Mentor: Kati Gardner

BIO
Kati is a contemporary YA author. She spends an inordinate amount of time thinking of clever things to say on social media and then never publishes them. She has a degree in theater and still loves to sing along with most musicals. Her first novel, BRAVE ENOUGH, will be published in August 2018 from Flux.

PUBLISHING BACKGROUND
I started writing BRAVE ENOUGH in 2011. I didn’t finish the first draft until 2014. In 2015 I set a goal to query at least 15 agents. I queried right at 15 and had some positive responses and a whole lot of passes from agents. I was offered representation by 2 different agents but ultimately signed with Eric Smith. We spent close to a year revising my manuscript before officially going on submission in early 2016. Because of some personal issues we only did one round, with some positive movement, but ultimately no offers until later that year. Almost a year later is when I got my offer.

EXPERIENCE
I have been beta reading, sensitivity reading, and developmental editing since 2016. I have a minor in english with an emphasis in creative writing. I was a mentor in round one of AMM and my mentee has since signed with an agent. Several authors that I have done sensitivity reading with have since landed major book deals.