Win custom graphics for your social media! Communications Manager Karina M. Monteiro will produce either a series of up to four creatives for Twitter or a single 30-second 2D animation clip with iconography for you.

A work in progress graphic memoirist, Karina leads design, videography, and communications in her day job. When not sheltering in place or working from her (home) office, she loves traveling, relaxing, and dissecting compelling stories.

Image: Karina M. Monteiro Headshot

Looking for an internship or your first job? Get advice on your job application, how to prep for your first interview, and more-from someone who's been there very recently: Jean Li Spencer, editorial assistant at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Get tips via a phone call or email and be prepared to nab that internship or first job!

If you are trying to break into editorial publishing, Jean Li really wants to help you in any way she can!

A Summer 2021 WNDB grant recipient, Jean Li Spencer (she/her/?) is currently employed at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers where she is an Editorial Assistant. Prior to her employment at LBYR, Jean Li interned with the editorial team at Random House Children's Books and interned at several literary agencies. She is a proud alumni of a historically women's college.

Image: A headshot of Jean Li Spencer.

Win an author website or blog review that includes a personalized author color palette suggestion by motion design producer Sam Elyse.

Must send website or blog to be reviewed by end of April 2022.

Sam Elyse is a motion design producer and a middle grade paranormal author and graphic novelist. She is represented by Bre Stephens with Jennifer De Chiara Literary agency.

Image: A headshot of Sam Elyse.

Win a one-hour consultation call with Sara Maher, Project Editor, Licensed Product, at Printers Row Publishing Group. Sara has hired and supervised both permanent and temporary/freelance positions and will review one resume or one portfolio as part of our consultation (if desired). Sara is happy to answer general interest questions about the industry. For those with more specific questions, Sara can offer early- to mid-level career guidance in the areas of print book production, editorial, project management, and department management.

There is a one-hour limit for the consultation call. The consultation will occur at a date and time agreed upon by both parties, but not before January 2, 2022.

Sara Maher is a Project Editor for licensed books and kits at Printers Row Publishing Group, the publishing division of Readerlink. Before this she was the Publishing Manager at Western National Parks Association; worked in production at Hachette, DK, and Rizzoli; and did freelance writing and editing for small publishers and newspapers. She holds dual BAs in English and history from Salem College and a Certification in Publishing from New York University. Her publishing career has taken her from Colorado to North Carolina, New York City, Arizona, and San Diego, where she currently lives and works.

Image: A headshot of Sara Maher.

Win an autographed copy of Law & Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers plus a 30-minute Zoom consultation on preparing for a career in publishing (or anything else the author/illustrator wants!) with Attorney, Contract Consultant, and Literary Agent Jacqui Lipton.

Will ship in the United States.

Jacqui Lipton is an attorney, contract consultant, and literary agent who specializes in children's literature and the law of the publishing industry. She founded Raven Quill Literary Agency in 2019 and is the author of LAW & AUTHORS: A LEGAL HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS.

Image: A headshot of Jacqui Lipton.

Win a professional headshot session with Boston-based photographer Carter Hasegawa. Receive up to five high-resolution, professionally edited images. Put your best self forward with a professional headshot. Great for publicity, social media, online profiles, author photos, etc.

Must come to the metro Boston area for the session.

Carter Hasegawa is a children's book editor and photographer based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Image: A headshot of Carter Hasegawa.

Win a 30-minute publicity consultation with Tracy van Straaten, founder and president of TvS Media Group LLC. Ask Tracy anything about publicity, marketing, social media, publishing, and brand strategy!

Tracy van Straaten has nearly 30 years of publicity and marketing experience and has created hundreds of campaigns for bestselling, award-winning, and debut authors, as well as beloved characters, celebrities, and brands. Over the course of her career, she and her teams have launched more than 200 New York Times bestsellers, including Suzanne Collins's bestselling The Hunger Games trilogy and Olivia by Ian Falconer. Van Straaten has held publicity and marketing positions at Little, Brown and Company, HarperCollins, William Morrow, Simon & Schuster, and Scholastic. In 2019, she founded TvS Media Group LLC, a boutique public relations and consulting firm specializing in book publishing, entertainment, and brand management, with particular expertise in children's and young adult books.

Image: A headshot of Tracy van Straaten.

Intimidated by sites like Patreon and Ko-Fi? This coaching package is especially for you!

Win 30-minute AMA call about using Patreon and Ko-Fi as an author with author and librarian Sarah Loch.

Start with a one-on-one where you can talk with Sarah about:

• which platform is best for you,
• who your fans are,
• what you can offer as rewards, and
• how to create something manageable while still providing an income stream.

Afterward, you'll receive a step-by-step guide to creating your first membership subscription, including suggested verbiage.

Sarah Loch (she/her) has been making up stories since childhood, first for her own amusement and then to entertain her younger siblings and cousins. She is a young adult librarian and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Sarah has authored and self-published several queer romances under a pseudonym while working to write and revise her first YA novel. She lives in Northwest Arkansas with her family and a corgi mix named Daisy.

Image: A headshot of Sarah Loch.

Win a 45-minute phone or video call with Ashley Wells, who has worked in self-publishing for over five years.

Ashley says: "Ask me anything about self-publishing. We can discuss the publishing process, creating a marketing plan, resources...anything you'd like. If I don't know the answer to one of your questions, I probably know another expert who does."

Ashley Wells has worked in the self-publishing world for over five years. She can help equip self-publishing authors with resources for success.

Ashley Wells Ajinkya is a relationship manager in the publishing industry, a We Need Diverse Books blog contributor, and an Ambassador for The Pad Project. She's also a mental health advocate and public speaker, sharing relatable personal experiences to break down damaging stigmas surrounding disability and mental illness. Ashley loves to travel and enjoys planning trips just as much as hopping on a plane. She can almost always be found with an iced coffee in one hand and a book in the other. You can find her online at ashleywells.squarespace.com.

Image: A headshot of Ashley Wells.

Win a 30-minute AMA with author Laekan Zea Kemp plus a PDF of 100s of resources from her presentation "Publishing 101" which covers idea generation to building a sustainable career - and every milestone in between.

Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She's also the creator and host of the Author Pep Talks podcast, as well as a contributor to the Las Musas podcast. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicane grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health. Her debut novel, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BITTER & SWEET was released by Little Brown Young Readers on April 6th, 2021.

Image: A headshot of Laekan Zea Kemp.

Win a 30-minute consultation call with Gabrielle Gantz, Associate Director of Publicity, St. Martin's Press. Gabrielle can offer an overview of publishing with a focus on nonfiction publicity.

Gabrielle Gantz is an Associate Director of Publicity at St. Martin's Press, focusing on nonfiction titles. She has worked with Michael Eric Dyson, Patrisse Cullors co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Senator Bernie Sanders. Previous publicity stints have included Viking/Penguin, Picador, and McSweeney's.

Image: A headshot of Gabrielle Gantz.