Fall 2026
Building Buzz Journey:
Publicity in the Publishing Industry
This Journey explores how books are marketed, discovered, and reach bestseller lists in the digital age. Together you’ll examine how publicity campaigns are built—how publicists secure media coverage, interviews, reviews, and events to build visibility; how authors cultivate an authentic presence; and how trends shape reader engagement. As a mentee, you’ll build skills in publicity, marketing, and branding for today’s media landscape. As a mentor, you’ll deepen your understanding of what young, diverse audiences are looking for, and strengthen your ability to guide emerging creators. Both of you come away with a clearer sense of how stories reach and engage readers today.
Pre-Enroll in a Spring 2027 Journey Now!
Though enrollment is not currently open, you may express your interest for another Journey by filling out the form below.
You may also sign up for Mentorship on Demand and/or membership at any time.
Learning Objectives
Building Buzz: Publicity in the Publishing Industry Community Experiences
Mentees and mentors in the Building Buzz Journey are required to attend monthly meetings, held on Saturdays from 2-4 PM ET.
Live virtual meeting dates:
- Nov 14, 2 pm ET
- Dec 12, 2 pm ET
- Jan 23, 2 pm ET
If you’re unable to attend a Journey meeting, you must notify your Staff Lead in advance and attend a community event to make up for it—recommended options for this journey include Career Chats and Community Studios.
Building Buzz: Publicity in the Publishing Industry Courses
Fundamentals of Book Publicity
This accompanying online course introduces the fundamentals of book publicity, marketing, and author branding. Through self-paced lessons, participants will explore how books reach readers, examine the role of media, events, and digital platforms in successful publicity campaigns, and develop strategies for promoting creative work with authenticity and impact.
Building Buzz: Publicity in the Publishing Industry Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in this Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month. This journey is open to both mentor/mentee pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.
Journey Teaching Artist
Publish 360
All Journeys within this Adventure focus on the process of producing and publishing creative work. Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.
Publishing & Publicity: TikTok, BookTok, and the Power of Social Media is a Journey in the Publish 360 Adventure.
Explore All Journeys
Explore All Journeys
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Spring 2026)
In this Journey, mentors and mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.
STARS: Crafting White Papers for Change (Spring 2026)
In this Journey, Fellows from STARS CGI partner organizations engage in a youth-led writing and advocacy experience that empowers them to turn their experiences into policy-focused narratives. Through in-person and virtual sessions, participants learn to research, write, and collaborate on a White Paper that amplifies youth voices across New York City and advocates for increased support, funding, and policy improvements for youth programs. The Journey builds communication, leadership, and advocacy skills, culminating in a youth-authored White Paper presented to a City Council Member as a public call to action.
Inimitable Voices in the Age of AI (Spring 2026)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Thousand Voices Book Club (Spring 2026)
In partnership with the Thousand Voices imprint, this Journey invites mentors and mentees to explore contemporary literature. Participants will close-read three books and discuss them at monthly Journey Meetings. We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story.
Sharpening Your Inimitable Voice in the Age of AI (Fall 2025)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Storytelling Across Languages and Cultures (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites multilingual storytellers—and those curious about language, identity, and culture—to explore how the languages we speak and the communities we come from shape our stories. Through writing, discussion, and creative expression, participants will examine the connections between language, culture, and self. The Journey celebrates multilingual voices and empowers participants to honor their perspectives and grow as confident storytellers across cultures.
Perspectives on Media (Fall 2025)
The Perspectives on Media Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work in today’s media ecosystem. It provides insight from media professionals in a variety of fields such as sports journalism, broadcast journalism, true crime podcasting, and more! Participants will also learn how to develop a pitch for a media project of their choice.
Hooked on Fiction: Crafting Your First Chapter (Fall 2025)
In this fiction Journey, our curriculum will focus on opening chapters. The first pages of a novel are some of the most daunting for many writers. There's so much to establish in very few pages—the ones your future readers will flip through to decide if they should keep reading. In this journey, we'll deep dive into the varied ingredients that make a compelling first chapter. We'll examine how to use your limited space to build motivated well-rounded characters, craft palpable stakes, establish a fully-realized setting, create a killer hook, and so much more. We'll tackle big questions, like how to know if you are starting in the right place and how to get all this information onto the page without overwhelming your readers. Whether you're starting a story from scratch or already editing a draft of your novel, join us to develop some impactful opening pages.
Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals (Fall 2025)
The Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a playwright – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, plays vs musicals, professional working practices, and employment strategies. We will look to popular musicals such as Wicked for inspiration in creating original pieces. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually seeing a script to fruition.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Fall 2025)
In this one-Cycle Journey, Mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.