From Mentee to Mentor: Both Sides of a Mentorship
Happy December, PB Rising Stars Fam!
Can you believe that 2023 is coming to a close?? We personally feel like this year zoomed by way too fast. And what a year it has been for PB Rising Stars. Our second annual mentorship program welcomed a whopping 25 mentors and 25 mentees, we saw mentees go on to get agents and book deals, mentors sell even more books, and our founders started courses and community, debuted picture books, and started planning for our very first IN PERSON Rising Stars Meet Up.
Whoooo! Talk about a year!
And today, we’re super excited to be looking forward to NEXT year. Especially because…
This will be our last PB Rising Stars Blog Post for awhile.
You see… Ebony and Kailei need to focus fully on selecting mentors, prepping for the 2024 program, and their own creative work. So we will be taking a small break from the blog while we do so and appreciate your understanding.
Now… before we get to today’s post, did you see Sylvia Chen’s post from last month, pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to be a PBRisingStars mentor??
If not, you can check that out HERE.
Now, back to how we’re looking forward into next year and the shift we’re making.
It’s time to find the 2024 PB Rising Stars Mentors!
And we are amping up the search!
It’s really important to us that we craft a space that looks like what publishing SHOULD look like… with a diverse and inclusive group of creators.
If you think you’re ready to give back, but you’re unsure about the benefits of mentorship, we have a great blog post for you today.
Maria Marianayagam has not only been a fabulous PB Rising Stars Mentor (TWICE), she’s also been on the MENTEE side of the process.
She’s seen the value of mentorship from both positions and we think her insights are really useful.
So join us in welcoming Maria to the blog today. She’s getting us all excited about the prospect of mentorship BOTH for the mentees AND the mentors.
FROM MENTEE TO MENTOR: BOTH SIDES OF A MENTORSHIP
Let’s give a warm PB Rising Stars Welcome to Maria:
FROM MENTEE TO MENTOR: BOTH SIDES OF A MENTORSHIP
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FROM MENTEE TO MENTOR: BOTH SIDES OF A MENTORSHIP ||
Written by Maria Marianayagam
2022 and 2023 PB Rising Stars Mentor
As creators of children’s books, there are many roads to learn and grow our craft—whether through webinars and courses, helpful blog posts, or the delightful world of podcasts. Amid these paths, I believe there exists a highway: mentorship. In the author journey, mentorship can be the secret sauce that can accelerate your journey toward success.
As a passionate reader and writer, I have found incredible joy in being both a mentor and a mentee.
In both situations, I learned a great deal from the person I was working with. I was mentored by Gary D. Schmidt for my middle grade novel, and I’ve been a mentor to three amazing mentees through the PB Rising Stars Mentorship.
If mentorship is on your radar, whether as a mentee or mentor, I want to share what works best on both sides of the proverbial desk.
What makes a good mentor?
To me, a good mentor possesses a unique combination of qualities that will grow and develop the mentee while inspiring and empowering them. It’s a tricky balance. Receiving feedback can be HARD! Amiright? Here are my tips for being a good mentor:
· Know what you know and what you don’t: Mentors don’t know everything, but they know what they’re good at and are aware of their weaknesses. They’ll focus on sharing their strengths with their mentees.
· Communication skills: Mentors listen. They show empathy—I mean, really, they’ve probably been in the same situation before—and tailor their approach to help their mentees. They provide a comfortable and safe space for open communication.
· Feedback: Mentors need to provide constructive feedback in a way that will not crush the hearts and dreams of their mentees. They need to see the strengths of their mentee and help them showcase those skills.
· Flexibility: Good mentors know each mentee is different. They’ll adjust their communication style and feedback to benefit the specific person they’re working with.
What makes a good mentee?
A good mentee will come into the mentorship wanting to maximize the time together. I mean, getting to be a mentee is an incredible opportunity, amiright? Here are my tips for being a good mentee:
· Open to learn: Mentees want to learn. They want to grow. They need to come into the relationship with curiosity, humility, respect, and a willingness to soak up new information.
· Listen: Mentees also have to listen. Maybe what the mentor is suggesting is exactly right. Maybe the mentor doesn’t know as much about the topic as the mentee does. But can the mentee find a different solution to tackle the problem?
· Self-motivation: Mentees need to desire growth as much as the mentor does. In fact, they need to want it more. Mentors aren’t going to nag or follow up or push. Good mentees realize their success still resides in their own hands.
· Accountability: Mentees will follow through on their timelines. They’ll take their mentor’s advice seriously. They’ll show up for their mentors and for themselves.
That’s all I got! I hope this advice helps you on your journey.
Mentorship is a gift, no matter which side of it you sit on.
I’ve learned as much being a mentor as I did as a mentee. With the right mindset and approach, your time together can be incredibly fruitful and rewarding.
I can’t tout mentorship enough!!
About Maria Marianayagam
Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian children's book author. She was born in India and grew up in Nigeria and four provinces across Canada. Maria is a former chemical engineer who fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). Maria enjoys writing lyrical picture books centered on STEM, faith, and South Asian culture, as well as high concept middle-grade grounded in culture. The first two installments of her debut board book series, BABY HOPE and BABY COURAGE (WorthyKids/Hachette), and her debut picture book THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS (Sourcebooks eXplore) release in 2024.
When Maria is not writing, she can be found traveling the world, devouring books, and spending time with her wonderful family. She resides in Alberta, Canada, with her husband and two daughters.
FROM MENTEE TO MENTOR: BOTH SIDES OF A MENTORSHIP
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FROM MENTEE TO MENTOR: BOTH SIDES OF A MENTORSHIP ||
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Maria, THANK YOU!
That was such a wonderful look at the importance and VALUE of mentorship from both sides of the desk.
Readers, we hope that you enjoyed this post and that you know that THIS MENTORSHIP WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT AMAZING MENTORS LIKE MARIA…
WE NEED YOU to apply to work with the next generation of PB Creators.
And if you aren’t eligible to apply, PLEASE spread the word!!!
And now, it’s about that time to update you all on what Ebony and Kailei have been up to this month!
We truly appreciate each and every one of you! Ebony and Kailei pour their hearts into this program, but they are creators FIRST, so the fact that you support them, their businesses, and books is HUGE and helps them keep this community going!
Ebony is hosting an amazing Revision Challenge through her amazing PB Retreat Community!
Have a picture book manuscript that you want to revise into better shape before the New Year?
Have a picture book idea that you want to start drafting before January?
Join Ebony for a FIVE-DAY REVISION CHALLENGE December 26-30th!!
How do you join? Become a member of THE PB RETREAT before the challenge starts and you are automatically IN! It's THAT simple!
What you can expect from the Five-Day Revision Challenge:
Not only will you automatically gain unlimited 24/7 access to the monthly bonus videos, monthly publishing chats and Q&As, Ebony’s 3 signature courses, and 110+ picture book video lessons, but December 26th-30th, you will see a section in your student module labeled "FIVE-DAY REVISION CHALLENGE." Every morning, for five days straight, you will receive instructions, challenges, prompts, etc. to guide you along a revision for your picture book manuscript. The first and last night of the challenge, you will have the option to attend a LIVE chat with Ebony for some live revision activities and live revision help!
Dedicate FIVE DAYS and revise your pacing, first spreads, last spread, structure, and more.
Consider this a GIFT from you to yourself! Don't let the end-of-year and Holiday madness stop you from getting this done before 2024!
Here’s the link to sign up:
JOIN. THE. CHALLENGE.
If you are ready to join, commit, and invest in YOU, post the graphic below on social media proudly with the hashtag #thepbretreat! And don't forget to add the link and invite your friends to join too!
As for Kailei…
Kailei has done 16 school visits in the last 6 weeks, sharing THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED with some incredible students. It has been SO much fun.
And… she’s headed into 13 more visits now through February!
Most of the schools that Kailei visits are Title I schools, and she’s seen many kids wishing they could take home a book, but unable to do so.
If you’re interested in helping her get books into the hands of more kids, you can donate a copy to a child in need HERE.
100% of the donated books will be given to kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to purchase their own copy.
And finally, we’ve come to our…
***GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY***
Maria is generously offering one lucky winner
a two-round critique of a PB manuscript + 20-minute Zoom AMA
You don’t want to miss this chance to learn from Maria and get those stories ready!
To enter:
Comment on this blog post below letting us know how you liked this topic AND confirming that you’ve done all of the steps above!!
For Bonus entries:
Follow Maria, Kailei, and Ebony on Instagram (one bonus entry per follow.)
Follow Maria, Kailei, and Ebony on Twitter (one bonus entry per follow.)
Like, Retweet, and comment on THIS tweet (one bonus entry per item.)
If you do EVERY bonus item, that’s NINE extra entries! But every bonus entry counts! If you complete any bonus items, let us know in the comments!!!
That’s it!
Thank you, friends, and good luck! The last day to enter is January 7th, and the winner will be announced via our newsletter on January 8th!
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ABOUT PB RISING STARS
The #PBRisingStars Mentorship program started with a tweet, a huge response from the KidLit community, and two authors with book deals looking for ways to pull other picture book creators up the turbulent publishing ladder.
This program pairs agented picture book creators that are knowledgeable about querying, agent calls, author-agent relationships, being on submission, book deals, and contract language, with the next generation of children’s book authors and illustrators for an immersive, custom-made mentorship experience that is more than just a critique.