POC in Publishing is looking for POC to volunteer as mentors for the next iteration of their mentorship program for 2021, particularly in the following fields in the industry: editorial, agenting/scouting, marketing, publicity, and art/design.

Each mentorship will be between one mentor and one mentee who is either already working in the same general facet of publishing as the mentor, or would like to. The mentees will have had at least one internship in publishing, but some may have full time jobs, and some may not be located in NYC or the surrounding area.

The period will last for 6 months, beginning January 2021, and the mentor/mentee pair will determine the scheduling, pace, structure, and circumstances of the mentorship. We acknowledge that this is a huge time and energy commitment, and we don’t want to place extra pressure on mentors to design the relationship in a way that does not feel wholly organic and mutually beneficial. However, we do hope that mentors will spend at least an hour per month one-on-one (whether by phone, Skype, gchat, or in person, if possible) with their mentee in order to provide the kind of attention and information they can put to good use in their careers.

Pairs will be assigned one member of our subcommittee as their point person, who will be there to give guidance, advice, and to take feedback and address any concerns. We welcome any and all comments that may help us improve and refine this program so that it truly works to combat the disproportionate lack of POCs in the publishing industry.

All queries from people interested in mentoring can be directed to Mentorship & Retention Committee Director Saba Sulaiman at ssulaiman@talcottnotch.net.