The Book Links Mentorship is open to all member of Book Links residing in Australia.
Applicants are invited to submit a synopsis and the first two chapters or first 6000 words of a work of fiction for junior fiction, middle-grade or YA readers, or two picture book manuscripts.
2025 Entry information
The mentorship will provide the winner with the opportunity to develop their early draft manuscript to a publishable standard with a professional mentor. Applications are assessed on literary and artistic merit and developmental potential.
- The mentorship is valued at $1500.
- The mentor is DrKristy Bushnell
Additional offer
This year we are again offering some extra support to some of the shortlisted authors.
Our Vice-Patron Jackie French has offered a free mentorship of three one-hour sessions, by phone, at times to be agreed.
Author Dave Lowe will offer a 60-min session (either face-to-face or over Zoom) to all the JF / MG shortlisted books (not including the winner, if a JF/MG wins). This will be limited to the first three chapters / 4,000 words of the manuscript.
Eligibility
- You must have a completed manuscript which is not under consideration by any publishers.
- Open to current financial members of Book Links Qld Inc. If you are not a member and would like to join, click here for 2025 membership.
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Writers are eligible to apply who have not yet published in book form, or who have published no more than two manuscripts via traditional publication (does not include indie-published).
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We also accept applications from those who may have books published in one genre e.g. picture books, but now wish to publish junior fiction, middle grade or YA and feel a mentorship would support this change in direction.
How to apply
- Pay the $25 application fee via Trybooking (+ .50c booking fee)
- APPLY HERE through Trybooking from 1 June 2025
- Entry closes 4 August 2025
- Submit your work via email as per the submission instructions below
How to submit
Please submit the following in a single pdf or Word document, via email to mentorship@booklinks.org.au with the Subject line MENTORSHIP2025
A synopsis and the first two chapters or the first 6000 words of a work of fiction for either junior or YA readers, or 2 picture book manuscripts.
Include a cover page with Full name, address, phone number, email address, Trybooking ID (Found on the booking confirmation page)
Applications must be received by 11pm, 4 August
A shortlist will be published prior to the winner being announced at the Book Links AGM on Saturday 4 October. Following the announcement, the mentor, Kristy Bushnell will read the entire work(s) written by the successful applicant and write an appraisal. She will engage with the applicant by phone, email or face-to-face for approximately 9 hours in order to offer advice regarding the development of the manuscript. She will offer advice not only on the manuscript but also on publishing prospects and avenues.
The Mentors
Kristy Bushnell is an experienced freelance book editor and mentor specialising in children’s and young adult literature. She has worked with award-winning and bestselling authors and illustrators such as Peter Carnavas, Kate Gordon, Steven Herrick, Tamsin Janu, Lucia Mascuillo, Nova Weetman and Claire Zorn, and publishers such as the University of Queensland Press, Omnibus Books, Allen and Unwin, Scholastic, HarperCollins and Walker Books.
Kristy has served as chair and panel member on the Queensland Literary Awards Children’s Book Award and is an alumni of the Australian Publishing Association’s Residential Editorial Program (REP). Kristy has extensive experience in mentoring, structural editing, copy editing, proofreading and assessments, and provides carefully considered and encouraging editorial advice to help authors realise their story’s potential and assist them to meet their publishing dreams.
Jackie French has written about 300 books for readers of all ages, many of them historical fiction, some best-selling and made into plays, musicals and opera. She has sold millions of copies and won awards all over the world. Her honours include the Order of Australia and Senior Australian of the Year, and from 2014 to 2015 she was the Australian Children’s Laureate. With about 70 national and international awards, the most recent being the Alice Award for a Lifetime Contribution to Australian Literature.
Jackie is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland providing mentoring for students there.
Her most recent books are Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger, shortlisted for the 2025 Book of the Year Awards, Plague with Bruce Whatley, part of their Disaster series for young people, Ming and Maria Explore the Universe (The Girls Who Changed the World, #5) and coming out later this year The Mushroom in the Sky, All Aboard! Discovering Sydney’s Central Station with Martina Heiduczek and The Drought Kangaroo with Sanny Snell.
Dave Lowe is the author of 13 books, published in seven translations around the world, including his ‘Stinky and Jinks’ series about a boy and his genius hamster, and the award-winning ‘Incredible Dadventure’ series. Dave’s latest books are Rocket, about a 12-year-old girl who dreams of playing for the Matildas, and Pixies vs Fairies and Ponies vs Unicorns, the first titles in a new series with Welbeck, aimed at younger readers. Dave has written four plays and is also a writer for the TV series ‘Bluey’.
