One of the things I do is coordinate the mentorship program for SCBWI-MI. This year, we’re holding two: a nonfiction middle-grade/young adult mentorship with Stephanie Bearce and a nonfiction picture book mentorship with Patricia Newman.
The winners will receive a year-long mentorship consisting of six exchanges of materials and critiques with either Stephanie or Patricia. All applicants will receive constructive comments from the three super-secret, superstar judges.
If you’re an SCBWI member who lives in Michigan for at least part of the year, and if you have an inkling of a nonfiction book project idea, you should apply for one of these mentorships. Complete submission instructions can be found on the SCBWI-MI website.
The submission window is May 5-26, 2020.
While you’re clicking around, please check out my interview with Patricia Newman and my interview with Stephanie Bearce on the Mitten Blog.
In the run-up to this event, I’ve received some questions that are worth repeating.
Can I apply for both mentorships? No. Kudos on your interest in nonfiction and the range of your writing. If you apply for both, there’s a chance that you’ll win both. We hope our mentees will give the mentorships their undivided attention.
I have a fiction book with a considerable amount of nonfiction material. Can I submit this for the mentorship? No. This mentorship is for nonfiction only. Put the nonfiction in backmatter.
I have a nonfiction book with a fictional character who explains the math. Is this considered nonfiction or fiction? This was a tough question – especially because I love math. This kind of book is considered informational fiction, even if the fictional character is a human not a talking animal. We’re sorry, but you cannot submit this manuscript to the nonfiction mentorship.
My illustration notes are eating up my word count. May I include a diagram in my submission? Yes, as long as the file size is reasonable and the diagram is embedded in the Word document.
I hope to hear from you in May!
What are some good examples of titles you can give me for children’s nonfiction? My story is told in a fun way by the main character. It is all nonfiction, and I will have back matter to support the information.
I hope you and your family are well in these scary times.
All the Best,
Tracy Detz
Hi Tracy: I’m sorry it took me so long to answer. The notification landed in spam. For nonfiction comp titles, I’d start with the mentors’ websites. Also check out blogs by the Nonfiction Chicks and Nonfiction Ninjas. The people who contribute to those blogs are nonfiction authors. Heather Montgomery has a lot of fun nonfiction books as does Kate Messner.