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The Novel Development Course

Complete your novel and polish your manuscript ready for submission

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Time
1 year. 150+ lessons
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Price
One-off
$
2495
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Monthly
$
229
One-off
£
1899
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Monthly
£
175
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Suitable for
Writers with an idea in progress
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Ideal for
Anyone who wants to write and publish a novel

Write and polish your story until it shines

Suitable for writers with an existing story idea or a novel you’re ready to reboot and get published, The Novel Development Course will help you re-draft your novel to publishing standards with professional help from our writing coaches and publishing editors.

It's time to get that novel done!
the 5-step creative writing course program map

Reasons not to take the next steps of your writing career

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But I don’t have the time!

One hour per day. That’s all the commitment we ask of you. Just one hour a day to make your writing dreams a reality.

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I don’t want to waste time and money if my story isn’t going to make it!

With our Story First Method™, our author and publishing experts let you know if your story has commercial appeal before you begin writing.

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Do I really need to revise my novel with a coach?

A few smart tweaks at the story base with insights from a currently published bestselling author will help you bring the best of your material to the page. For a story readers (and publishers) will love.

Re-writing success

‘If you’re ready to radically overhaul your storytelling structure and take a brave new approach to writing a draft with expert advice and motivation, The Novel Development Course can take you all the way to the last draft’

Louise Dean, Founder

Revise and shine with story-building coaching and a final polish with editors from the world’s major publishers

The Novel Development Course is a carefully structured program to ensure the tale you want to tell is likely to excite publishers, agents and readers. Page-turners don’t happen by accident, they’re created—and we’ll make sure your story is well-structured for a great read and pulling all the punches to pack a perfect pitch.

You’ll go on to finesse your work to publishing standard with editors from the Big Five publishers—Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan.

When you join The Novelry on a course, your plan includes membership and access to all our online writing workshops and events. Plus, you’ll be eligible for our direct submission of your novel to leading literary agents.

Dive into The Ninety Day Novel to prepare and submit your storyline for review

Get feedback from your coach on your outline before you continue writing or re-write your novel-in-progress

Take a lesson a day to pace your writing and get actionable feedback on the development of your story in your regular coaching sessions

Begin The Big Edit with feedback from your editor on your chapter outline before you revise using the cool, clear logic of the lessons

Get line-by-line feedback and a live debrief from your editor on your final submission package of the first chapters, your synopsis, and pitch with the Big Edit Second Session

The Novel Development Course

The structured pathway to write and edit a novel

The Ninety Day Novel Class

Prepare and develop your initial idea, construct your novel from the ground up, develop a productive writing practice, power through the middle with bold plotting, and raise the stakes toward a satisfying ending.

Lessons: 100 (1 hour each)
6 x writer coaching sessions
Module
1

The Inspiration and Preparation Phase

10
lessons
Module
2

The Construction Phase

30
lessons
Module
3

The Swim Phase

15
lessons
Module
4

The Heat Phase

15
lessons
Module
5

The Enlightenment Phase

15
lessons
Module
6

The Home Phase

15
lessons

The Big Edit Class

Revise and polish your manuscript to the highest publishing standards, with in-depth feedback from your professional book editor, and management of the literary submission process.

Lessons: 50 (1 hour each)
2 x professional editorial sessions
Module
1

Turning Pro

6
lessons
Module
2

The Developmental Edit

19
lessons
Module
3

Line Edit

17
lessons
Module
4

The Submission Process

10
lessons

‘To write is human, to edit is divine’

—Stephen King

Our coaching team

Their books have hit the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists and have been adapted for screen and optioned for major motion pictures.

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Portrait image of author Kate Davies, writing coach at The Novelry.

Kate Davies

Polari Prize-winning and Times ‘book of the year’ author of contemporary fiction and children’s fiction

Portrait image of author Michael Mammay, writing coach at The Novelry.

Michael Mammay

Acclaimed author of multiple science fiction novels with starred reviews and one of Library Journal’s Best SF Books of the Year

Portrait image of Andrea Stewart, writing coach at The Novelry.

Andrea Stewart

Sunday Times instant bestseller author and finalist for the British Fantasy Awards, praised by Sarah J. Maas

Portrait image of author Piers Torday, writing coach at The Novelry.

Piers Torday

Bestselling author and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize winner

Portrait image of author Clare Mackintosh, writing coach at The Novelry.

Clare Mackintosh

No.1 global bestselling New York Times and Sunday Times award-winning crime author with more than 3 million copies sold

Portrait image of author Bea Fitzgerald, writing coach at The Novelry.

Bea Fitzgerald

Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the RNA Romance Novel of the Year

Portrait image of author Anissa Gray, writing coach at The Novelry.

Anissa Gray

New York Times acclaimed author of contemporary fiction novels, a Marie Claire Book Club Pick optioned by Sony Pictures, and a DuPont and Emmy award-winning journalist

Portrait image of Evie Wyld, writing coach at The Novelry.

Evie Wyld

The multiple prestigious literary prize-winning author of the Miles Franklin Award, the Stella Prize for Fiction, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and the Betty Trask Award

Portrait image of author Heather Webb, writing coach at The Novelry.

Heather Webb

USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction and Goldsboro RNA Award finalist, translated into 17 languages

Portrait image of Libby Page, writing coach at The Novelry.

Libby Page

Sunday Times bestselling author of Up Lit and winner of the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award

Portrait image of Tasha Suri, writing coach at The Novelry.

Tasha Suri

Award-winning author of multiple fantasy novels, including one of TIME magazine’s best fantasy novels of all time

Portrait image of author Melanie Conklin, writing coach at The Novelry.

Melanie Conklin

Award-winning children’s fiction author and winner of the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award

Portrait image of L.R. Lam, writing coach at The Novelry.

L.R. Lam

Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction

Portrait image of author Kate Riordan, writing coach at The Novelry.

Kate Riordan

Sunday Times bestselling author of contemporary thrillers published by Penguin, Apple Fiction Chart No.1. fiction bestseller, and Richard and Judy Book Club pick

Portrait image of author Katie Khan, writing coach at The Novelry.

Katie Khan

Acclaimed book-to-movie author of speculative fiction and finalist for the Romantic Novel Awards and Brave New Words Award

Portrait of Gina Sorell, writing coach at The Novelry.

Gina Sorell

New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and Read with Jenna acclaimed author of contemporary fiction

Portrait image of author Mahsuda Snaith, writing coach at The Novelry.

Mahsuda Snaith

The Observer New Face of Fiction award-winning author and Costa Awards judge

Portrait image of Tara Conklin, writing coach at The Novelry.

Tara Conklin

New York Times instant bestseller author of multiple book-club pick novels translated into eight languages

Portrait image of Colleen Oakley, writing coach at The Novelry.

Colleen Oakley

USA Today bestselling author of six novels translated into 21 languages and Georgia Author of the Year

Portrait image of author Amanda Reynolds, writing coach at The Novelry.

Amanda Reynolds

The No.1 bestselling author of suspense novels, including the TV-adapted major production for Sundance AMC, Close To Me

Portrait image of author Emylia Hall, writing coach at The Novelry.

Emylia Hall

Top Ten bestselling author of cozy crime and women’s fiction with multiple book club picks

Portrait image of author Urban Waite, writing coach at The Novelry.

Urban Waite

Esquire Best Book of the Year winner and multiple award-nominated author, highly praised by Stephen King

Portrait image of author Ella McLeod, writing coach at The Novelry.

Ella McLeod

Branford Boase-nominated and Guardian Best Books Pick author of YA novels and romantasy fiction

Portrait image of author Alice Kuipers, writing coach at The Novelry.

Alice Kuipers

Carnegie Medal nominee and New York Times Book for Teens winning, bestselling author of YA, children’s fiction, and memoir, and winner of the Grand Prix de Viarmes

Portrait image of author Kate Dylan, writing coach at The Novelry.

Kate Dylan

Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction novels for both YA and adult 

Portrait image of author David Solomons, writing coach at The Novelry.

David Solomons

Winner of the Waterstones Children’s Prize and British Book Industry Awards Children’s Book of the Year, author of acclaimed middle-grade children’s novels and a BAFTA and Branford Boase Award nominee

Portrait image of author Lesley Kara, writing coach at The Novelry.

Lesley Kara

Sunday Times Top Ten and Amazon No.1 internationally bestselling author of psychological thrillers, praised by Paula Hawkins

Contemporary & Women’s Fiction
Crime & Suspense
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Literary Fiction
Romance
Historical Fiction
Memoir
Children’s & Young Adult Fiction

Landing the dream agent for a writing career

‘I am so grateful to everyone at The Novelry for their exceptional guidance throughout the writing process of my debut novel. I felt fortunate to have their brilliant, enthusiastic, and inspiring coaches and editors by my side. Their insightful feedback allowed me to grow as a writer, and their unwavering support and encouragement made this entire process a true joy.’

Brisa Carleton, now represented by the Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency after submission by The Novelry
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The world's best-loved writing school

More 5* reviews than any other writing course

Write for pleasure at The Novelry and you’ll be rewarded with far more than you ever imagined. But don’t just take our word for it…

‘The advice (whether given in the daily lessons, through coaching, or in the workshops) is more than just theory; it is real and actionable. In addition to all the course material, there is still so much wonderful content available for me to access! The Story First approach of flipping things around—creating the hook first—helped me identify the strongest thread and simplify the story. My coach helped me to see that I had created a story, within a story, within a story—a Frankenstein story. But she reassured me this was normal—it wasn’t a failure, it was part of the process. The daily lessons not only taught me a great deal about writing but also guided me through the process, providing support and encouragement through the inevitable ups and downs. I bought The Novel Development Course as a birthday present to myself. And what a gift it turned out to be. It provided me with a solid structure. Holding my hand each step of the way and giving me confidence in the process. I now believe I can do this. I had taken a couple of short writing courses previously, but The Novelry does things on a totally different level. I just wish I’d found it sooner.’

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Philippa Lovering

‘My experience with The Novelry can only be described as transformative—they helped turn my story into a book, and turned me from a hobbyist into a writer. My coaches were invaluable, they were the perfect mix of encouraging and critical, and everyone at The Novelry was engaged in my work and clearly invested in my success. The course equipped me with a set of tools that I know I will use throughout my writing career. I am so deeply grateful to The Novelry for their support and guidance—I would recommend any aspiring writer wanting to take their work to the next level to work with them with absolutely no reservations.’ Connor Martini has signed with Ampersand Agency for his debut novel.

Novelry reviews connor martini

Connor Martini

‘Over the years, I started and abandoned many novels. After hitting a milestone birthday, I decided I didn’t want to look back on my life with regret for never at least trying to fulfill my literary ambitions. I decided to search in earnest for a writing course that would teach me the structure to write (and finish) one of my many book ideas. I discovered The Novelry, returning to the home page repeatedly over a month-long period where I debated signing up. I’m so glad I did! The team has been fantastic—helping me through writing humps and plot holes, and getting me to where I am today, which is represented by a fantastic agent who shares my vision for my future career. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the amazing support of The Novelry, authors and editors, whose encouragement, thoughtful feedback and industry expertise made navigating revisions and the submission process a joy.’

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Daisy Carrington

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The Novel Development Course

Progress at your own pace

Course and community access for an entire year.

Your success, on your terms. Always.

This is a self-paced class; you drive the development of your story. You have immediate access to all lessons. The tempo of the march is yours to decide.

You’ll need 30 minutes for each lesson, and probably some time to capture your thoughts and ideas as you start writing.

We recommend setting aside an hour a day just for you and your writing, and you’ll soon come to love this special pocket of escapism.

But if time is tight and life is getting in the way, never fear. There are 150 lessons in total, and 365 days to do them.

Stay a little longer

Life. It happens to the best of us.

A good story will wait

You have 365 days’ access to the course. But don’t worry if you need to stop writing for a while.

You can easily extend your access beyond your year, or stay on as a member with access to the workshops and community for just $29.99 (or £24.99) a month or $299 (or £249) a year.

You’ll have a writing plan all signed off by our team which acts as a map for you to find your way back home to your story.

And your writing coach will be ready to get you back on track with a working re-boot session.

Money-back policy

Our Happy Writing guarantee.

Time to check it’s right for you

We maintain a happy and supportive community for all of our writers. So, we offer a 7-day money-back Happy Writing Guarantee for all our classes and courses, should you change your mind.

Write with the best in the business

Award-winning authors. Publishing editors. Leading literary agents.

Coaches not lecturers

Many online writing programs promote ‘featured’ videos of one or two big-name stars. And you sit, you watch, you learn. Passively.

Here at The Novelry, our online writing classes and courses come with a team of writer all-stars built right in. They’re part of the furniture around our happy writing home. You’ll run into them in the virtual halls of The Novelry, in your personal coaching sessions, and week in, week out at workshops or in your online community.

We’re talking stars whose books have hit the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists, and have been adapted for screen and optioned for major motion pictures.

Writing stars who work with you, not lecture at you.

Learn more

40+ workshops a month

In addition to your class.

Write in good company

Guided, group-based workshops with fellow writers, bestselling authors and publishing professionals. Offered live online, but also recorded, so you can easily catch up if you miss one.

You’ll get advice and writing prompts, genre-specific challenges and exercises to help you develop your writing and deepen your craft. And of course, you’ll have a community of like-minded spirits, cheering you on as you reach each milestone on your journey.

Learn more

Genre expertise

What’s your style?

‘Outstanding genre-specific workshops!’

—April Love-Fordham

You may be burning to write a thriller, yearning to capture a romance, or scoping out the near-future world of a science fiction story.

Maybe you’re yet to discover your type. Perhaps you’re between genres right now.

Any which way, this course will help you put your story on steroids. You can choose your author coach based on their expertise, and our genre-specific workshops are in a league of their own.

Video masterclasses

From the likes of Kristin Hannah and Yann Martel.

Catch Up TV for storytellers

(Binge-watch the series.)

Over 100 classes with famous bestselling writers, publishing experts and leading literary agents for you to explore in your own time.

Find out how your best-loved authors (really) write their books, from Tess Gerritsen, Paula Hawkins, Sophie Kinsella and Val McDermid to Lucy Foley, Katherine Rundell, Samantha Shannon, Steven Erikson and (so) many more.

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A supportive writing community

Find your people.

Come for the course. Stay for the people.

We’re the largest online writing community exclusively for novelists and memoir writers. This group offers you a safe space to share the ins and outs and ups and downs of the creative life.

It’s ad-free and bound by the terms of confidentiality, allowing you to be yourself as a writer among industry professionals, trusted new friends, and like-minded people.

What’s more, our annual U.S. and U.K. parties and networking events offer the perfect opportunity to mingle and celebrate your work. Cheers to that!

Learn more

More 5-star reviews

Than any other writing course. The Novelry is the world’s top-rated online writing school.

We’re the home of happy writing  

When choosing your writing course, always make sure to look for these things:

  • Independent rave reviews from real people giving their names.
  • Writing coaches who are award-winning and bestselling published authors.
  • One-on-one, personalized instruction focused on what you need.
  • A professional path to getting published with links to a range of literary agencies.
  • An inspiring writers’ group with a kind and encouraging ethos.

Reviews

Better value than a university course

With a practical career outcome.

At a fraction of the price

Storytelling success lies at the very heart of becoming a published author, and we have engineered our program to give you a head start.

Our approach is both practical and a whole lot of fun. The Novelry has been described by members as ‘like Hogwarts for writers.’

You’ll enjoy a university-type experience in terms of making new student friends but you’ll be learning from brilliant working authors and editors, not academics.

When you join us you are taking a journey not just to get a bunch of letters after your name, but to hold a publishing-ready manuscript in your hands. In just a year or less. We move at your pace and our focus is on you.

We’re trusted by the world’s leading literary agents, and our graduates go on to secure major contracts from Big Five publishers in the U.S.A., the U.K. and worldwide.

Learn more

Flexible pricing

Pay up front or monthly.

Payment options

Feel free to select an installment payment option to spread the cost.

Save money with the single payment option for our combined courses. (When you combine classes with a course plan you save money on the cost of the individual classes.)

For the very best value, our most popular choice is The Finished Novel Course.

Created by a Booker Prize-listed author

We don’t just talk the talk.

‘Louise Dean is a significant voice in fiction’

The Observer

When it comes to writing, and writing success, Founder and Course Director Louise Dean knows a thing or two about a thing or two.

Booker Prize-listed, winner of the Betty Trask Prize and the Le Prince Maurice Prize, finalist for the Costa Coffee 2020 Short Story Award, longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Award, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Prize (among others), Louise has earned plaudits from the Nobel Laureate for Literature, no less. Her books have been praised by the New York Times, the Guardian, the Observer and the Sunday Times.

Louise shares her (award-winning) wordsmithery secrets in the courses and classes and draws on a lifetime and love of reading fiction and the techniques of the greats.

Meet Louise

Write and shine!

All the way to the last draft
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The Novel Development Course

Take a novel-in-progress to publishing standard
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$
229
/ mo
$
2495
£
175
/ mo
£
1899
$
2495
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OR
$
229
/mo
£
1899
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OR
£
175
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We accept
  • Membership (1 Year)
  • The Ninety Day Novel Class
  • 6 Coaching Sessions
  • The Big Edit Class
  • 2 Editorial Sessions

FAQs

If you’re bursting with questions we haven’t answered here, check out our full FAQs page or feel free to get in touch.

What’s the learning format?

Your year is structured in two stages to write and edit your book, allowing you the chance to work step-by-step through each phase and take any breaks you need between them. You will write your novel with The Ninety Day Novel. Next, you will be guided on how to raise your book to publishing standards with The Big Edit.

This is a self-paced program, with over 150 lessons served on our beautiful online platform by video and text. You have immediate access to all lessons. Enjoy the lessons on any internet-connected device. Watch the video, read the text, and use the ‘speak aloud’ feature to listen. You’ll need 30 minutes for each lesson and probably some thinking time to capture your thoughts and ideas as you start writing. This might be a good opportunity to start setting aside an hour a day just for you and your writing, and you’ll come to love this special time. One hour? You deserve it.

We suggest you allow three months for The Ninety Day Novel, and the remainder of your year, six months or more, for The Big Edit. But as the course is self-paced, you can take each phase at your own pace, according to your lifestyle, holidays, vacations, and commitments.

You can book your coaching sessions at any time during your year on the course.

How does the coaching work?

Your coaching begins after the first week of the second phase of your program, The Ninety Day Novel, where you will write and refine your draft novel alongside a currently published bestselling author in your genre of fiction.

Before your first coaching session, we’ll guide you on how to create an outline for a commercially viable novel. You’ll be nudged in the course to use our interactive tool to submit that to us (on a regular basis as you develop your story). We’ll look at your planned storyline as a team, and if we think another writing coach would be best suited to your story, we’ll drop you a line, but you’ll be able to make the final decision (and can always swap coaches later if you wish).

Every writing coach reviews your storyline in advance of the session via the interactive tool we call ‘The Plan.’

Your first coaching session begins with your writing coach understanding your intentions and aspirations for your book and writing career. That’s your brief to us, and allows us to give you the dedicated and personal guidance and support you need to achieve your ambition.

The coaching sessions are 45 minutes online, and you’ll find that’s plenty of time to get help with story development and troubleshoot any problems to stay on track with your writing. All sessions are recorded for you to keep. You may schedule your coaching sessions whenever you wish during your year with us, and will be able to browse our diaries to select a time that works for you, in your time zone. Some like to stay on track with a coaching session every two weeks of their writing period, for example, and others like to pace themselves with one a month or get more help up front or more guidance and advance later on. You can get the support you need when you need it.

During the writing of a first draft, our focus is on your storyline, and we work with you to creatively develop and expand the story together, reviewing development in every session and answering your questions for your story.

You can, additionally, book Paid Feedback Sessions which include a report and a live debrief. We suggest you leave getting feedback on your work until later in your program, after the first draft.

Unlike other writing courses, we advise you don’t share or ‘workshop’ the novel at this stage, where your confidence and the story are still vulnerable. Some courses have first-time writers on first drafts advising others in their position, and we think this is a bad idea and, at best, a waste of your very precious time.

At The Novelry, we’ll keep you and your story safe within a one-on-one relationship of trust and care with wise guidance from a published author who cares about your success and will believe in you and your story.

How do I choose my writing coach?

You can browse our writing coaches and find the author you would most like to work with, then book your coaching session from your Library.

You may wish to book with an author experienced in the genre you are writing.

Another great way to consider who you want to write with is to take a peek inside the first pages of their published books on Amazon and see whose writing style appeals to you most strongly.

The wonderful thing about The Novelry is that you can work with the writing coach of your choice but also book sessions with any other writing coach whenever you wish. So if things change for your story, say you swap genre, or need more help on specialist technical matters from another coach, we’ve got you covered.

What if I don’t finish in the year?

This is a flexible writing course you can take at your own pace around your other commitments. We suggest you consider taking three months to write for an hour a day in the first phase, The Ninety Day Novel. The remainder of the year will be spent raising your novel to publishing standard with The Big Edit process, in which you’ll want to work in longer chunks of time, when convenient to you.

The time it takes to complete a book depends on the time you can set aside, but with an hour a day we know it’s possible to comfortably complete your book in a year.

However, we fully understand that sometimes life can get in the way—so if you need more time, you can extend your course and roll over your coaching calls and services with our extension plans for a maximum cost of $55 or £45 a month for the entire Finished Novel Course Rollover Plan (less if you pay annually), or remain as a member for just $29.99 or £24.99 a month.

How do I get more feedback on my work?

Once you join us for the course, you can purchase Paid Feedback Sessions for £350 or $425 for a 5,000-word section of your manuscript.

You may choose to book a Paid Feedback Session to get a ‘voice-check’ on your writing at any stage of your year with us or to ask for help with any specific questions on the writing from either your writing coach or an editor.

The feedback sessions offer detailed feedback on your writing in a report and a live Zoom session is recorded for you to keep.

If you need or would like more comprehensive feedback on your manuscript, we’d suggest you choose The Finished Novel Course, which includes a full assessment of your entire manuscript

Do you offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes, we are all for Happy Writing. You can review our terms and conditions here. If, for any reason at all, the course is not for you, you can get a full no-questions-asked refund within the first seven days after purchase. Just email us and let us know.

How do I choose my editor?

You will work with publishing editors from the major Big Five publishers—Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan—who will guide you in the third phase of your program on how to raise your work to publishing standard for submission to literary agents and onward to publishing. You may work with the editor of your choice.

See our team of experienced professional publishing editors here. These senior editors are known and trusted by literary agents.

We’ll be able to advise you if you can’t find an obvious fit by reading the profiles of our editorial team. Our Editorial Director reviews all bookings and we will be sure to suggest the very best editor for your storyline and genre.

English as a second language? Hearing or vision difficulties?

Our courses are suitable for people with visual or auditory impairment, dyslexia, and those with English as a second language. We offer an app which translates the course into 99 languages and a speak-aloud option, too.

‘The Novelry gave me the time and structure to write. I started with The Ninety Day Novel and the daily lessons helped me bash out a messy first draft. I then did The Big Edit, which guided me through the self-editing process, and helped me think about submission to agents. I found the workshops a great space to ask questions and focus on elements of plot and pace, especially when I was in the depths of structural edits.’

Jane Mansour, now signed by the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
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