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Build An Irresistible Book Proposal for Your Audience and Market One-on-One 3-Month Mentorship with Cinelle Barnes, Apply by August 20th, 2023
$2,400.00

Build An Irresistible Book Proposal for Your Audience and Market One-on-One 3-Month Mentorship with Cinelle Barnes, Apply by August 20th, 2023

Please do not pay for the mentorship until you receive a formal acceptance notification via email.

Click HERE to Apply Now. Early applications are encouraged as space is limited.

Any questions about this mentorship? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Led by Cinelle Barnes, a formerly undocumented memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018, Booklist starred review) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of the New York Times New & Noteworthy book, A MEASURE OF BELONGING: 21 WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH (Hub City Press, 2020). Her writing has appeared or been featured in the New York Times, Longreads, Garden & Gun, Electric Literature, Buzzfeed Reader, Literary Hub, Hyphen, and CNN Philippines, among others.


Learn the basics plus the extras of book proposal building with an accomplished memoirist, essayist, and developmental editor who has not only successfully sold several of her own book proposals to publishers but has as well helped several others build queries, concept snapshots, synopses, annotated tables of contents, sample pages etc. that have garnered the attention of agents and editors.

This mentorship opportunity allows you to utilize the instructor's comprehensive knowledge of the memoir and essay collection forms and of the market. Cinelle is a juror for the Pulitzer Prize in Memoir and the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses Firecracker Nonfiction Award, and she read 225+ nonfiction books this past year. Her survey of the industry and the genre allows her to help mentees position themselves and articulate their ideas in compelling, clear, and rewarding ways.

In this twelve-week mentorship, you will meet weekly to brainstorm, build, revise, and finesse the elements of a modern nonfiction book proposal. The twelve weeks will focus on the following:
  • Week 1: Idea to Concept Brainstorm
  • Week 2: Concept Snapshot and Bio Completion
  • Week 3: Concept Snapshot and Bio Revision
  • Week 4: Synopsis or Introduction Brainstorm
  • Week 5: Synopsis or Introduction Completion
  • Week 6: Synopsis or Introduction Revision
  • Week 7: Annotated Table of Contents Brainstorm
  • Week 8: Annotated Table of Contents Start
  • Week 9: Annotated Table of Contents Completion
  • Week 10: Annotated Table of Contents Revision
  • Week 11: Sample Chapters Revision
  • Week 12: Full Proposal Polishing and Finishing
Each weekly meeting will last one hour. During these one-on-one workshops, you'll have a set goal (see above), homework (written pages) to present and workshop, time for questions and setting next steps, and protected writing or revising time. By the end of the twelfth week, you'll have all the elements of a book proposal ready for either submission or further development per the mentor's notes.

What to Expect Each Week:
  1. Writer reads a craft book excerpt or sample proposal or worksheet.  
  2. *Writer accesses a pre-recorded video or audio or slideshow presentation about the week's focus: concept snapshot, synopsis, etc... (if necessary*). 
  3. Writer completes the week's homework: a brainstorm list or illustration, a draft, or a revision.    
  4. Writer submits homework; Instructor reads and writes and sends notes and editorial letter.
  5. Writer reads notes and editorial letter ahead of weekly call 
  6. Writer and instructor meet at the same time each week for their weekly one-hour Zoom.
  7. Repeat 11x.
Mentorship Takeaways:
  • Concept snapshot or elevator pitch, synopsis or introduction, annotated table of contents, bio, and one to two sample chapters

Click HERE to Apply Now.


Tuition Payment:

Full Tuition for the 3-month program is $2,400. Accepted writers must commit to the full three months and meet all assigned deadlines. You can pay the tuition in full or opt for equal monthly payments by selecting Shop Pay or Affirm at checkout. If you decide to create a monthly payment plan using Shop Pay or Affirm, you can do so once you add "Full Tuition" to your cart, enter your contact information, and are on the payment page.

Additional Program Information:

  • Tuition is $2,400

  • The Mentorship is fully online and students may participate from anywhere.

  • NOTE: Shifting some dates around may be necessary but any changes will be communicated well in advance, if possible.

Click HERE to Apply Now.

Contact us HERE if you have any questions about this program.


Mentor Cinelle Barnes is a formerly undocumented memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018, Booklist starred review) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of the New York Times New & Noteworthy book, A MEASURE OF BELONGING: 21 WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH (Hub City Press, 2020). She earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Converse College. Her writing has appeared or been featured in the New York Times, Longreads, Garden & Gun, Electric Literature, Buzzfeed Reader, Literary Hub, Hyphen, and CNN Philippines, among others. Her essay, “Carefree White Girls, Careful Brown Girls”, is anthologized in A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home (Catapult, 2020). Cinelle was a contributing editor, instructor, and writer at Catapult, and served as a juror for the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Memoir.