We are delighted to announce that we are launching a new mentorship programme, to run in addition to our existing Carole Blake Open Doors Project internship scheme.
The mentorship was inspired by a Bookseller piece, which highlighted the difficulties of taking time away from full or part time work or other responsibilities in order to take up an internship and find a way into publishing. Internships are often inaccessible still to those who may have caring commitments or need to sustain income and can’t afford to take time off, and/or live beyond London. The idea of the mentorship is to offer a flexible longer-term relationship with the agency – led by Juliet Pickering and supported by the entire agency – and to meet once a month (online) over the course of six months to learn about the role of an agent, get an insight into working with books more broadly, and develop some valuable skills for a future career in publishing.
We hope that this new mentorship will further open doors to people who remain under-represented in the industry, and are proud to add it to our pioneering Carole Blake Open Doors Project programme, which launched in 2016 and has helped many interns into roles within publishing.
Juliet Pickering said: “We’re launching this mentorship in an effort to do more to offer access: it’s clear that London-based schemes or those that require candidates to take leave from their jobs, are still impossible for many. By offering this mentorship over six months, at times that might fit around a candidate’s other commitments, we hope that we might be giving more people a way in. The industry is missing out on a raft of exciting, talented employees by continuing to hold up these barriers to entry, so we hope to help break through and bring more great people into working with books. We’ll be offering career advice and guidance on seeking jobs, alongside work experience, and can’t wait to meet our first Open Doors mentee!”
Applications for both the internship and the mentorship open on Monday 24th April (closing on Monday 8th May at 5pm), and more details of how to apply can be found here: