Bedside Press has just announced its mentorship and publishing programs, per The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision. The program hopes to teach upcoming comic creators about the industry’s ins and outs, with Bedside offering potential to publish; the endeavor launched Wednesday, just ahead of Bedside’s weekend-long offerings at San Diego Comic-Con International.

Bedside Press is a Canadian publisher that you’ll probably recognize from Margaret Atwood and Johnnie Christmas‘ Angel Catbird. From its inception, its goal has always been to look to the future while preserving the past — a specialty of its founder, the comic historian Hope Nicholson. The upcoming Work for a Millionfor instance, is an adaptation of the first crime novel to feature a lesbian private investigator. Bedside Press has also seen Eisner nominations for Best Anthology with A Bunch of Jews and Other Stuff by Trina Robbins, and Best Short Story with Megan Rose Gedris’ Trans Plant, which was featured in Enough Space for Everyone Else.

Nicholson’s experience positions her perfectly to lead a new wave of creators into the industry. Not only has she successfully funded seven Kickstarter campaigns, but she’s also a Kickstarter Thought Leader. For those unfamiliar with the term, it means Nicholson has been handpicked by Kickstarter, along with a handful of others, for her wisdom and contributions to creative culture. The position also tasks her with educating the community at large on how best to replicate success stories like her’s. With this background, Nicholson hopes to bring comics out of bureaucratic limbo and onto shelves – and she’s already got her first lineup slated.

Here’s what we can expect from the first round of the Bedside Press Mentorship program: “Broodhollow, collecting the webcomic about an anxious man in a town filled with monsters by Kris StraubJed the Undead, a YA graphic novel about a zombie just trying to live his life, by Andi Santagata and edited by former Oni Press editor Desiree WilsonAwkward Pause, which collects strips from Ryan Harby’s Honey Dill webcomic; romance/SF anthology title Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures, curated by S.M. Beiko; and The First Saturday in May, a photobook featuring in-depth looks at fashion worn at the annual Toronto Comic Arts Festival, curated by Tia Vasiliou,” with more reportedly coming soon.

Nicholson invites anyone reading to send their pitches to [email protected]. Though not all can be accepted, she guarantees feedback for all submissions.