gain from this mentoring opportunity.

• Please use the subject heading: MENTOR APPLICATION followed by your name

When is the deadline?

Please send all applications to Naomi by 31st January 2025.

Naomi will read all the applications in February and let the successful writer know by the end of that month. The mentoring hours will begin in March.

Why are you offering free mentoring?

As an author and illustrator who met working in publishing (we have 35 years experience in the industry between us) there is a lot we’ve learned about making books.

We recognise it can be hard to access information about the industry - that’s why we started Words and Pictures, to help demystify publishing and make it accessible for everyone.

We think it’s really important that the books children read reflect the world we live in and are written by a diverse range of voices - we want to help other writers and give them a leg up where we can.

This feels especially topical in light of the research CLPE recently released showing that ethic diversity in children’s literature declined in 2023.

You can read more about the inspiration for offering this opportunity here.

Please do share this opportunity with any writers you think might be interested. There are lots of amazing opportunities for children’s writers in the UK at the moment - we’ve listed them in this post.

We also have a post listing lots of brilliant resources for authors and illustrators here.

If you have a question, just pop it in the comments below and we’ll get back to you.

Becoming a paid subscriber gives you access to all our posts as well as a monthly live with us where you can ask us any questions you might have. You can find out about all the benefits here.