Help Us Raise Money for Our Initatives!
What's Being Offered?
Swag Items
Auction Items
How Does This Work?
Thank you for supporting WNDB! To receive our fundraiser swag:
- Make a donation to WNDB at your desired tier level. ($10 for a bookmark, sticker, and your name on your Wall of Thanks; $20 for a poster and pencil case; $40 for a special 5th anniversary tote.)
- Send your mailing address to our Program Director Caroline Richmond: carolinerichmond@diversebooks.org
- We aim to send the swag in late September/early October.
- Our auction items are individually listed on our Auction Item page.
- New items will be listed every Monday and will close on the following Sunday at 9:00PM EST. Donors can bid on an item as soon as it's posted.
- To make a bid, please write your name, email address, and bid amount in the comments' section of an auction item. Include your bid in US dollar ($) amounts.
- Each item will have a minimum starting bid. After that, you may bid in quantities of your choosing.
- The highest bid, timestamped by our website at 9:00PM EST or closest to 9:00PM EST, will be declared the winner.
- Please use comments only for bidding.
How to Claim Your Auction Item
- WNDB will declare the winner in the comments section on the item page. WNDB will then contact the winner via the email provided.
- The winner will have 72 hours to claim their item by responding to the email from WNDB. If the winner does not claim their item within the 72-hour timeframe, we will default to the runner-up from the bidding comments.
- In that same 72-hour timeframe, the winner must make their donation in the amount of their bid to WNDB, which you can do via our Donation page.
- Please forward your donation receipt or a screenshot to WNDB. If the winner does not do so within the 72-hour timeframe, we will default to the runner-up from the bidding comments.
- If you need to send a check, please let us know and we will work with you!
- After the donation has been verified, WNDB will put the winner in touch with the agent or editor for their critique, phone call, etc.
Other Rules
- Winners must adhere to the guidelines set out by WNDB, including time frame and genre restrictions. Please read the entire auction entry before bidding.
- For items involving agent or editor critiques, all pages must be submitted double-spaced and in twelve-point Times New Roman font, unless the agent or editor requests otherwise.
How Will the Money Be Used?
This fundraiser will raise money for our Internship Grants, Mentorships, Walter Awards, and Walter Grants provide much-needed support to diverse writers, illustrators, and aspiring publishing professionals. Learn more about each initiative below and what they've accomplished since 2014.
The Internship Grants provide funding for diverse college students and recent graduates who have secured an internship at an eligible publishing house or literary agency. The high cost of living in New York City prevents many marginalized students from accepting publishing internships that are vital in entering the industry. Since the program’s inception, we have awarded 44 grants and have seen 21 of our former interns find full-time work in publishing.
The Mentorship program pairs veteran authors and illustrators with upcoming writers and artists from diverse backgrounds. Our mentors work one-on-one with their mentee over the course of a year to offer support and professional feedback. So far, we have enabled 38 mentorships, and many of our mentees have signed with literary agents and secured book deals.
The Walter Awards recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way. Every spring, WNDB partners with the Library of Congress to host the awards ceremony and a corresponding symposium. WNDB also donates 2000 copies of the Walter-winning books to low-income schools.
The Walter Grants are awarded yearly to five aspiring authors and illustrators from marginalized communities. Each grant of $2,000 provides key financial support to the winners, enabling time and resources to focus on their work. Thus far, we have awarded 16 Walter Grants, with plans to provide five more in 2019. Angie Thomas (left) received our 2015 Walter Grant and has gone onto become an award-winning and bestselling author.
