THE FELICITY BRYAN PUBLISHING MENTORSHIP SCHEME

NB The deadline has now passed for applications to our 2022 mentorship scheme. Applications will reopen again next Spring.

JULY–SEPTEMBER 2022

Applications are now open for the Felicity Bryan Publishing Mentorship Scheme, created in honour of the pre-eminent literary agent Felicity Bryan, who died in June 2020.

The scheme is aimed at anyone from an underrepresented background who is interested in pursuing a career in the publishing industry. It is designed to be accessible to anyone, no matter their circumstances, and to give a stimulating and varied introduction to the many aspects of publishing. The mentee will be paid the Oxford Living Wage for the duration of the mentorship and there will be a stipend available to cover the cost of accommodation. The scheme is generously supported by Felicity’s family, and reflects her own energetic nurturing of talent and potential in young people starting out on their careers.

The mentorship will be based primarily at the Felicity Bryan Associates offices in North Oxford. It will also include a range of industry placements at our partner organisations, including:

  • Hachette UK
  • Profile Books
  • Andrew Nurnberg Associates
  • Blackwell’s Bookshop
  • Sylvie Zannier Literary Scouting

The scheme supports one mentee; however, shortlisted candidates will be offered six months of one-to-one virtual mentoring with a member of the FBA team, who can offer advice about the industry, job applications and who will also help review CVs and cover letters.

You can find out more about the experience of our inaugural mentee, Niktaa Amirkhalili HERE. After her mentorship with FBA, Niktaa secured an internship with Profile Books. She is now an assistant at RCW Literary Agency.

About Felicity Bryan: Felicity was unequivocally one of the most successful and esteemed literary agents of the last few decades. She established her own literary agency in Oxford in 1988, after a career as a journalist and then as a director at Curtis Brown in London. Her clients at that time included Mary Berry and Rosamunde Pilcher, and her burgeoning commercial and critical success gave her the basis to take on new agents and staff for what has since become the largest literary agency outside London. Felicity was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours for her services to publishing. She died from stomach cancer in June 2020.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Applications for the Felicity Bryan Mentorship Scheme are open to anyone over 18, based in the UK or Ireland, who considers themselves under-represented in the publishing industry on the grounds of ethnicity, disability, sexuality, gender, class or any other circumstances.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply you need to answer two short questions and send us your most up-to-date CV.

These questions are designed to give us a bit a more information about you, your passion for books and why you feel this mentorship would be beneficial to you.

Applications are open from Thursday 14th April 2022 until midnight on Monday 16th May 2022. Please email your application to aoife@felicitybryan.com

Longlisted candidates will be invited for interview.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short written task. Guidance on the task will be given after the interviews with the opportunity to ask questions on anything you are unsure on.

The successful candidate will start on Monday 4th July 2022.

 

SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES

Alongside the 3-month paid mentorship, we also offer one-to-one virtual mentoring sessions over six-months to those candidates shortlisted for the mentorship. Each shortlisted candidate will be paired with a member of the FBA staff and can get feedback on CVs, cover letters, as well as having the opportunity to ask questions about the industry.

 

HOW TO APPLY

To apply please send the below to aoife@felicitybryan.com

  • Your most up-to-date CV.
  • Your answers to the below questions (all in one word document or PDF).

 

  1. Tell us about a book you read recently that you enjoyed. What made it stand out to you? (maximum 300 words)

 

  1. Why do you want to apply for this mentorship scheme? Your answer should include information about why you feel you are from a background underrepresented in publishing and also what you want to learn about the publishing industry. (maximum 300 words)