Every story deserves the chance to be told. Yet for many writers, especially those crafting children’s, middle grade, and young adult books, the cost of professional mentorship, comprehensive workshops or feedback can be out of reach.
Your support helps make that possible.
Funds raised through this year’s event provide scholarships and support options that remove financial barriers for talented writers and stories that need to be told. Every item/experience purchased, every “Buy It Now” experience, and every bid placed directly fuels access for emerging authors and underrepresented voices.
Bid on exclusive mentorships, critiques, and creative experiences.
Our auction runs for one weekend only. Once the bidding closes, these items are gone. Browse offerings from Whale Rock faculty, editors, agents, and authors who are donating their time to help the next generation of writers thrive.
No bidding needed. Purchase instantly and support scholarships year-round.
Prefer to skip the auction? Our Buy It Now offerings stay open until all items are sold. These include shorter critiques, ask-me-anythings, consultations, and other one-of-a-kind opportunities that make great gifts for writers or for yourself.
Every purchase directly supports scholarships and sliding scale programs for our community of children’s and YA authors.
Funds raised through this event support:
Scholarships for underrepresented and emerging voices
Sliding-scale spots and flexible payment options for writers who need financial support.
Fair pay for faculty and mentors who give their time generously
Community programs and writing resources that nurture creative growth year-round
Every dollar raised helps bring more voices, more books, and more imagination into the hands of young readers.
Dear Friends,
We were so thrilled with the response to our Summer Letter Companion campaign. Well over fifty of you participated in our weekly newsletters, and we raised over $5000 for our Scholarship fund.
As excited as we are about our accomplishment, we know that $5000 can't cover the number of authors who reach out to us every year in search of financial support. In addition to wanting to serve underrepresented voices, we get requests from teachers and librarians, from folks abroad for whom exchange rates make workshops cost prohibitive, not to mention the writers who are unemployed or working part-time.
As we look ahead, our hope is that we can offer need-based full scholarships to underrepresented voices, and we can also offer subsidies and discounts to those of you who need a little help.
And so, we are back with part two of 2025's scholarship initiative. We reached out to our faculty, to industry leaders, to Whale Rock Community members, and to friends. We've curated an online, hybrid buy-it-now / auction that consists of novel and picture book reads, one-on-ones with agents and editors, brainstorming sessions, original illustrations, theater tickets, signed books and more.
In keeping with Whale Rock's values, it was important to us that we offer items at all different price points so that this initiative is accessible to everyone.
We hope you'll help support part two of our scholarship initiative. We are grateful to all of you for your support of Whale Rock and each other and for passion for your craft. We look forward to 2026 where we can help meet writers where they are financially and continue to offer all the workshops and mentorships you love from our incredible faculty.
All the best,
Shari
