I Want a Mentor. How Do I Find One?

You may be sold on the concept of mentoring. Having someone there to help you over some of the hurdles of the publishing industry sounds great, doesn’t it? Or maybe you know there are things you can do to help a less experienced person and you feel you could mentor someone. How do match mentees with willing mentors?

My employer has encouraged mentoring for many years. One of the things they did toward that effort was to set up a website that listed the skills of potential mentors so the potential mentees could look for a good match. Upon selecting candidates, the mentees interviewed the candidates before selecting one. But my employer is larger than some small towns and this blog is in its infancy. I can’t offer that capability.

The best way to find a mentor is to ask. But first, figure out what it is that you need help with. Do you need a better platform? Does your writing have problems? Are you struggling with public speaking when you attend an event to promote your book? Is all of this Internet based social networking flying over your head? There are any number of things that a mentor might be able to help you with. Decide on one or a small number of things and then look for someone who you know has a strength where you have a weakness. Then send that person an e-mail, expressing your need and ask if that person would be willing to be a mentor.

It’s okay to ask people you don’t know well and who may not know you at all to consider being a mentor if you think that person will be able to help you. It is an honor to be asked to be a mentor, but keep in mind that not all are willing to be mentors. Even people who are willing may already have a full compliment of mentees or there may be circumstances prevent them from saying yes. People who know you and people who are only a little farther down the publishing road than you are will be more willing to agree to a mentoring relationship than someone who is much farther down the path and doesn’t know you at all.

Don’t be creepy. If you send an e-mail and get a no back, it means no. Move on. Don’t try to change this person’s mind. Also, I hate to do this to you, but no response also means no. If you don’t get a response within a week, don’t expect one. If the person is interested, a week is plenty of time to write back with a yes or a I’ll have to think about it. No is much harder to write, so if the person is busy it might not come at all.