Two Mentorships Open

First Open Since 2022

Back in 2019, I opened up what we called a mentorship where I answered questions on anything that person wanted in writing and business of publishing. I took seven mentees total in 2019 and early 2020.

How it sets up is that I asked the person to report in to me every Sunday (or Monday or at least once every two weeks) about what they were doing, progress or no progress. Writing or publishing done or not done. And plans for the coming week. I was sort of a check-point each week. If there were questions, I tried to answer them, or look at a cover, or a publishing idea or sales copy. (I will not be a first reader. Not part of it.)

But I hope over the years I helped guide some toward a little more success.

I also took questions at any point, of course, but the weekly check-in was critical. I asked each person to make a year’s commitment to check in once a week and give me an update. But it did not end after a year. A couple of them stopped after a year, sure. Check-ins like that don’t work for everyone. But five kept going after that first year.

I added a few more in 2022 and a couple have drifted away as is normal. (Any of the original mentees can still write me at any time. Once in, always in.)

I found myself over the last month missing as much of my Sunday routine of writing back to a few writers with answers to questions, or just a short comment on their week. Often there is nothing I can say, but I do try to be positive no matter what. And I do try to keep my nose out of the writer’s business, so I don’t give advice unless asked. However, I am great at being a cheerleader for streaks and challenges.

So I decided that it would be fun to help me get going again solidly into my own writing if I had a few more writers writing me regularly and talking writing and publishing every week.

So that is what I am doing.

I can safely handle two more writers. First come, first in. Write me if interested.

Cost is $3,000.  (This is just between you and me, no one else, although your partner is fine to ride along.)

Any topic about writing and publishing is valid. I would be here to help you for as long as you want me to. But I do ask that every Sunday (or Monday or at least every other week) you write me an email telling me how it is going, ups, downs, questions, anything. As I said, I will help with covers and sales copy and general publishing stuff, but again I will not be a first reader for anything. I want you to be your own writer, doing your own work.

So if interested in me helping you jump forward with your writing and publishing, and you making a commitment to  write me a letter every Sunday or Monday about your publishing and writing, just email me. Put in the subject line “Mentor” and I will tell you how we go from there. Or if you have questions, feel free to ask me.

And those of you who started into this all those years ago, remember I am still here to answer questions for you at any point.

And by the way, as I would tell anyone, before you think of working with someone, know their background. Here is my general author bio. (Skips over a ton, but short and general.)

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Dean Wesley Smith bio

Dean has been selling fiction for fifty years and is considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith published over two hundred novels and over eight hundred books in forty years, and hundreds and hundreds of short stories. He has over thirty million copies of his books in print.

At the moment he produces novels in four major series and a dozen other smaller series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the cold case mystery series, Cold Poker Gang series, and the superhero series staring Poker Boy.

During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from X-Men to The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.

Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as executive editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series. He took over the editorship of the acclaimed Pulphouse Magazine in 2018.