We are currently not open to applications, but stay tuned – we hope to have news soon! In the meantime, we’ve answered every question we could think of. If yours isn’t here, contact us.
What does Megaphone Mentoring involve?
Must the novel I write be about ethnic minority characters, or diversity issues?
Do you have an equality statement?
How will I benefit from this scheme?
I’m eligible, but is the scheme suitable for me at this point in my writing life?
What is the closing date for applications?
What do I need to do during the scheme?
I would love to apply but am not sure I can afford it.
What are the masterclasses about?
What will happen during the one-to-one sessions?
I’ve applied. Now what happens?
What if I apply and am not selected?
I have a question that isn’t answered here. How can I contact Megaphone?
What does it involve?
The scheme is updated every year, but essentially,
MENTORING: Over the course of one year (12 months), mentees will write a novel for children or teenagers. They will also:
- Attend masterclasses in the art, craft and business of writing for children and teenagers, given by published children’s authors, agents and editors
- Attend one-to-one mentoring sessions with an experienced creative writing tutor, focused on bringing their novel to a publishable standard
- At the end of the year, attend a showcase event to launch their book, to which publishing professionals will be invited
- The scheme costs £300, which is a fraction of the real cost of delivering it. However, full funding is available as are discounts and instalments. Applications are awarded on merit, based on the writing sample.
- During Covid, like many organisations, we began to deliver online and found there were many benefits. The scheme is likely to continue online, except for the showcase event.
Applicants must be resident in England and aged 18 +. They should not have published a work for children/ young adults before. We welcome applications from people who have published in other fields.
COMMUNITY is offered to every applicant. It is a free series of creative and career focused workshops and talks, open to the whole group, with no requirement to write a novel and without the 1-1 mentoring element.
We are currently applying for funding to be able to run a new scheme, We will update when we have more news – please follow our blog for updates, or follow us on Twitter.
Our policies are at this page: how we do things.
Must I write about ethnic minority characters, or diversity issues?
No, not unless you want to. We want your voice, your individual creativity, your ideas. You can write about whatever topic you want to.
To date, the scheme has focused on novels for ages 7 and up. We think a scheme for picture book authors would need to be designed differently and we’ve just not had the time yet to design that scheme! However, this is something we are looking at. Meanwhile if you are an illustrator, the Pathways project (https://pathways-org.com/) may help. If you are Black British, the amazing Jericho Prize is a great place to start.
How will I benefit from this scheme?
MENTORING:
- You will have sustained support through the process of writing your first children’s/YA novel
- You will benefit from the insight and experience of established children’s authors and editors
- You will be supported by an experienced mentor (a published children’s author) who will work with you to make your novel as good as it can be
- You will be guaranteed exposure to the publishing industry and have the opportunity to develop valuable networks and contacts
- You will be helped to develop the information, insight, networks and skills you need to sustain a career as a writer of fiction for children or teenagers in the long-term
No, for practical reasons it is too complicated to organise this at the moment. However we’ll seek to match you with a mentor who best fits your writing interests.
Why do we need this scheme?
Children’s writers from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented in British children’s literature. The ultimate goal of Megaphone is to change the landscape of children’s reading in the UK so that children from ethnically diverse backgrounds can see themselves not only as characters in, but also as potential authors of, the books they read. Since Megaphone first ran in 2015 many different agencies have underlined the marginalisation of people of colour in publishing, especially the following:
BOOK TRUST Book Trust Represents (2018, 2020) collected and analysed data about children’s authors of colour :
“Between 2007 and 2017, fewer than 2% of children’s authors were British people of colour”: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/programmes-and-campaigns/booktrust-represents/representation-of-people-of-colour-among-childrens-book-authors-and-illustrators/
CENTRE FOR LITERACY IN PRIMARY EDUCATION Reflecting Realities (2018, 2019, 2020) collected and analysed data about representation of people of colour in children’s books:
-In 2018 only 7% of children’s books featured any BAME characters
-In 2018 just 4% of children’s books had BAME main protagonists
-However many BAME characters were assessed to be stereotypes, negative or token.
https://clpe.org.uk/RR
SPREAD THE WORD Rethinking Diversity in Publishing (2020) investigated structural racism and bias in British publishing:
“the entire publishing industry is set up to cater for a white, middle-class audience.”
https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/rethinking-diversity/
ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND/ SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY Time for Change (2019) investigated ” the current position of BME people working in the sector (of children’s literature), the barriers they face and what the Arts Council and other organisations can do to achieve positive and sustainable change.” Megaphone is one scheme noted as effective: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/diversity-children%E2%80%99s-literature-report-2019
How much does it cost?
The MENTORING scheme costs £300 with discounts and instalments available. COMMUNITY membership and events are free. There is no application fee. You will not have to pay anything until you have accepted a place on the scheme. Writers in need will be fully supported financially but financial disadvantage is not in itself a criterion for selection. Please do not be put off applying for mentoring by cost – we will never refuse anyone a place on the basis of affordability.
The scheme is for writers of colour who are resident in England and aged 18+.
Applicants should self-define as people of colour; multiple/mixed heritage writers are very welcome. We are looking specifically for people from groups that are under-represented as writers for children in Britain, so please bear that in mind (maybe read the research mentioned on this page under the heading WHY DO WE NEED THIS SCHEME? if you’re not sure whether we mean you).
We use BESEA (British East and South East Asian) to mean people who have heritage from
Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their diasporas. (https://nw-besea-creatives.uk/)
Applicants should not have published work for children or young adults before. That said, we acknowledge many people who are marginalised by mainstream publishing are choosing to self-publish. So any previous self-publishing should not be of the nature that it would preclude launching the writer as a debut novelist for children/ YA. Our decision will be led by the goals of the scheme: will the previous self-publishing make it difficult to publish the completed novel successfully? Will that mean it is less likely to find an audience? We may consult with our partner editors on this issue. If in doubt, contact us and we can discuss it!
Writers who are published in other fields than children’s literature (e.g. adult fiction) are very welcome to apply. Unpublished writers are equally very welcome to apply; the selection is made on the basis of the writing sample and your publishing history (unless you have previously published a novel for children or young adults) will not be taken into account.
Writers should not be currently agented.
Note: If you have already agreed with your agent that they will only deal with your adult work and you would be seeking a new agent for any children’s / YA work, please email us to discuss eligbility.
I’m eligible, but is the scheme suitable for me at this point in my writing life?
If you
- have ideas for a children’s/YA novel you would like to write
- already spend a lot of time writing for pleasure and manage your time well to make sure you have time to write
- are ready to commit to a year-long programme
- understand the importance of working to improve your writing
- enjoy reading contemporary children’s and teenage fiction
- want to be published and have a career as a children’s/ YA author
then the scheme is for you.
You may also
- have tried writing for children before, but not had it published
- have expertise in another area of writing, for example drama or poetry, and want to develop your skills in another area of writing
You will probably (though not necessarily)
- have been writing for pleasure for a long time
- have experience of sharing your work, for example with a critique group.
If you are still unsure, please contact us at megaphone.write@gmail.com – we are more than happy to discuss it.
We’re actively planning a new scheme at the moment – follow the blog or follow us on Twitter to hear when we launch again.
In 2020, we began running online, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This got very positive feedback as it was more convenient and accessible, so we’ve decided to keep going with a mostly online scheme. We use Zoom and Band . Band is an app for groups, and it looks a bit like a Facebook group, but without the ads and with more privacy.
https://band.us/
https://zoom.us/
What do I need to do during the scheme?
Write a novel! That means you will need to be sure you have time to write and to take part in scheduled events such as masterclasses and 1-1 mentoring meetings. You should consider the scheme as a serious commitment which will take at least half a day per week. We expect you to come to events which are scheduled as part of the scheme. If your circumstances change we are always understanding, but you should communicate with us clearly and in a timely manner so that we can help. If you are regularly not turning up for scheduled events, we will discuss with you why this may be and try to find a solution.
I would love to apply but am not sure I can afford it.
Please don’t let this hold you back from putting your writing first. COMMUNITY is free and is offered to every applicant and there is no application fee. With MENTORING, the charge to participants of £300 represents only a small fraction of the real cost of a place on the scheme – our funders and in kind supporters make it possible for this scheme to run – but we always have discounted places and flexible payments available.
What are the masterclasses about?
These are small group writing workshops which will provide plenty of opportunity for you to engage, be creative, ask questions. Each masterclass leader will design a workshop based on their experience. Publishers and agents will lead sessions focused on their expertise – these will be less about developing your creativity and more about developing your understanding of the publishing industry.
What will happen during the one-to-one sessions?
These sessions will be focused on your novel in progress. You will need to send your mentor a section of your writing at least two weeks before each session, which they will read and discuss with you. The aim of the sessions is to help you discover ways of making your novel as strong and publishable as it can be. For the final session they will read and feed back on your entire novel.
There is a good guide to mentoring and what to expect here, published by the National Associaton of Writers in Education (download it through the link in the bottom right corner, it is a .pdf file): http://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/resources-3/mentoring-a-guide-for-creative-writers.html
What if I apply and am not selected?
Every eligible applicant is offered a place on COMMUNITY. This is a free programme of career and creative development workshops and talks.
I have a question that isn’t answered here. How can I contact Megaphone?
Contact Megaphone by email with questions, suggestions, for information, etc: megaphone.write@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @MegaphoneWrite.
Or through the comments box:
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