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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
The first ten pages of your manuscript, be it fiction or non-fiction, are the most crucial. They are vital for hooking the interest of your reader, agent or publisher, but they are also the hardest to get right.
Your mentor will read your synopsis and first ten pages closely and then provide a written report or a verbal consultation via phone or teleconference, depending on your preference.
A fiction First Ten Pages mentorship will help you introduce characters, establish pacing, story set-up and direction, and help to determine the core of your story. A non-fiction First Ten Pages mentorship will concentrate on crafting a strong opening through the establishment of a distinctive narrative voice, a clear focus on the topic, and an indication of the main premise. In both instances, you will receive suggestions for further development.
For a first ten pages mentorship, you will be asked to submit your 300-word synopsis and the first ten pages of your manuscript, typed in 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, with page numbers on the bottom right.
If you are seeking a mentorship for a comic or graphic novel, you will be asked to submit a 3-4 page outline of your story arc and ten pages of comics script. Thumbnails/roughs are optional.
In your booking, you will be asked to list the three mentors you would most like to work with, in order of preference. You can learn more about our mentors at our mentor register.
Once you have submitted your booking, you should receive an automated email confirmation from [email protected]. Please check your spam/junk folder if you don’t receive this email after submitting your booking.
Please note that we ask for upfront payment for all our mentorships. This is to ensure our mentors are paid promptly for their work. If this is difficult for you (especially in the case of a lengthy mentorship), please email [email protected] to discuss your payment options.
We will attend to your booking request within 2-3 business days. We will contact your preferred mentors (in order of preference) and notify you as soon as we have a mentor confirmed or more information available. You will receive email updates about your booking from [email protected]. Once a mentor and time frame is confirmed for your mentorship, your mentor will be in contact to get the mentorship underway.
Our current list of mentors includes specialists in diverse areas from genre fiction, to journalism, to illustration and beyond. They’re all highly credentialled, with multiple publications and at least five years of professional mentoring experience.
