Mentoring

• Intensive one2one editorial with an Industry Editor
• Online support group
• Preparation for agent and publisher submission

Mentoring is only available to members of the Golden Egg Academy. Our Mentoring services are highly selective and completion of any of our courses does not guarantee access to this service.

We do not accept outside applications for Mentoring unless a writer has been referred directly by their agent.

To be selected to work with our top Industry Editors, writers must have a strong concept, through-line and character goals as well as demonstrating a promising voice. Please note that at the Mentoring stage, we are not just looking for a strong voice, excellent concept or well thought through plot, but all three.

Places to work with our Industry Editors are limited. Only the most promising stories will be put forward and considered for one of these highly coveted spots.

If you are not selected for Mentoring, it does not necessarily mean that your story won’t eventually reach publishable standard, merely that at this moment in time it does not fully reach the required criteria to be entered for consideration.

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Overview

Mentoring is charged at the Industry Editor rate of £60/ hour. Time is booked on an ad-hoc basis and your Industry Editor will provide you with a quote prior to undertaking a piece of work, along with a return date. Your manuscript is usually assessed in thirds.

Mentoring is designed to help you fine-tune your story. Your Industry Editor will work with you to ensure that every element is as strong as it can be before you are put forward for submission. Smoothing out one thread can sometimes highlight an issue with another, each of which will be resolved through working closely with your editor.

Those invited to join Mentoring are usually around six-months away from submission standard. However, the length of the Mentoring process differs from writer to writer.

When your editor feels you are ready, they will put you forward for a submission assessment. This is completed by another of our Industry Editor team. The whole manuscript will be read to ensure they agree that every element is in place. Again, this will be charged at the Industry Editor hourly rate.

During the process, you will work with your editor to refine your pitch and synopsis along with other story ideas.

Submission

After the Mentoring process is complete and a manuscript has been signed off, it will be put forward for our First Look deals with The Shaw Agency and The Chicken House.

Additionally, GEA will discuss promising manuscripts with various agents and publishers at London International Book Fair.

If Kate Shaw and/or Chicken House turn down the manuscript, you have the option to work with Adamma Okonkwo, Submissions Manager, to apply to additional agents and/or publishers through Golden Egg, including those who have shown interest at London Book Fair.

Submission through the First Look deal is free.

Each additional submission costs £50 including a copy of the GEA Submissions Guide. You will be advised on which agents/publishers may be interested in your story but you will also be encouraged to undertake your own research.

Membership Benefits

Additional membership benefits:

  • Inclusion in the Golden Egg Nest – an online community page, including:
    • social events
    • fun competitions
    • editor-led activities
    • webinars
    • supported peer break-out groups
    • online writing retreats.
  • Social events organised by the Golden Egg Social Club, located across the country and online. Previous events have included:
    • talks from well-known published writers, agents and publishers
    • Roald Dahl Museum tour
    • Harry Potter Studios tour
    • boat trips
    • sleepover at Seven Stories.
  • Access to tickets for the glittering social event of the year – The Big Honk – hosted at the literary Savile Club in Mayfair, London.
  • Writers’ well-being support from trained professionals.