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PUBLISH YOUR BOOK

You’re Invited to Publish Your Debut Novel through our Fresh Ink Publishing Program

Every writer dreams of holding a finished ink-and-paper book in their hands

But why should youth wait until they’re adults for that dream to come true? In the Fresh Ink Publishing Program, you’ll work with a professional through the revision process and ultimately, hold your published book in your hands.

You’ve finished a draft of your first novel. Now what?

It’s time to take your novel, and your writerly skillset, to the next level. Once you’re done, we’ll guide you through the publication process so you can hold your ink-and-paper book in your hands and share it with readers. 

In the Fresh Ink Program, professional writers mentor youth through a chapter-by-chapter revision process which results in a printed or published book available through independent bookstores and other retailers.

Through Fresh Ink, you will:

    • Complete a full novel revision
    • Take your writing skills to the next level
    • Learn what it takes to publish a book

The Fresh Ink Editorial Mentorship is designed for writers aged 11-16 who have completed the draft of a novel. Full-novel revision is a brand-new skill set, one that can be just as creative as drafting. Most writers are familiar with proofreading, but full-novel revision goes far beyond playing around with sentences and fixing an error here and there.

“Whoa, I thought this might be boring,” one of our mentees said, wide-eyed after her first revision session. “I found so many opportunities to make my novel better–new scenes, changing settings, adding tension. It’s like looking for what you already did and then… fabulousing it!”

It only takes one exciting revision to completely transform the way you see the writing process. Writers gain the confidence to draft more quickly because they know that their view of the book’s potential will be much more clear once they’ve reached “the end” for the first time. Revision becomes exciting when you know the questions to ask. Tap into that exciting opportunity by walking step-by-step through a full-novel revision with an Inklings mentor. Knowing that your hard work will also result in a published book is that extra cherry on top.

Fresh Ink is a mentorship and publishing program. We will estimate the number of sessions and editorial reading time before starting. Your custom pricing will also include the cost of light copyediting, design, and publishing. Need-based partial scholarships are available.

Publication is an in-depth process that, in addition to your hard work, involves a whole team working on your novel completing editorial readings, copyediting, book layout and design, cover design, and listing your book for sale. Please let us know as soon as possible if you are considering a publishing program with SYI so we can make sure we have a team lined up to assist.

Society of Young Inklings releases titles in the spring and fall and has limited slots for each release season. From the start of your Fresh Ink program, the timeline includes a minimum of six months before the book is published. Please plan accordingly.

“I found so many opportunities to make my novel better – new scenes, changing settings, adding tension. It’s like looking for what you already did and then…fabulousing it!

Watch this to learn more about Fresh Ink!

Fresh Ink Publishing Program At a Glance

Revision

Writer revises their work, chapter by chapter, in a one-on-one video mentorship. Under their mentor’s guidance, youth do three full novel revisions with three different revision craft focuses. During sessions, mentors guide the youth author as they learn revision techniques and often assign portions to revise between sessions. During the program, youth identify a personal growth area and build writing craft skills.

Layout & Design

 You provide a cover illustration or photo. Our team will professionally design and lay out the cover and interior of your book. Our copyeditor provides a light copyedit to ensure an absence of spelling and mechanical errors. NOTE: Fresh Ink is not set up for books that include interior illustration. Exceptions can be made for up to 10 (total) black and white line art images.

Publication

Your book is published with an ISBN and distributed to Amazon and other online retailers for print-on-demand orders. You have the option to add converting your book to an ebook format. You are provided a packet of marketing guidance and are invited to promote and market your book in whatever way you wish. You’re invited to promote and market your book in whatever way you wish.

Apply for Fresh Ink

To apply for Fresh Ink, you need a full draft of a novella, novel, or poetry collection and commitment to a learning-focused editorial process.

Would your parent like to speak with our Mentorship Coordinator before you apply?

Wondering about scholarships? Apply for a need-based drafting or editorial program scholarship.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Society of Young Inklings publish?

We are committed to printing and publishing stories and poems that impact the world in positive, transformational ways—works we’d be excited to share with the full age range of youth writers we serve. We do not print or publish work that promotes violence, cruelty, prejudice, reckless behavior, or any work containing sexual content.

What does the Fresh Ink revision process look like?

Revision focuses on three major revision craft skills. Writers might dive deep in an examination of character development, world-building, or adding humor to their work. Mentors will guide them through the revision process chapter-by-chapter, and help them gain skills in full-novel revision. Writers will also work on consistency and clarity, and before publication, take one final pass through the book to lightly address copyediting issues including word choice and mechanics.

How long does the process take?

Fresh Ink is set up as a 12 mentorship sessions program. Weekly mentees are finished revising in 12 weeks, biweekly in 24. After the revision is complete, the publication process takes 2-4 months. Books are published with either our spring or fall releases. We have limited slots per season and books need to be submitted for publication with the cover illustration three months ahead of the seasonal release date to be eligible for that seasonal release. Non-seasonal release dates are available only as staffing allows.

What is my commitment in the Fresh Ink program?

By enrolling in Fresh Ink, youth commit to a dedicated learning process under the mentorship of a professional writer. Society of Young Inklings publishing programs are not a fast-track to publication. Instead, they focus on building writing craft, resilience, and overall creative confidence.

How are royalties handled?

Fresh Ink focuses on the learning process rather than marketing and sales. However, youth authors and their families are welcome to promote their book as widely as they choose. The first $50 is donated to scholarships for students who need financial assistance to afford SYI’s services. Should a book generate more than $50 in revenue in a calendar year, we will ask the youth author to choose a nonprofit to whom they would donate to give 100% of the funds. Writers may withdraw their title from print with us and utilize their work in any other way they choose after the first printing with appropriate notice.

What will I gain from Fresh Ink?

Fresh Ink guides writers through a full-draft revision process. Unlike sentence-to-sentence editing, this kind of revision will help you better understand the structure of your full book, your character arcs, the world of your story, the overall pacing, tone, and themes. By the end of the program, you will have gained writing finesse and confidence. You’ll have a bigger-picture view of how to approach each new writing project. And, when the program is complete, you will have a published book to call your own…