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The British Fantasy Society

For all things fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction

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The BFS Mentorship Programme

The British Fantasy Society is delighted to launch our new mentorship programme, pairing writers with industry mentors who can help them develop the skills they need to move their careers forward. This programme is open to BFS members only.

The shape of your mentorship will vary depending on what you hope to achieve – we have mentors who are ready to help with everything from planning and completing a first draft, to going through the query process. So for example, if you were working with a mentor to plan and complete a first draft of a novel, you might meet once a month, or every six weeks, to discuss your progress and any challenges you are facing. If you were working with a mentor on the querying process, you might have two or three sessions close together to get your query package ready to send out, and then have other sessions after some time has gone by and you’ve received responses from agents. So the programme will be tailored by both what you’re hoping to achieve and also your availability as well as the mentor’s.

Each mentee will receive up to six one-hour sessions with their mentor, most likely online. Mentors will be paid £30 per session – BFS will fund half of this cost for fifteen mentees, and fully fund a further three mentees. So for most mentees, the programme will cost them £15 per session.

If you would like to apply for one of the fifteen subsidised places, please fill in this form: https://forms.gle/ywUV1iVpc14kZT6t6

If you would like to apply for one of the three fully funded places, please fill in this form: https://forms.gle/Tvsgx4NBLdmUZWZq7

The only requirement for applying for a fully funded place, is that you could not otherwise afford to participate in the programme. There is no income threshold or requirement to provide evidence of your financial status. We are keen to support members of traditionally underrepresented groups through this programme, but funding is not limited to these groups.

When completing the application form, please give us as much information as possible, to help us pair you with the right mentor.

Applications will initially open until 21/02/2025. If we have more applicants than we can accommodate, then names will be drawn from a hat. If there are still spaces left, we will open for a further 14 days.

PLEASE NOTE: No mentee will be offered agent representation or a publishing contract as a result of this mentorship programme. After going through the programme, mentees are welcome to query agents who are mentors or submit to editors through their normal query/submissions process but this mentorship will not guarantee an acceptance, The purpose of this programme is to support people in developing skills which will serve them throughout their career, not to secure an agent or publishing contract.

Meet our mentors

We have a range of mentors with different skills and experience to share with you and more are joining the programme as we progress and will be added over time. If there’s a particular area you would like support with, that does not appear to be covered by any of our existing mentors, please do let us know and we will do our best to find someone with the right experience for you.

If you’re interested in joining the programme as a mentor, please email Shona at chair@britishfantasysociety.org with details of your experience and what mentoring you can offer.

Dr Vicky Brewster is an editor and academic from South Wales. They have worked full-time as a freelance developmental and copy editor for seven years, working mostly in SFFH, and count among their clients Amazon bestsellers, Bath Prize nominees, and traditionally published titles. Vicky is a passionate, approachable editor who loves to work with authors to make their stories the strongest they can be. Vicky obtained their PhD in English Literature at Swansea University in 2024, researching 21st-century Gothic and horror fiction, queer theory, and hauntology. Vicky will be particularly helpful to authors working on their first draft or revising early drafts, trying to work out the best direction for their stories and characters. Vicky is a great cheerleader and organiser, and would love to help keep you accountable, figure out realistic goals and deadlines, work through block or plot holes, and get that first draft completed -- then the second, then the third! They would also love to help authors go through their first draft and work out those early revisions. As well as working on the big-picture creative aspects, Vicky is happy to offer editing and writing skill advice, including teaching grammar, helping to improve written English skills, and learning to revise/edit your own work.
Dave Jeffery is the author of 18 novels, three collections, and numerous short stories. His Necropolis Rising series and yeti adventure Frostbite have both featured on the Amazon #1 bestseller list. Other work includes the critically acclaimed Beatrice Beecham supernatural mystery series for young adults, and the A Quiet Apocalypse series. His Campfire Chillers collection made the 2012 Edge Hill Prize long-list, and his screenwriting credits include award winning short films Ascension and Derelict. Jeffery is also co-editor of the forthcoming Flame Tree Press anthology This Way Lies Madness. He is a long-time contributor to Phantasmagoria Magazine, a final reader for Space and Time Magazine, and a regular book reviewer for The British Fantasy Society. Prior to retirement in 2019, Jeffery worked for 35 years in the National Health Service (NHS), specialising in the field of mental health nursing and risk management. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Health Studies. During this time, he has worked with Whurr International, Wiley & Sons, and the Royal College of Nursing’s Mental Health Practice Magazine, writing academic papers and research articles. Jeffery is also co-editor of Deafness and Challenging Behaviour (Wiley & Sons). His literary criticism has been published by Bloomsbury Academic and Peter Lang Publishing. Finding Jericho, Jeffery’s contemporary mental health novel, has featured on both the BBC Health, and Independent Schools Entrance Examination Board’s ‘Recommended Reading’ lists. He is a mentor on the Horror Writers Association’s Mentorship Scheme, and the 2022 recipient of the HWA Mentor of the Year Award. For three years Jeffery was co-chair of the HWA Wellness Committee. Read more at: https://www.davejefferyauthor.com/ Mentorship focus: • Writing authentic representations of mental health and mental illness: characters/settings/interactional dynamics • Short story critiques & ideas development • First chapter preparation for submission • Author online etiquette • General guidance on working with publishers and editors
Lauren McMenemy wears many hats: Editor-in-Chief at Trembling With Fear for horrortree.com; PR and marketing for the British Fantasy Society; founder of the Society of Ink Slingers; curator and host of the Writing the Occult virtual events. With almost 30 years' experience as a professional writer across journalism, marketing, and communications, Lauren also works as a certified coach to writers looking to achieve goals, get accountability, or get support with their marketing efforts. You'll find her around various events stepping up as a host, interviewer, moderator and general cheerleader. She writes gothic and folk horror stories for her own amusement You'll find Lauren haunting south London, where she lives with her Doctor Who-obsessed husband, the ghost of their aged black house rabbit, and the entity that lives in the walls. How I can help: Developing your author brand and platform Accountability to achieving goals - whether that's writing goals or marketing/publicity goals Troubleshooting and working through writers' block Probing ideas to see what sticks
I am offering mentoring to writers who are just starting out on their writing journey and to those with more experience who want accountability and help addressing specific areas of their craft. Sessions will be a mix of workshops, brainstorming plot and characters, worldbuilding, and general advice on publishing. I provide edits of sections of longer works to show writers where they can improve, and provide ongoing support through the trickier phases of the storytelling process. I am offering mentoring to writers who are just starting out on their writing journey and to those with more experience who want accountability and help addressing specific areas of their craft. Sessions will be a mix of workshops, brainstorming plot and characters, worldbuilding, and general advice on publishing. I provide edits of sections of longer works to show writers where they can improve, and provide ongoing support through the trickier phases of the storytelling process.
Jon Cronshaw is a full-time British indie fantasy and speculative fiction author. A former political reporter with a PhD in art history, Jon blends gritty realism with a thread of optimism in his epic tales. He has published seventeen novels and the 22-novella epic fantasy serial, The Ravenglass Chronicles. He lives in Morecambe with his family and guide dog Digit. As a full-time indie author, I can help British Fantasy Society members navigate the journey to independent publishing success. Whether you're looking to build an engaging platform, master effective marketing strategies, or craft stories that resonate with a broad audience, I offer insights from years of experience. Together, we can tackle the practical and creative challenges of becoming a full-time indie author. In today's publishing landscape, authors no longer need gatekeepers—just a product readers crave—so I'm eager to work with serious, business-minded authors, ideally those with a few titles under their belt, who are ready for honest, constructive advice to elevate their careers.
Justin Lee Anderson was a professional writer and editor for over fifteen years before his debut novel, Carpet Diem, was published. It went on to win the 2018 Audie award for Humour, and his second novel, The Lost War, won the 2020 SPFBO award, leading to a four-book deal with Orbit for The Eidyn Saga. Justin now also acts as a freelance editor and mentor through TheWriteAdvice.co.uk. Have a completed draft but no idea how to go about knocking it into publishable shape? Justin can help with developing your self-editing skills and really making your prose sing
Laura developed a love of writing early, attending her first Creative Writing course at college. She then decided to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. She began work at a college for young adults with special needs, and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. Laura taught English for a few years, and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. She then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career as an editor and agent. The combination of teaching and writing works extremely well for her agent career, and for providing encouragement and guidance for writers. Laura also works as a freelance writer, and has previously been the writer and loremaster for a video game, in addition to writing for various roleplaying games. Mentoring: Developmental Editing Line Editing Query Preparation General Writing Skills
Daniel Carpenter is a writer and editor from Manchester. His debut collection, Hunting by the River was published by Black Shuck Books in 2024, and his stories have been reprinted in a number of Year's Best anthologies. Previously a critic for Black Static and Horrified Magazine, and founder of the award-winning live literature organisation Bad Language, Daniel now lives in London with his family, where he is an editor with Titan Books, working on their horror list. What I can offer: Happy to work with authors at any stage of development, from drafting their novel, to feedback on completed manuscripts and advice on querying agents. I am an acquisitions editor at Titan, so I read hundreds of submissions every year, and I see what gets picked up by myself and other publishers and why it gets picked up. As an editor, I work closely with authors on massive structural edits across all genres (mainly horror, but I also acquire and edit fantasy, crime and sci fi). I am happy to make time to discuss potential career directions for authors, advise them of agents who may be good to approach, and ways they can help themselves stand out from the increasingly crowded slush pile.
Desola Coker has always been a keen reader of new worlds, which is why SFF has been her favourite genre for years, with a particular love for Urban Fantasies and fantastical Dark Academia books such as Vita Nostra by Marina and Segey Dyachenko. As well as these, she loves faerie tale/folklore, love stories, adventure filled mysteries, and has a soft spot for new, exciting stories. I'm interested in working on overall idea refinement/general publishing chat/preparing a pitch packet/reading the first 50 pages of a manuscript