Prepare to Apply

Contact Info

In the contact information section of the application, we just want to know who you are and how to contact you. You probably already know your name and address, so you’re all set!

Short Answers

In the short answer section of the application, we’re going to ask you a series of thirteen questions. The questions are fairly simple and self-explanatory.

Just do your best to answer each question. You can write as much or as little as you need to—one sentence or five paragraphs. We are evaluating both the information in your answer and your ability to communicate your answer, so take a few minutes to do this well. It’s not a grammar or proofreading test, so don’t stress out about it, just take a few minutes to consider your response and fully answer the question.

We recommend preparing your answers ahead of time, and then copying and pasting into the application form.

If a question doesn’t apply to you, just tell us why.

Here are the questions you’ll be asked to answer:

1. Please tell us about your education to date.

2. Please tell us about your religious or spiritual upbringing.

3. Please tell us about your writing experience to date.

4. Please tell us about your present walk with Jesus. What does it look like day to day?

5. Please tell us about the hardest job you’ve ever had.

6. Please tell us about the best job you’ve ever had.

7. What’s your dream job or perfect project as a writer?

8. What would you most like to improve about your walk with God?

9. Why aren’t you already a successful author? What do you think the barriers to success are for you?

10. What attracts you to the The Company? Why might it be the perfect fit for you?

11. What will be the biggest challenges you face as a full-time apprentice at The Company in Cambridge, Ohio?

12. If you’re not accepted as an apprentice at The Company, what’s your realistic plan B?

13. Please share links to any websites and social media accounts that you own, manage, or actively participate with (now or in the past 5 years). If these accounts exist on more than one platform, please link individually to each platform.

We are not looking for the apprentices with the best credentials. Please be honest with your answers. There are no right or wrong answers, so please do not assume that you can guess the answer we’d like to hear.

All of us are in the process of becoming more like Jesus, and none of us are perfect yet. Help us to see, realistically, where you are in your walk with Jesus and your calling to write.

Document Upload

Finally, we’re going to ask you to upload a sample of your work. This can be anything. We provide essay prompts that you may use if you’re stuck, but you’re not required to use them. You can provide an essay, blog post, short story, or novel chapter that you’ve written. It’s OK if you wrote it a long time ago.

All documents should be formatted as a PDF. Files must be 2mb or less.

You may upload either (you pick):

1. Essay Prompts

If you’re not sure what to submit, write an essay on one of the following topics:

• The moment I knew I was all-in for Jesus
• One thing I’d change about American Christianity
• A book that changed my life
• My education to this point has been __________ (fill in the blank)
• If I had a million dollars

If you use one of these prompts, we’re looking for a thoughtful, complete essay. This is NOT a proofreading test, but please take your time to do your best and to present your best work.

or 2. Writing Samples

If you already have writing samples, that’s great. We want to read what you’ve written.

You can upload a short story, essay, blog post, novel chapter—anything you’ve personally created.

We know that you are coming to learn to write amazing stories. We do not expect this work to be perfect. If it was, why would you come? Just show us what you’re working with right now.

Ready to Apply?

When you have these materials ready, our application process is simple and will just take a few minutes.

After we receive your application, our team will prayerfully consider it and be in touch with you within six weeks.

What Happens Next?

After we receive your application, we will prayerfully consider it. We will contact you within six weeks.

We may ask follow-up questions via email or schedule a time for a Zoom meeting.

We’ll do our best to keep the process easy, conversational, and comfortable. If we believe you’re a good fit for this program, we’ll accept you as soon as possible.

We only accept up to 12 apprentices per year, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.