Debut and Emerging Authors Marketing Program

The Atlanta Writers Club (AWC) is welcoming applications for the 2027 cohort of our Debut & Emerging Authors Marketing Program!  This program supports first-time and emerging authors (those who have published one to two books) who are AWC members, with the goal of helping them market their debut book or the book(s) they have already published. Numerous testimonials from mentees and mentors are at the bottom of the page.

The Debut & Emerging Authors Marketing Program provides a dedicated space for fledgling authors of novels, memoirs, and/or nonfiction to connect and collaborate with each other and learn from successful, experienced author-mentors about how to build buzz for their upcoming book launch or their existing book(s), particularly through strategic social media, newsletters/emails, Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub engagement. In addition, the program offers mentors a means of giving back to the AWC and paying forward any help they received when they were marketing their early publications.

ELIGIBILITY: 

This program is open to all current, paid club members (must keep membership active at least until the end of the 8-month mentorship period). To join the AWC or renew your membership, please use this link. If you have a question about when your AWC membership expires, please contact the Membership VP, Christina Gusby.

Step 1: Read the commitments and expectations section below and apply for the program.

Step 2: Accept or reject the mentor proposed for your cohort (participants writing similar genres and/or at a similar publishing stage).

Step 3: If you accept the mentor and the mentor agrees to accept you into their cohort, you will then receive the link to submit your payment. If you reject the proposed mentor or the mentor determines that you would be better served in a different cohort, we will try to match you with a different mentor; if no match is made on the second attempt, we’ll invite you to apply again the next year.

Step 4: After mentee payments are received, AWC Executive Director George Weinstein will lead a January orientation session for mentees and mentors, mentors will hold their first meeting with their cohort, and, late in the month, George will lead the first of 8 educational sessions on marketing.

Step 5: Mentors will meet with their cohort once a month, and George will offer a marketing education session once a month, through August.

• The AWC member will participate in the program for a period of 8 consecutive months.
• Participating AWC members will be grouped into a manageable cohort of no more than 10 people (similar genres and/or similar publishing stage where possible) to share experiences, challenges, and successes.
• Each cohort will work with a published author-mentor who has expertise in book promotion, particularly through social media platforms, newsletters, Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub.
• A regularly scheduled Zoom session (one each month) led by AWC Executive Director George Weinstein–with contributions from the mentors–will focus on building each author’s platform, creating a launch plan, utilizing newsletters/emails, building a following, leveraging social media, garnering book reviews, guesting on podcasts and blogs, and post-launch marketing.
• Each mentor and their cohort will also meet once a month online for 8 months to discuss each participant’s progress toward their launch and/or marketing goals and working with others in the cohort with a goal of creating book buzz to grow their audience and sell books.
• The mentor and all participant-authors in the cohort will be encouraged to share each other’s book promotions on at least one social media platform.
• Each cohort participant will be encouraged to post a review of at least three of their fellow cohort members’ books on Amazon and/or Goodreads (cohort members will provide PDFs or EPUB files to those participants who have agreed to review their book). Because the mentor/coordinator will be paid a stipend, they will be excluded from reviewing any of their cohort’s books.
• An orientation launch meeting for the new cohort of mentors and mentees will be held by AWC Executive Director George Weinstein as well as a midpoint check-in meeting and a debriefing survey after the program ends.

 

Any new cohort member accepted into the program for the first time and agreeing to the match with a mentor will pay a $300 administrative fee (plus a 3% credit card processing fee) to the AWC before starting the 8-month program. Any returning cohort member agreeing to the match with a mentor will pay a discounted $250 administrative fee (plus a 3% credit card processing fee) to the AWC before starting the 8-month program. If an individual joins the program after its start, the new/returning fee will remain the same as above, but they will have access to all Zoom presentation recordings made to date.

• There are no refunds for the program. If a participant needs to withdraw for any reason, they will still receive links to all Zoom presentation recordings through the end of the program.
• By submitting their application, the cohort member acknowledges there are no guarantees that participation in this program will result in the participant achieving any level of sales or bestseller status.

Step 1: Read the commitments and expectations section below and apply for the program.

Step 2: Accept or reject the mentee proposed for your cohort (participants writing similar genres and/or at a similar publishing stage).

Step 3: If you accept the mentee for your cohort and the mentee agrees to accept you, AWC Executive Director George Weinstein will send you a confirmation of the match. If you determine that the proposed mentee would be better served in a different cohort, we will try to match you with other mentees; if no match is made on the second attempt, we’ll invite you to apply again the next year.

Step 4: After mentee payments are received, AWC Executive Director George Weinstein will lead a January orientation session for mentees and mentors, mentors will hold their first meeting with their cohort, and, late in the month, George will lead the first of 8 educational sessions on marketing.

Step 5: Mentors will meet with their cohort once a month, and George will offer a marketing education session once a month, through August.

Here are the commitments and expectations for mentors:

• The mentor must have demonstrated expertise (in terms of followers, subscribers, reviews, and/or book sales) in book promotion, particularly through newsletters, social media platforms, Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Bookbub.
• The mentor will assist participants in the program for a period of 8 consecutive months.
• Participating AWC members will be grouped into a manageable cohort of no more than 10 people (similar genres and/or similar publishing stage where possible) to share experiences, challenges, and successes and for the mentor to lead.
• Mentors will work with only one cohort unless they agree to take on two cohorts covering different genres or different publishing stages.
• The mentor will not be held responsible if the participant follows their guidance but fails to have a successful book launch or renew the public’s interest in their published books.
• A regularly scheduled Zoom session (one per month) led by AWC Executive Director George Weinstein–with contributions from the mentors–will focus on building each author’s platform, creating a launch plan, utilizing newsletters/emails, building a following, leveraging social media, garnering book blurbs, and post-launch marketing.
• Each mentor and their cohort will also meet once a month online for 8 months to discuss each participant’s progress toward their launch and/or marketing goals and working with others in the cohort with a goal of creating book buzz to grow their audience and sell books.
• The mentor will lead a regularly scheduled online session (one per month via Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, or other platform selected by the mentor) that will focus on each participant’s progress toward their launch and/or marketing goals and working with others in the cohort with a goal of creating book buzz to grow their audience and sell books.
• The mentor and all authors in the cohort will endeavor to share each other’s book promotions on at least one social media platform.
• Each cohort member will endeavor to post a review of at least three of their fellow cohort members’ books on Amazon and/or Goodreads (cohort members will provide PDFs or EPUB files to those participants who have agreed to review their book). Because the mentor/coordinator will be paid a stipend, they will be excluded from reviewing any of their cohort’s books.
• The mentor will forfeit their program honorarium if they fail to conduct the required 8 monthly online meetings at a minimum.
• The time commitment per mentor will be roughly 2-3 hours/month at a maximum.
• Each mentor will receive $500 for their involvement in this program when leading a cohort of two or more mentees (or $250 if they only have one mentee).

• If you are interested in becoming a mentor for this program, apply for 2027 by completing the mentor application.