In October Author Mentor Match (AMM) will open to submissions from YA and MG writers! The program matches unagented writers with published and pre-published author mentors who help with revision and career strategy.
To learn more about AMM, like how it works and how to enter, check out the AMM website and follow hashtags #AuthorMentorMatch, #AMMfam, and #AMMparty on Twitter.
Here’s what’s in this post:
- About #AMMconnect
- #AMMconnect How-To
- Why submit to AMM?
- #AMMconnect Blog Links
- Share the Love: Images
About #AMMconnect
You can also use #AMMconnect to meet other hopeful mentees! Connecting with other writers is one of the big benefits of AMM, whether you’re selected as a mentee or not. You could meet a new critique partner or your biggest cheerleader.
#AMMconnect How-To
- Create an #AMMconnect Bio post on your blog. Tell us about yourself, what you write and why, and why you’d make a great mentee. Be sure to include your category and genre, and a link back to this post. Have fun with it! We love gifs, aesthetics, images and videos!
- Enter your name, category, genre, and link in the Google Form here.
- Head over to Twitter (Writer Twitter is amazing, you want to be on Twitter!) and share a link to your post. Make sure you include #AMMconnect so others can find you! Pin the tweet to your profile so it’s easy to spot.
- Browse the hashtag and interact with other AMM hopefuls! Read bios, like, and comment! Drool over incredible book concepts and offer to swap sample chapters with potential critique partners. You could make a writing buddy for life.
Also on Twitter we’ll be having fun answering prompts at #AMMparty! Learn about your fellow mentees and their work, and make more connections!
Why Submit to AMM?
I’m a Fall 2017 Mentee and I’ve gotten so much out of this program. Not only did I get a wonderful mentor whose feedback made my book so much better, I also got the ongoing support of other AMM mentees. Here’s what some of them have to say (emphasis mine):
“There’s a thousand reasons to submit to AMM, but here’s just a few… My mentor provided amazing insight on how to take my manuscript to new levels, closer to being the book I’ve always dreamed about. Before and even after signing with an agent, he’s been around for me for everything from reading recs to questions about book covers. In addition, the AMM mentees have become my writing family — we cheer each other on, pick each other up after difficult days, and word sprint together after our day jobs.
I hope you’ll submit to AMM and find your writing family, too.
I am beyond grateful for Sean, Alexa, and my AMM family!”
Julie Abe
Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic
Fall 2017 Mentee, Mentor: Sean Easley
“Author Mentor Match has been a huge deal for my writing career. With every round of revision I did with Jaime, my book and my writing in general became so much stronger. Beyond revising my manuscript, Jaime was still with me through every step of the querying process, from helping me with my query letter, decided which agents to sub to, to talking me through the stressful process of deciding between multiple offers. I recommend this program to anyone who feels like they have a strong manuscript but know it’s not ready for the next step and need some help getting it there. I couldn’t have made it this far without Author Mentor Match, and now my mentor and I are agent silblings!”
Jordan Marisa Kelly
Agent: Jordan Hamessley, New Leaf Literary Agency
Fall 2017 Mentee, Mentor: Jaime Olin
“Author Mentor Match is everything I never knew I was looking for. This community has revolutionized my writing life in every aspect, from confidence to ability and everything in between. My mentor has equipped me with a trusty arsenal of plotting spreadsheets and puns, and her feedback is always spot on. But most importantly, my mentor isn’t just investing in this one manuscript—she’s investing in me as a writer. We’re in this for the long haul. And that makes all the difference.”
Sarah Harrington
Fall 2017 Mentee, Mentor: Rosiee Thor
“I’m blown away by how great AMM has been. My mentor is amazing, insightful, and generous, and has helped me grow so much. Not only is she just a great person to talk to, she also has years of experience as a published writer, and has shared her wisdom and connections with me. In addition, my cohort of mentees has turned into a supportive, resource-sharing, cheerleading group of role models and peers that I’m so glad to have met. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of AMM.”
Carolyn T. O’Neil
Fall 2017 Mentee, Mentor: J. Albert Mann
“Kevin has offered such a fresh perspective on my manuscript and really pushed me to find my story. His knowledge of writing resources and the industry has proven invaluable, and he’s always available for a comforting word or brainstorming session. I feel so lucky to call him my mentor and have him (and the whole AMM family) on this journey with me!”
Debra Spiegel
Fall 2017 Mentee, Mentor: Kevin van Whye
“Joining AMM has been such a positive experience for me! When I submitted I was feeling pretty lost. I’d been working on a manuscript for awhile and knew I’d gotten as far as I could alone. I needed some guidance to take my work to the next stage, so when I saw a post about AMM applications it seemed perfect! Working with a mentor has been invaluable, with Kim’s help my writing and story craft has improved exponentially.
I love how it’s an ongoing relationship, and the focus is on mentoring rather than competing for a showcase. I’ve been able to work at my own pace, and know that our relationship will continue long-term. She has been such a wonderful teacher and has supported me as I’ve reshaped my story to be so much better than I ever thought it could be. With Kim’s encouragement I did a full rewrite of my YA manuscript. I’m currently finishing up my second round of revisions, and I’m hoping to dive into querying at the end of 2018. Eep!
Also through the AMMfam and application process I’ve connected with so many wonderful people, including some amazing critique partners who I now consider my bestest friends <3 I feel so supported and connected as part of this entire community.”
Lyndall Clipstone
Spring 2018 Mentee, Mentor: Kim Smejkal
“AuthorMentorMatch is an amazing program. My book has improved by leaps and bounds since I began revising with my mentor’s input and ideas. My mentor has been so supportive—she’s helped with everything from edit letters and brainstorming sessions to query materials and publishing advice. Anyone looking for a program where you’ll get a great mentee-mentor relationship, help with your book, and amazing community of other writers, AuthorMentorMatch has what you’re looking for.”
Emily Grey Feldman
Spring 2018 Mentee, Mentor: Rosiee Thor
“I found out about AMM three weeks before the deadline, and on a whim I decided to apply. I can’t believe how this amazing opportunity almost passed me by! My mentor has been absolutely amazing, quick in her responses, supportive, and firm in her critique. Getting a long edit letter was overwhelming, but reading her ideas and talking them through with her opened my eyes to what my book could become. Having access to the other AMM mentees as well has been great since we can share our struggles and our triumphs with each other. The AMM community has made me a stronger writer, and the resources it provides has me excited–not scared!–of the next steps on my path to being a published author.”
Linnea Garcia
Spring 2018 Mentee, Mentor: Jaime Olin
“AMM has been everything I hoped for. At the end of March, when I got into Round 4, my amazing mentor Tae Keller sent me a 10-page single-spaced edit letter complete with graphs. Her critique was so insightful and helped me re-work my manuscript entirely. Two months later, after essentially rewriting half my novel, I sent her a revision. She gave me another edit letter, this time three pages long. A month later, I’d made some more significant edits and sent my manuscript to beta readers and other critique partners. A month after that, and a bit over four months after receiving my first edit letter, I was ready to query my novel.
Coming into AMM, I was ready to put in the hard work of revising my novel, but I couldn’t have done it without my mentor or this program. To have someone believe in my project and help guide me through the Blow-It-Apart-and-Put-it-Back-Together stage of novel-writing was absolutely invaluable.“
Sylvia Liu
Spring 2019 Mentee, Mentor: Tae Keller
#AMMConnect Blog Links
You can add your link using this form.
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