Writing Mentors: How To Actually Transform Your Career

When I decided to work with my first writing mentor, I had no idea the impact he would make on me, my writing, and my writing career. His coaching transformed my life. His mentorship helped me began to understand how to wield the power of words to make a positive impact.

This is not a small task! Who you choose as your mentor and what your mentorship looks like varies depending on who you work with, but mentors in and of themselves are crucial to your writing success.

If you’re wondering if you should hire a writing coach or mentor, the answer is probably yes. But in this post, we dive into what a writing mentor is, if they’re worth it, how to find one, and how much you can expect to invest.

We’ve taught over 8,000 authors how to write, publish, and market their books over the last 10 years, so we understand the importance of mentorship. Plus, I’ve benefited from training under a New York Times bestselling author for many years, and understand just how mentorship can take writers to the next level.

Why you need a writing mentor: what you learn

• What is a writing mentor?
• Are writing coaches worth it?
• How do I find a writing mentor?
• How much does it cost to get a mentor?

What is a writing mentor?

A writing mentor is someone who understands the writing process and is equipped to guide you through yours. You can find mentors to help you learn the craft of writing, how to publish, or who will help you through writing a book series.

A mentor is crucial to your publishing process, because publishing can be very confusing. You can self-publish your book, traditionally publish, or do a hybrid of both. You can choose to pursue literary representation or not. You can write in a plethora of genres. How do you know which choice is best for you?

Mentors are guides, someone who helps you through what could otherwise be a confusing, disorienting situation. My mentor helped me write a novel, choose whether I wanted a literary agent or not, learn to pitch, and even how to handle constructive criticism. Mentors understand what you’re going through because they’ve been through it as well.

Maybe they write a different genre or reach a different audience, but the fundamentals of writing are the same:

• You have an idea 
• Want to write the book
• Need to understand marketing
• Learn how to reach your audience

The above list could go on for pages. If you are willing to learn from someone further down the career path, you will experience many benefits. My mentor didn’t start out a bestseller. I mean, no one does.

Just like me, he had to write, rewrite, edit, pitch, pitch again, and wait for something to land. But he made it. Having someone who has also been through the highs and lows helped encourage me when I felt discouraged… Let’s talk about a few of the benefits that come with mentorship.

Are writing coaches worth it?

Writing coaches and mentors are worth it if you want strategized, personal help to achieve your goals. I would not be where I am today without the help of my writing mentor.

He helped me overcome hurdles that I would have struggled through on my own, empowered me to believe in myself, and always guided me to grow as a creative and keep writing.

It can be easy to give up and quit when writing alone. But with a writing mentor, quitting is no longer an option. Here are just a few of the ways a mentor can help you on your way to success.

1. Encourage you to greatness

Mentors and coaches are extremely helpful because they often are more aware of their mentee’s potential than the mentee is. When you work with a mentor, you will likely cover more ground in less time due to their help. 

2 . Teach good habits

Sometimes it’s difficult to make, let alone keep, good writing habits. If you struggle in this area, welcome to the rest of us! A writing mentor can help keep you on track. 

3. Shine a spotlight on your blind spots

Mentors can also see areas that you are unaware need fixed. I didn’t know I tended to write with passive voice. Because of my mentor, I learned how to correct this habit.

4. Refine your voice

My mentor taught me how to find my own writing voice, that way of writing that is unique to each author. A mentor can see your unique writing voice from an outsider’s perspective and teach you how to find and enhance it. 

5. Share specific tips

There are only so many tips you can find that directly pertain to you and your needs. When you hire a coach or mentor, they provide personalized coaching with tips specific to your needs.

What works for one writer may not work for you, and vice versa. A writing mentor knows what advice to give you and why. The writers I coach know they will receive personalized feedback that directly pertains to their pain points and goals. This is the job of a mentor.

6. Recognize areas for growth

Because your mentor will have walked in your shoes many times before, they have a great vantage point to see your strengths and areas you can improve. Trust them when they point out areas you can grow in, and take their advice to heart! 

7. Know when you need a break

My writing mentor has told me to take a break before, and I was so thankful for this because I likely wouldn’t have done so on my own. Sometimes just having a mentor encourage a day or two of rest does wonders.

8. See the long game

Due to their establishment of their own career, they see twists and turns you can’t simply because you’re just starting out. Listen to their advice when they say a specific career move may not be best at this time. They likely know more than you do. 

9. Keep you humble 

There’s nothing like meeting a monumental goal or hitting a bestseller list and then listening to your mentor give you areas to improve. This is an extremely healthy way to both celebrate your success but also stay humble. 

How do I find a writing mentor?

A simple Internet search will reveal many options for finding a mentor. Whether you want to join a successful author’s writing guild, a private Facebook group, or hire a mentor for specific, one-on-one help, here are a few thoughts.

Writing groups 

I have participated in several different writing groups and found specific benefits in each one. Many writing groups that include mentoring (in addition to classes) offer a trial period. Depending on the genre you write and your specific needs, you could do a trial or a one-month test and see how you like it.

One-on-one coaching

If one-on-one coaching is your current focus, you may want to consider taking a course from selfpublishing.com and include coaching along with it.

This coaching offers:

• Exactly what you need to build your brand
• Help with growing your reach
• Tips to expand your income

Our self-publishing coaches are bestselling authors trained to enable you to create the business and life of your dreams by using a bestselling book as your launchpad. 

Train under a successful author

While this method may be a little less conventional, reaching out to an established author can be a great way to receive mentoring. I am deeply grateful for the mentorship I received from a bestselling author, and the benefits are priceless.

You can always reach out to an author you admire, mention you’re looking for something more long-term, and ask if they would consider a trial period.

How much does it cost to get a mentor?

Writing mentorships vary mentor to mentor and service to service. For example, I have been part of private online groups where I paid a membership fee, but I’ve also engage in one-on-one mentorship where I either paid per session or for a group of sessions.

You can expect anywhere from $150 an hour to $400 or more an hour. You can also consider signing up for a mentorship package where you pay one fee for an all-inclusive writing mentorship and publishing package.

Writing mentor: take your next step

Reaching out to mentors can be intimidating, but rest assured they have been where you are. Established authors want to help newer authors succeed.

They are rooting for you. Often, their strategic guidance can level up your career much faster than you ever could on your own. Dare to reach out. Be respectful, confident, and wait for an answer. 

Remember, anything worth trying is usually worth failing at in the beginning. It may take several tries to find the best mentor for you, but in the end, it will be worth it. 

Trial and error is the name of the game when it comes to creativity. Give it your best and see what happens. To get started on your author journey today, use our free resource below!