https://repmatters.org repmatters Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:04:35 +0000 https://repmatters.org en http://repmatters.org/Donate Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:04:35 +0000 repmatters 384841 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. DonateDonate at Fractured Atlas We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Press Mon, 13 Jan 2020 14:39:08 +0000 repmatters 353084 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. RMMP in the Press Book Riot / Mentorship for People of Color in Publishing by Mary Kay McBrayer Publisher’s Weekly / Publishing Mentoring Program Focuses on Representation by John Maher&nbsp; Zora / The Major Built-in Bias of the Publishing World&nbsp;by Jennifer BakerHOME We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Ruqayyah Thu, 04 Oct 2018 21:10:36 +0000 repmatters 291844 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. <img width="500" height="544" width_o="500" height_o="544" src_o="https://cortex.persona.co/t/original/i/9000e3b3545d5661a36a856555ec2bb0f362dd53a1dce18ce7b94ce6a7348dc4/daudrphoto.jpg" data-mid="549464" border="0" /> Ruqayyah DaudI began my publishing journey as a book fan who had no way of getting to New York. I lived in Virginia, and I had no hopes of being able to relocate to restart my career. Eventually, I stumbled across the publishing graduate program I am currently enrolled in. Through this program, I was able to land an editorial internship at a publisher. However, I still felt like I wasn’t always able to ask all the burning questions I had about the industry. Specifically, about diversity and navigating a predominantly white industry as a person of color. I am a naturally shy person and the idea of networking was intimidating to me! I knew it was important to forge meaningful connections with people who cared about diversity as much as I did and seek their advice. I eventually ended up meeting with one of the hiring managers I interviewed with (who is a rep matters mentor!) and she told me about People of Color in publishing. It was through this group that I found representation matters. &nbsp; My mentors were so instrumental to my journey in the publishing industry. I loved having a senior editor and a junior editor who could give insight from different viewpoints. Both my mentors were so supportive and patient in meeting with me and guiding me to where I wanted to be in my career. Both gave me specific and helpful tips on creating a good resume and cover letter. They patiently went through various rounds of editing until I started receiving calls for interviews. When I finally began receiving calls for interviews, one of my mentors even offered me interview tips from her own experience.&nbsp; Eventually, there was an opening at Little, Brown Young Readers for an editorial assistant position. Both of my mentors immediately forwarded me the application to apply. And my junior mentor, who is an assistant at LBYR, even offered to directly refer me. She helped prep me for the interview and let me know what to expect in terms of questions and environment. I’m happy to share I was eventually hired and I believe it was their guidance that helped get me there! I strongly recommend this program for anyone looking to learn about the industry and find their way to an internship or job.&nbsp; It’s a great to not only learn but to also make really meaningful connections! We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Other-Resources Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:40:07 +0000 repmatters 253992 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. Other Resources Association of American Publishers Bookjobs CBC Diversity InkludedLatinx in Publishing Media Bistro People of Color in Publishing We Need Diverse Books Young to PublishingResources Home We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Desiree Thu, 22 Feb 2018 14:59:58 +0000 repmatters 253985 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. Desiree Diaz Kaplan I first discovered RMMP when I stumbled across an article about the program online. I was excited to finally find a program where I could build meaningful relationships with professionals in the publishing industry. Before being accepted into the program, I had been trying to meet publishing professionals through my school networks, but it was a painstaking process. As someone who is shifting careers and changing industries, I was starting worry that networking opportunities were only available for new college graduates and I was on my own. RMMP was a breath of fresh air that gave me the opportunity I was looking for. Not only did they link me up with helpful mentors right away, but the application process was simple and straightforward. I was assigned a mentor from Hachette and another one from Macmillan. Both women helped me learn so much about the publishing industry through their personal experiences and advice. From our very first meeting, my mentors were great at brainstorming with me on how to reach my career goals. One of my mentors even brought copies of the books she was working on as gifts. It might not sound like a big deal, but receiving actual books she edited made me feel even closer to the publishing process. Over the course of a few months, I met with each mentor individually at their offices. Seeing their workplaces was such a unique “backstage” experience which I wouldn't typically have been able to access without them. The visits also gave me such great insight into each company’s unique culture. One of the best things about my RMMP mentors was their willingness to read my cover letters and resumes. I have never worked in publishing, so it was very helpful to get meaningful and specific feedback from people who know which strengths are important to highlight. My mentors were also amazing about always sending open job role notifications my way when something relevant popped up on their radar. They even gave me a heads up whenever they heard of useful networking events. I always jumped on the opportunities and appreciated having the extra eyes and ears out there. RMMP also hosted a happy hour event for the mentors and mentees which was a great experience. I was curious to see what the members of the program might be like and was able to meet many impressive publishing professionals. If you’re interested in a career in publishing and aren’t sure of how to break into the industry, I highly recommend RMMP. I only wish I had heard of it sooner.Success Stories Home We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Internships Wed, 21 Feb 2018 21:04:26 +0000 repmatters 253797 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. InternshipsAbrams Beacon Press Bloomsbury Candlewick Catapult Publishing Chronicle Books Disney Hyperion Feminist Press Graywolf Press Grove Atlantic Hachette HarperCollins Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Kensington Books Lee &amp; Low Macmillan Oxford University Press Penguin Random House Scholastic Simon &amp; Schuster Springer W. W. Norton &amp; Company Workman Yen Press Resources Home We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/FAQ-Professionals Wed, 18 Oct 2017 17:33:24 +0000 repmatters 222437 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. FAQ: For Publishing Professionals interested in participating Does RMMP include any other departments beyond editorial? While we would love to expand to other departments like design, marketing, and sales, and hope to do so in the future, for now, RMMP is only for editorial. How do I know if I am eligible to become a mentor for RMMP? What do I need to do to become a mentor? If you are an editor working full-time for a book publishing company with national sales distribution, you are eligible to be a mentor. If you’re interested in becoming one, please e-mail us directly at rmmprogram (at) gmail (dot) com. In your message, please let us know where you work, what your role is there, and what kinds of books you work on or are most interested in (i.e. age categories, genres, favorite authors on your list or that you admire). I work in Human Resources. How can I make sure my company is represented in RMMP? Because RMMP is volunteer-based and editorial-only, we do not recruit via HR departments. However, editors at your company may already be mentors in the program! RMMP’s database of editors represents over 25 different companies across children’s, teen, and adult book publishing, and is growing all the time. Who is behind RMMP? RMMP was founded by a small group of editors at New York City publishing houses. Since the program’s founding in September 2016, its coordination team has expanded to include allies from the design and marketing departments. It has two committees to review applications—one for children’s and teen publishing, one for adult—made up of junior and senior level editors from multiple companies. FAQ HOME We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/FAQ-1 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 17:28:32 +0000 repmatters 222435 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. FAQ: For Applicants For Publishing Professionals&nbsp; We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/FAQ-Applicants Wed, 18 Oct 2017 17:24:53 +0000 repmatters 222432 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well.FAQ: For ApplicantsAre there deadlines for applications, and when should I send in my materials? Our program takes place in two cycles of six months each, one beginning in January and the other beginning in June. The deadline to be considered for the January cycle is October 1; the deadline for the June cycle is April 1. Applications received after the cutoff dates will automatically be considered for the next cycle. How long will I have to wait for my application to be processed? It depends when you send it. If you send it just before a cutoff date, you may hear back within a few weeks. If you send it just after a cutoff date, you could wait up to seven months.Why does it take RMMP so long to process applications? Our entire staff is made up of volunteers who work full-time in the publishing industry. Is RMMP open to applicants outside the U.S.?RMMP was founded in New York City and, while we have mentors who work at publishers outside New York, we don't have any mentors based outside the U.S. This means that any connections mentees make through the program will be solely in the U.S. publishing world. One of the primary goals of the program is to help mentees land jobs in the book publishing industry, and because all the mentors are U.S. based, any job opportunities that mentors might recommend their mentees for are also based in the U.S. All that being said, if you live outside the U.S. and still feel the program would be beneficial to you, and you envision yourself potentially one day working in the U.S. publishing industry, our doors are open to your application. Is RMMP open to current undergraduate students? RMMP is open to current undergraduate seniors. If you are a first, second, or third-year college student, please consider applying when you are closer to graduating and entering the job market. Is RMMP open to students (or non-students) under age eighteen? In keeping with hiring practices at publishing houses, RMMP is only for applicants eighteen years of age or older. If I don’t have any professional publishing experience, should I still send my resume? Yes, please still include your resume with your application. Knowing more about your professional experiences can help us make a better mentor-mentee match, and your resume may include experiences and skills that are relevant to publishing in ways you may not have considered. Does RMMP include any kinds of publishing other than book publishing, like magazines or digital media? At this time, RMMP is solely for people seeking careers in the book publishing industry. We offer mentoring in the following areas: children’s and teen, adult, comics and graphic novels, and academic publishing. Who is behind RMMP?RMMP was founded by a small group of editors at New York City publishing houses. Since the program’s founding in September 2016, its coordination team has expanded to include allies from the design and marketing departments. It has two committees to reviews applications—one for children’s and teen publishing, one for adult—made up of junior and senior level editors from multiple companies. FAQ HOME We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your... http://repmatters.org/Erika Wed, 04 Oct 2017 21:13:54 +0000 repmatters 218640 We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your interest, and be well. Erika Turner Five years ago, on the recommendation of a fabulous author-mentor, I set off on a journey to the world of dirty streets, strange smells, and literary intrigue – New York City. I knew I wanted to be an editor, but what kind, and how, was uncertain. I also knew I loved books; especially the fantastical adventures written for young readers. (Ella Enchanted was my first book love.) But, most well-meaning people told me that publishing was dying, especially if I was interested in “kid stuff.” And, I didn’t really have the background for it – I didn’t major in English, and had no internship experience in the field. So, I tried a few different things: online media, freelancing, general communications. I shored up skills that I thought would be useful as I tried to find the job that was “just right” for me. Flash-forward to a year and a half ago. My fiancée is working on their young adult novel and asks me to help them edit. Together, we embark on days and nights of storyboarding, character development, and conversations on queer and POC representation. Inspired, I look up the editor of my favorite recent YA novel, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – a college graduation gift from a friend. Kindly and candidly, the editor talks to me about the highs and lows of book editing, and leaves me with this advice: Do it. But you need to network. I began to plot my next steps – wondering about how to take an internship while working a full-time job; could I afford to take time off for a summer publishing course? Could I afford to pay for a publishing course? Could I afford to pay for a publishing course while not getting paid because I’m taking time off?! Excitement soon gave way to dismay as the logistics mounted, and the improbability of success seemed high. And then, my friends, a post-Christmas miracle: January 2017, I scroll through Twitter, perusing @WritersofColor, as I often do. And what do I see but an advertisement for something called “Representation Matters Mentorship Program” – for aspiring editors of color! In application, I detailed my love of kids’ books and my desire – five years in pursuit – to become a kids’ book editor. I crossed my fingers and then – the e-mail came. I was accepted as a mentee, and introduced to my mentors. Eight months later, I am a trade editorial project manager for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Over the course of those eight months, RMMP connected me to a senior editor at Random House, who happened to be the editor of one of my favorite books – Ash by Malinda Lo. And I was connected to a junior editor, first at Scholastic, now at Disney, who, by coincidence, went to my alma mater. The two of them met with me separately and together to discuss the industry, answer questions, and figure out what I needed to do, and how. I was connected to an internship I would never have heard about that allowed me to work nights and weekends while maintaining my full-time job. I learned about sensitivity reading, which allowed me to delve deeper into questions of representation, authenticity, and use the skills I’d built up from my background in activism and nonprofit work. And when I was ready to take the plunge into the real, full-time world of publishing, they went to bat for me. I scoured the web for opportunities, and they told me about the ones I missed. The ones I found, they vetted. And when I interviewed, they told me what to expect, and how to put my best foot forward. Through RMMP, I was connected to literal literary fairy godmothers. And now I’m living a dream come true. So, after all that, why should you apply for a mentorship with RMMP? Because you are passionate, curious, and determined. Because you see opportunity, when others might see a closed door. Because you love books, and you value their power to change the world. Because you think, maybe, in your own way, that you could help change the world too. And the folks at RMMP? They think so, too. No payment or fancy degree required. Success Stories Home We are not accepting applications for the July-December 2023 cycle. Please check back for an update on when Rep Matters will reopen to applications. Thanks for your...