Brenda Drake, selected some qualified members of the publishing industry (mostly agented/published authors) who were willing to spend months of their own time mentoring one promising author, hopefully giving them a leg up towards meeting their goal of publishing success!
I am one of those mentors
(or at least I have been since PW year #2)
I give a few weeks of my time, reading through the 70-100 submissions sent to me in order to find a book I personally want to see published. We then spend two months working with that author to make their full manuscript SHINE! Sometimes this means big revisions, other times it means just some sprucing or somewhere in between. Then we send their lovelies into the world, hoping agents,(followed by editors) will love them and sign them, and eventually turn their words into a real live book.
Pitch Wars mentors don't get paid for any of this. Not even if/when one of those authors is published because of PW. All I expect, as I've said many times before, is a signed copy once it's published.
So what do I get out of it?
Well, I first volunteered because I wanted to continue to be a part of this amazing community of writers. I entered as an aspiring author the first year PW existed, and even once I became published, I didn't want to give it up!
I've met some amazing friends through Pitch Wars. Some great, amazing and successful authors, who are all willing to help each other out whenever possible. That means they've helped promote my books, and they've also helped me revise some of the WIPs (work in progress).
That's reason enough, to be honest.
But there is one thing that is bigger than all the rest. One REAL reason I do this. One reason this is all worth it.
YES! THAT IS ONE OF MY MENTEE BOOKS!
I picked Amanda Searcy's book, then titled TRUTH IS, out of my "slush pile" during Pitch Wars 2015. I spent months working with her on this book. She then went on to snag an agent AND a book deal in a matter of weeks after Pitch Wars.
I realize that I can only take so much credit, because this book was amazing (seriously guys, that ending? Believe me I had nothing to do with that. Read it to find out ;)) but the fact that I had a hand in helping this book get published is an amazing feeling. Seeing my name in the acknowledgements? Holding a personally signed copy? Is a feeling only second to holding my own book, with my own name on the cover ;)
I am SO PROUD of Amanda and her accomplishments. She did this, I was just there to help her along the way a little.
Being that little part of her author-story is the best reward any mentor can ever have ever.
Check out her book here!
http://www.amandasearcybooks.com/books/
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