2025 Mentorship Information

Mentee Information

Please review all eligibility requirements below, FAQs, and mentee information to see if this program is a good fit for you before applying.

MENTEE ELIGIBILITY:

  • Must be 18 years or older.

  • Must be an agented or unagented picture book author, illustrator, or author-illustrator.

  • Everyone in our program must foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  • We encourage past PB Rising Star runner-ups and honorable mentions to apply!

  • You must not have any traditionally published PICTURE BOOKS or traditional PICTURE BOOK deals that were sold by (or represented by) an agent. Self-published creators can apply! Creators who self-represented their own book deals can apply! And creators with traditionally published books in other markets can apply!

  • Must not have been a mentee in another official PICTURE BOOK mentorship program anytime between January 2024-September 2025.

  • Must be available to participate in the full mentorship program from May 23, 2024 through September 30, 2024. The schedule and workload are flexible and is led by the mentor’s availability + a mutually agreed upon plan.

  • Must agree to pause (or wait on) querying for the duration of the mentorship, unless a unique opportunity arises and is agreed upon by both mentor and mentee.

  • Must commit to revising one or more manuscripts, portfolio pieces, and/or dummies based on you and your mentor’s agreed upon terms and schedule.

PB RISING STARS MENTORSHIP INCLUDES:

  • A 4-month long mentorship, including 3 months of a 1-on-1 craft intensive with your mentor + 1 month of publishing business development with PBRS co-founders Ebony Lynn Mudd and Kailei Pew. The full experience runs from May 23-September 30.

  • Feedback and revision help on one (or more) manuscripts, dummies, or portfolio pieces that will go well beyond typical critique.

  • A website spotlight, showcasing your headshot, bio, and social media links.

  • Exclusive workshops hosted by industry professionals.

  • A mentee-only Discord chat group to communicate and build community with fellow mentees.

  • An end-of-mentorship wrap party to celebrate your accomplishments and growth.

  • Lifelong membership in our PB Rising Stars community which gives you access to private, in-person meetups and any private virtual events that we have for our community.

Important Dates

  • January 28, 2025 at 8:00-9:30 PM Eastern Time: Ice Cream Social (Virtual/Zoom) — Bring your favorite ice cream, meet our new co-directors, and pick the brains of past mentees. Register for the Ice Cream Social here.

  • February 7, 2025: The 2025 Mentors are ANNOUNCED and Mentor wish lists go live! Subscribe here to be the first to know!

  • February 25, 2025 at 8:00-9:30 PM Eastern Time: Meet the Mentors (Virtual/Zoom) — This is a Q&A panel. Potential mentees will get the chance to hear from the 2025 Mentors about what they are looking for + ask any application questions. *Registration will go live on February 7th!

  • March 7, 2025 - March 21, 2025: Mentee applications open! Applications close on March 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME. Please coordinate with your time zone and plan accordingly.

  • May 15, 2025: 2025 Mentees, Runner Ups, and Honorable Mentions are announced! We won’t be announcing on social media this year, so subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know everything! www.pbrisingstars.com/subscribe

  • May 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time: 2025 Mentee Bonding Event (Virtual/Zoom) — This is an opportunity for our 2025 mentees to meet and mingle prior to the mentorship. Expect intros/games! *This will be a private event for the 2025 Mentees only.

  • May 29, 2025 at 8:00pm-10:00pm Eastern Time: 2025 Mentee Orientation (Virtual/Zoom) — This is mandatory to attend live or to watch the recording by June 1, 2025. *This will be a private event for the 2025 Mentees only.

  • June 2, 2025 - June 8, 2025: Your one-on-one mentorship begins! During this week, Mentors will host their first meetings with their Mentees based on a mutually agreed upon date and time.

  • June 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time: Honorable Mention AMA (Ask Me Anything) Zoom Q&A w/ Ebony Lynn Mudd and Kailei Pew. *This will be a private event for the 2025 Honorable Mentions only.

  • June 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time: PB Rising Stars Meetup & Reunion (Virtual/Zoom) — This is an exclusive event for PB Rising Stars Mentees and Mentors only.

  • June 27, 2025 - June 30, 2025: PB Rising Stars 2nd Annual IN-PERSON Meetup in Philadelphia, PA (During the American Library Association Annual Conference) — Optional Event for 2022-2025 Mentees and Mentors ONLY. More info will be sent to 2025 Mentees after they apply and get selected.

  • August 27, 2024: This is the final day of the one-on-one mentorship with the mentors!

  • August 28, 2025 at 8:00-10:00 PM Eastern Time: 2025 PB Rising Stars Wrap Party (Virtual/Zoom) — Time to celebrate yourself, the mentors, and your fellow mentees!

  • September 4, 2025 - September 29, 2025: The four-week publishing business intensive with co-founders Ebony Lynn Mudd and Kailei Pew. [Workshops will tentatively be held on September 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.]

In addition to the dates above, exclusive industry workshops will take place during the mentorship. The dates and details will be released to our 2025 Mentees in May.

Good News from Past Mentees

Books from Past Mentors