2026 Novel Mentorship

With January right around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about New Year’s Resolutions. For those of you out there who are Middle Grade and Young Adult novel writers, boy do I have a suggestion for you!!

Hi! 

I’m Jessica Zimmerman, and I’m the new(ish) Mentorship Coordinator for SCBWI-MI. I took the reins from the incredible Jay Whistler, and am so grateful for the guidance and materials that she left for me as I transitioned into her former role! This year I’ve learned so much about the uniqueness of our Michigan mentoring program, and I’m so excited to share everything I’ve learned with you…right here in this blog! 

First, let’s talk about how the mentorship program works. 

The program is on a three year rotation for genre: picture books, illustration, MG/YA novels. 2025 was an illustration year, with the incredible Penelope Dullaghan serving as the mentor to Marisa Korovesis. The program runs from April to November, so the two of them worked over eight months exchanging materials and feedback four times. 

As Marisa says, “This has been an absolutely thrilling experience. I have learned so much and gained a lot of knowledge and confidence from Penny. It's truly been one of the best experiences of my life.”

   

The 2026 mentorship will be a MG/YA novel mentorship with Sheela Chari! Sheela is the award winning author of several critically acclaimed novels, including KARTHIK DELIVERS, THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL series, FINDING MIGHTY, and VANISHED! She holds an MFA from New York University and is a faculty member at the Vermont College of Fine Arts' MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. You can read more about Sheela right here on the Mitten, where she describes more about her work and background. 

In October I attended her SCBWI-MI webinar on Points of View and I must say, whoever gets to work with her is going to be sooooooo lucky. Sheela’s pretty awesome. 

So now, let’s talk about what you need to do to apply to work with her!

The mentorship website has TONS of information to help you get ready, including formatting details, an example submission, and a robust FAQ, plus my email if you have lingering questions. I’ll put it at the bottom of this post, too, for good measure🙂. 

One of my favorite things about the mentorship program is that EVERYONE gets SOMETHING!

So, here are the prize opportunities:

The winner receives the mentorship, plus a golden ticket submission to an agent or editor. The first and second runners up both receive gold form feedback from the mentor. In addition: The first-place runner-up will receive one free entry to our annual Critique Carousel for any project and the second-place runner-up will receive one $25 gift card for the SCBWI Member Bookstore. But even if you aren’t one of the top three, YOU STILL GET FEEDBACK!

Each submitted manuscript will be judged by three super-secret, super-awesome, anonymous judges. Every single person who registers will receive a paragraph of feedback from each judge, related specifically to the judging criteria: Appropriateness of Style, Development of Plot, Character Development, Pacing, and Overall impression/Originality. 

You read that right: three, unique, specific reviews of your work. What a great chance to improve your writing! Seriously, you don’t want to miss this.

I’m so excited to be coordinating this program and can’t wait to see the manuscripts that come in! Registration for the mentorship opens on January 2nd, 2026 and closes on January 11th. There are only 20 spots, so get those manuscripts ready!!!

See you soon, and Happy New Writing Year! Let’s help you reach your goals!

Questions? Email Jessica at scbwi.mi.mentorship@gmail.com

Jessica Zimmerman (she/her) is a mom, author, educator, and empowerment coach. She loves reading, writing, running (or walking), hugging trees and being in the sunshine. She holds degrees in education from Central Michigan University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has been a public school teacher for twelve years. She was the Michigan World Language Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2024, and currently serves as the Mentorship Coordinator for SCBWI-Michigan.

Jessica’s first book, Drinking from the Fire Hose: A Survival Guide for First Year Teachers was independently published in 2024 and is available on Amazon. She recently completed a project with the Cereal City Sunrise Rotary Club, writing a picture book called Ben’s Diabetes Journey to raise awareness about childhood diabetes, which will be independently published soon. You can join her monthly at Willard Public Library in Battle Creek, Michigan for Bilingual Storytime with “Maestra Zim.”

Jessica’s life goal is to help everyone love themselves, love their people, and love the planet. You can learn more about her at jessicazimmermanbooks.com.