Rise Up: Retention Program for Diverse Mid-Level Publishing Professionals

We define “diverse background” according to our mission statement:

We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA+, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.

Please use our application form above!

We ask our potential members to fill out an application to join our Discord server for Rise Up in order to keep this platform a safe and constructive space! We also ask each member to read and agree to our server rules for the same reason. We're all here to connect and share resources and we want to make sure that this is a supportive space for our Rise Up members.

Please note: We Need Diverse Books has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind and expects all participants including server members — mid-level publishing professionals — speakers, WNDB staff, and volunteers) to conduct themselves respectfully and appropriately.

Yes, Rise Up is widely available to diverse publishing professionals across any area of publishing, including both adult and children's book publishing, trade, educational, scholarly/academic, and fiction and nonfiction. If you work in publishing, are a mid-career professional, and are diverse, you're welcome to join!

Yes, if you are considering leaving the publishing industry, you may join Rise Up. It was created to support diverse mid-career professionals so that we retain their expertise in an industry where marginalized voices are needed more than ever, and we hope that Rise Up will offer the support and resources that you need.

Rise Up defines a mid-level professional as someone who has worked in publishing for approximately 3-10 years, although we recognize that there may be exceptions to this. We encourage you to use your best judgment in applying to this program if you feel you are a mid-level publishing professional.

Yes, if you are self-employed, you may join Rise Up as long as you also identify as diverse and are a mid-level professional in the publishing industry. We recognize that there are barriers to full-time traditional employment for many diverse professionals and that self-employment is common in the industry.

Yes, Rise Up includes professionals who work for literary agencies and other publishing-related jobs, such as book subscription boxes, book review magazines, booksellers, author's assistants, and literary organizations. 

For now, Rise Up is focused on those who work for US-based publishers or, if self-employed, have primarily US-based publishing clients. WNDB is based in the United States and our expertise focuses primarily on US publishers. You may join if you work outside the United States but please understand that this is where our expertise is and we do not have the necessary resources to support international folks. 

No, you do not need to be a US citizen or permanent resident to join Rise Up.