Black Creatives Fund

The Black Creatives Fund is an initiative with a mission of supporting new and existing Black writers and illustrators. Penguin Random House is the inaugural sponsor of the fund for the 2021 year.

The Black Creatives Fund will feature three initiatives in 2021, including a Revisions Workshop, a mentorship program, and a marketing symposia in partnership with the Brown Bookshelf. The Fund will launch with the six-month Revisions Workshop, in collaboration with PRH, that will support unpublished Black writers with completed manuscripts and will feature esteemed faculty, including Nicole Dennis-Benn, Nic Stone, and Karen Strong. 

Twelve writers selected for the workshop will have the opportunity to receive guidance throughout the revision process and submit their manuscript to editors at Penguin Random House for possible publication. The Revisions Workshop will kick off in late spring 2021. 

WNDB is also partnering with the Brown Bookshelf to organize a marketing symposia for Black authors. The goal of the symposia is to provide guidance and support for published writers looking to energize their careers. Faculty will include marketing experts, independent booksellers, school visit coordinators, and other authors who will share tips and best practices for marketing books, including social media, events, outreach, and more. 

Later in 2021, the Fund will also support a mentorship program for Black writers to introduce them to the ins-and-outs of the publishing industry through one-on-one mentorship and programming with other industry professionals designed to develop their networking skills as well as hone their craft. More details about the mentorship are forthcoming.