The Heritage Author Republication Project (HARP)
Guidelines for Mentees
The following guidelines were built on structures initially developed by members of SFWA’s Mentoring Initiative and kindly shared with the Independent Authors Committee. Here, they have been modified to serve the needs of Independent Author mentors and mentees at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. The aim of our Heritage Author Republication Project (HARP) is to support the professional development of emerging, heritage, or isolated speculative fiction writers, and to build broader community awareness around the different challenges of digital publishing.
(For more on the Mentor side, click here.)
The goals of the Heritage Author Republication Project include:
- Broadening digital literacy among professional writers, with a focus on digital publication resources, techniques, and theory in our current market moment.
- Building bridges between traditionally and independently published authors.
- Cultivating more community knowledge-sharing in general.
- Empowering creators to explore new possibilities for their careers.
- Celebrating and uplifting older published works that are otherwise struggling to find new audiences.
You do not need to be a member of SFWA to participate in HARP, as either a mentor or a mentee. This program is open to all genre writers 21 years of age and older.
A Note about Applications
Mentors and mentees may reapply for subsequent mentorship periods, with minor differences in expectation each cycle.
Mentors may reapply as often as they wish.
A mentee will be expected to reapply for a different task than the one decided upon for their initial mentorship window. This either means working on a different facet of digital publishing for the same book, or the same facet for a different volume. This limitation is meant to encourage our mentorship windows to be used to empower mentees with the skills needed to continue the work on their own.
What’s Expected of a Mentee?
We are excited to work with authors who are ready to learn, and to contribute to a constructive training program experience. Our mentors are not expected to provide critique or editorial services, and mentees should similarly not feel pressured to accept commentary on the work itself as a precondition to receiving help with various publishing programs and platforms.
This is especially true for proofreading prep. A mentor may need to teach a mentee to eliminate incorrect indentation, extra “returns” and spaces, incompatible section breaks, and difficult object/image inclusions. The mentor may also have to flag issues with special text characters and multiple languages, and train around related issues of font choice for wider dissemination within ebook markets. These issues are not the same as line-editing for grammar and spelling, and we will make clear to both parties that any deeper editorial revisions need to be discussed and agreed upon to the satisfaction of both participants first.
SFWA stands ready to help clarify expectations in the course of the mentorship. SFWA will also provide some standard templates (e.g., copyright page, table of contents, generic cover) to assist the mentor and mentee in their work.
The mentor’s greatest contribution will come through an applied education in digital materials development. Although each project goal will differ depending on the needs of the mentee, the mentee is expected to be an active participant in the development process. A mentor is not expected to produce the project deliverable on their own.
Neither mentor nor mentee is expected to be available 24/7. We only ask that both mentor and mentee respond promptly to meeting requests, and make reasonable efforts to achieve the stated project goal within the three-month time frame for each HARP cycle. We also expect both mentor and mentee to provide us with feedback, based on their experiences with the program, and to apprise administrators of any urgent matters that might arise in the course of their work.
What Are the Benefits to the Mentee?
We hope that this will be a rewarding and empowering experience for you. This is a great opportunity to:
- Connect with more members of industry, including people with a stronger sense of digital publishing.
- Develop new professional skills, while learning more about the challenges that digital creators face.
- Learn more about the processes and technologies of digital publishing.
- Contribute to the preservation of SFF history – and yes, doing so through your own work definitely counts!
- Spread the good word about digital publishing, and improve broader industry appreciation for the talent involved in the work.
At the end of the program cycle, we will very happily issue you a certificate of participation that you can use as a marker of your experience with us in other professional settings.
Please fill out the following form before 11:59pm Pacific Time on October 23, 2025.
SFWA reserves the right to decline any submission, but our team at HARP will do its best to find you a good match or alternative resources. If you have any trouble with the form, please write to office@sfwa.org for assistance.
Thank you for entrusting us with your words!
Thank you for your interest in HARP! This cycle's submission window is now closed, but check back soon for the next!