PPC announces eighth year of mentoring scheme

The Publishers’ Publicity Circle (PPC) has announced the eighth year of its mentoring scheme which will begin in January 2024.

The programme was created by the PPC committee to give publicists the chance to learn from each other, meeting monthly to share knowledge and experience from their campaigns. The deadline for applications for next year’s scheme is Friday 1st December for both mentors and mentees. 

The 2023 scheme saw 14 mentor pairs from across fiction, non-fiction and children’s books as well as in house, freelance, big and small companies. This year the PPC is allowing former mentors to apply for a second year in a row.

Joe Thomas, PPC chair said: “As both a former PPC mentor and the current PPC chair, I’m hugely proud of the mentoring scheme and the impact it’s had over the last seven years. Growing from five pairings in 2016 to 14 in 2023 is a real testament to the value the mentors and mentees have found in the scheme.

"At a time when book publicity is persistently tumultuous, it’s more important than ever to have opportunities for cross-industry exchanges of knowledge and expertise, as well as to find support in each other. Taking part in the scheme as a mentor definitely helped me grow into the publicist I am today, and I’d encourage publicists to take advantage of the opportunity and apply.”

PPC mentee Sarah Lundy, press officer at HQ, HarperCollins said: “The PPC mentorship scheme has been invaluable to me this year. My mentor helped me navigate some trickier issues by empowering me with advice and information that helped me raise concerns when I needed to. Having an outsider perspective was helpful and created a safe space to receive support both for my campaigns and with other challenges that arose. I’m appreciative to the PPC for setting this up and would encourage other members to apply.”

PPC mentor Ros Ellis, head of publicity at Bloomsbury, added: “Supporting the PPC as a mentor in 2023 has been one of the highlights of my year. I’ve loved the monthly meetings I’ve had with my mentee which have become a fun space in which to guide on campaigns and career, discuss ideas and also bring some fresh eyes on some of my own projects. I recommend it to anyone, at whatever stage in their career.”

Further information about the scheme and instructions on how to apply can be found in the online application pack downloadable from the PPC website. All applicants must be PPC members and the deadline is 5.30 p.m .on Friday 1st December for both mentors and mentees. Successful applicants will be matched with their mentor by the end of December ready to start the scheme in January 2024.