Debbie Young: Writing Mentor
Your writing mentor, Debbie Young
About Debbie
Self-publishing expert Debbie Young is the author of thirteen novels, two of which have been shortlisted for the prestigious BookBrunch Selfies Award for best independently-published adult fiction in the UK. She now combines licensing selective rights for her books to various publishers including Boldwood Books, DP Verlag, and Saga Egmont, while continuing to self-publish. Debbie has seven years’ as Commissioning Editor of the Alliance of Independent Authors’ daily self-publishing advice blog. She is also an Ambassador for ALLi and has written several advice books and pamphlets for indie authors.
A renowned champion of indie authors everywhere, she now shares her passion for self-publishing and her enjoyment in supporting and nurturing other authors as a mentor and course tutor for Jericho Writers.
She is a frequent speaker at literature festivals other events for writers and readers, and she judges many writing competitions.
In 2015 she founded the ground-breaking Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival which showcases dozens of self-published authors every year. Originally a Londoner, for the last thirty years she has lived in a Victorian cottage in the Cotswolds, and she writes in a hut at the bottom of her garden, her “Little House in the Big Woods”, channelling Laura Ingalls Wilder’s pioneering spirit.
Why Debbie loves mentoring
Having successfully established my own career as an author in the indie sector, I’m evangelical about the power of self-publishing to allow aspiring writers to achieve their ambitions of getting their books out into the world and in front of readers.
I get a great deal of pleasure out of sharing my experience of and knowledge, and of seeing writers transformed from nervous beginners to confident published authors.
Students appreciate my natural warmth, generosity, gentle manner and positive attitude, all of which ease them gently through the learning process. I get to know each student as an individual, tailoring my teaching to their personality type as well as to their practical needs. My lively sense of humour makes the course more fun and even the driest aspects entertaining, and no session goes by without sharing a laugh together.
Whatever genre the student writes in, I’m happy to help them explore the best course of action for their books, and to use my extensive network within the indie author community to connect them with like-minded authors.
Why we love Debbie
At Jericho Writers, we’re a team of authors, just like you. Four of us are published by the Big 5, while others are deep in the writing process, honing our craft alongside the writers we support. We work with expert book coaches and carefully chosen mentors, selected for their ability to guide writers through every stage of their journey. It’s this approach that has helped countless authors launch their careers, sign with top literary agents, and even become Sunday Times Bestsellers.
Debbie is an expert on all things self-publishing, and students on our Simply Self-Publish course have benefitted from her passion for supporting indie authors. We’re delighted to now also offer bespoke mentoring with her.
Why writers love working with Debbie
