Author Mentor Match (AMM) is a free program that matches published or soon-to-be-published authors with unagented writers in a mentorship relationship. I learned about it this year and decided to give it a try.

Round 7

This year was Round 7 for the volunteer-driven AMM. It included middle-grade (MG), young adult (YA) and adult mentors.

Unagented authors with completed and polished manuscripts were invited to submit an entry from February 13-16, 2020. The entry included an online application form with multiple questions and an email submission that included a query letter, a synopsis, and the first 50 pages of the manuscript. Only one manuscript could be submitted. The author had to select up to four mentors for consideration.

My Entry

I decided to enter Rust Boy and the Brass Ring. I completed my entry on February 14th. Then the waiting started. Mentors posted teasers on Twitter, and anxiety mounted.

Over 1,000 entries were submitted for a chance to be mentored by one of the 55 mentors. One of the mentors I identified reported over 70 manuscripts were offered to her. Another mentor that I did not select had over 120 manuscripts!

Waiting

Mentors reviewed the submitted entries and if they found several they liked, they requested the full manuscript. I never received a request for the full manuscript, which told me I was not one of the finalist.

Announcements of author mentor matches will occur during the first week of March 2020. So we wait until then, but I’m not expecting to be on the final list.

Trying to keep a positive mind set. Several of the mentors have tweeted that they passed on a number of entries because they don’t need a mentor; they are good enough to begin querying an agent. The mentors are selecting authors they believe they can help improve.

Unexpected Benefits

Two unexpected benefits that have come out of entering AMM. I learned about an online kidlit conference called Writeoncon, and #PitMad. I’ll be posting soon about each of these opportunities.

Thank you

I owe a special thank you to the two critique groups that I participate in. First, The Tampa Writers Alliance Critique Group reviewed Chapters 1-5 of Rust Boy and the Brass Ring, giving me valuable comments that I was able to incorporate into the manuscript before submitting it.

Secondly, the East Hernando Writers Group helped me with comments on the query letter and the synopsis. Having extra eyes on these documents was a tremendous help.

Finally, a special thank you to the administrators and mentors of AMM. I can’t imagine the number of hours that have gone into preparing for this effort. Not to mention, the amount of time the mentors have spent reading submissions. What a terrific way to help other writers. Maybe one day when I’m a published author, I can be a mentor too!