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
Lead Community Change (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
Lead Community Change is a dynamic two-cycle journey that harnesses the transformative power of storytelling to drive social impact. Mentees in this initiative will unleash their creativity to develop innovative projects that make a meaningful difference in their local communities, all while being supported by Girls Write Now’s rich storytelling resources. This journey is designed for aspiring young leaders and activists who are eager to create and implement impactful community-based social activism projects. With a personalized approach, we tailor our support to meet the unique needs of each initiative, empowering participants to bring their visions to life and inspire change in their communities.
The Lead Incubator (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
The Lead Incubator is a crucial extension of the Lead Community Change journey, offering mentees the space, resources, and support needed to implement their project plans and drive meaningful change in their communities. It acts as a dynamic platform where they can turn their ideas into action. Mentees participating in the Lead Incubator focus on advancing their community-based social activism projects with the support of their mentors and Girls Write Now’s resources. They will take on leadership roles, facilitate a community studio, and develop an episode of the Lead Podcast, interviewing an expert relevant to their project’s cause.
Screenwriting (Spring 2025)
The Screenwriting Journey is an immersive program designed for aspiring screenwriters eager to master the art and craft of storytelling for the screen. Whether one dreams of writing for Hollywood blockbusters, indie films, or television series, this program provides a comprehensive exploration of the essential elements and techniques of screenwriting. By the end of the Journey, participants will have developed a solid foundation in screenwriting, equipped with the tools and knowledge to start crafting their own compelling stories for film. Whether you're new to screenwriting or looking to enhance your existing skills, join us on this creative exploration and bring their cinematic visions to life.
Poetry (Spring 2025)
Join us for an immersive journey into the art and craft of poetry through the lens of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, renowned for its dedication to celebrating African American poetic traditions. The curriculum draws inspiration from the rich legacy of African American poetry, reflecting on themes of history, identity, social justice, and personal narrative. Mentees will have the chance to interact with guest poets, participate in workshops, and collaborate on creative projects that challenge and inspire their own poetic expression.
Advocacy Journalism (Spring 2025)
Leverage creativity and interest in world events, storytelling, and media technology to help shape society. You’ll learn how journalists pitch stories, interview subjects, write news articles and maintain high ethical standards. Great for mentees who would like to be journalists.
Love Well (Spring 2025)
The Love Well Journey focuses on building self-esteem and confidence through increased self-awareness and empowerment within the Girls Write Now community. Using guided prompts to elicit metacognitive writing, journal entries to encourage self-reflection, and specially tailored courses to promote further learning, this journey will guide you to explore your feelings in a structured and safe way.
Perspectives on Publishing & Marketing (Spring 2025)
Learn about the different ways to publish creative work and the fundamentals of marketing yourself and your creations. This Journey will take mentees and mentors through the process of publishing from beginning to end. This is a great opportunity to learn about the publishing industry from employees who work in in the field. Perfect for mentees who would like to be published or work in publishing. With the information gained in this Journey, you will be ready to enter the publishing industry as employees and writers. You will have the knowledge you need to create change in an industry that needs your fresh perspectives.
Perspectives on Editorial (Spring 2025)
Embrace editing as an essential aspect of writing in this journey that leads you through lessons and experiences that explore everything from line edits and grammar to the psychology of revision. Great for individuals who are interested in honing their skills for editing their own creative work (and the work of others!)
Audio Storytelling (Spring 2025)
The Audio Storytelling Journey is for mentees and mentors who want to learn about the ways publishing companies create audio books and other audible content for publication.
Perspectives on Public Policy (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
The Perspectives on Public Policy Journey offers a comprehensive overview of public policy and its role in addressing societal challenges with a focus on inequalities, public policy frameworks, design, analysis, and justification.
