Frequently asked questions

Yes. Our Ultimate Manuscript Assessment is a comprehensive editorial review of your full manuscript.

However, we’ve found it delivers the greatest value once you’ve already addressed the foundations of your novel — story structure, character development, and pacing — and so this is only available to members or as part of The Finished Novel Course.

Many writers assume a full manuscript read is most useful on an early draft, but in our experience, it’s far more impactful once the underlying structural work has been done. At that stage, the feedback can help refine and elevate a strong manuscript rather than simply diagnose issues that are easier to address via our course materials.

Your initial course access lasts for one year, but there’s no pressure to finish within that time. If you’d like more time, you can extend your access with one of our optional monthly or annual Rollover Plans. The cost of another full year is $599 or £499, or you can pay monthly (and cancel anytime) at $59 or £49 a month.

Every writer works at their own pace, so we aim to keep things as flexible as possible.

We strongly advise against this, particularly if your goal is to publish your book.

Literary agents and publishers will ask you to assure them that you didn’t generate your work of fiction using AI before you sign the contract. AI-generated creative work cannot be registered for copyright per the guidance of the U.S. Copyright Office.

At The Novelry, we train writers on where to find authentic ideas for the stories only they can write and how to write them to the standards that meet the requirements of traditional publishers.

We have writers from all over the world, some of whom are writing in their second language. Our courses are accompanied by a translation tool that renders the course in 99 languages and includes a read-aloud option.  

We’re comfortable working with all writers at any stage of their writing—and we warmly welcome beginners as well as non-native English writers. You can give us a try and see what you think, secure in the knowledge that you have a full 14-day money-back guarantee.

We’re proud of all the writers in our diverse community.

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If you would like more comprehensive feedback on your manuscript, we suggest you choose The Finished Novel Course. This includes a full assessment of your entire book to help you prepare for submission.

Once you join us, and when you reach your second draft, you can get fast feedback on your work from the best beta readers (writers!) in our online community day and night. You can also purchase a paid feedback session for $545 or £450. These sessions offer detailed feedback on your writing in a report and a live online debrief with one of our editors.

We’ll guide you on how to choose a coach within the first lessons, before you book your first coaching session. Once you’ve scoped your story and clarified the genre you’re working in, it’s usually very clear which coach will be the best fit — all of our coaches are successfully published authors working within specific genres.

At The Novelry, you choose your coach. We’re also happy to advise once we’ve seen your storyline and understand what kind of guidance will best serve your book.

You’re free to work with different coaches as your project develops — whether to gain specialist craft input, a fresh perspective, or expertise at a particular stage. Behind the scenes, our coaching and editorial teams work closely together, keeping careful records and sharing insight, so your story is always supported as a whole. Whoever you meet with, they’ll come briefed and prepared.

You’re never locked into a single pairing. This is a professional, collaborative process designed to give your book the very best expertise at every stage.

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The earliest phase of coaching focuses on shaping and stress-testing your story idea and outline before you begin significant writing on your first draft.

In the lessons, we’ll guide you on how to create an outline for a novel, and your coach or mentor will look at your planned storyline to ensure it’s as strong as it can be, so that you can write with confidence. During the writing process, your coach keeps track of your progress and helps troubleshoot any pitfalls and plot problems in the sessions. Please do read all about our unique approach to story development and our Positive Coaching method at the Writer Coaching page here.

You’ll be able to book your coaching sessions at times to suit you. The sessions are 45 minutes live and online. All sessions are recorded for you to keep.

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We don’t believe that you should share and expose your work to others who are also writing their very first novels while you’re writing your first draft. It’s not fair on anyone and it’s a little bit cheeky for a course provider to ask students to teach students at first draft!

At The Novelry, you’ll be supported by an experienced writing coach who cares about you and your story, and wants the very best for you. Feel free to ask any questions you wish; no question is too silly!

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Writers often come to us asking: Can I write? But the question you should be asking is: Have I got a good story?

Your storyline is the first base of a good read. Great writing has more to do with storytelling and less to do with fine and fancy words! The Novelry is unique in that we will help you find, shape, and structure a story from the outset. Great ideas (almost) write themselves.

Whether your ambition is to finally finish a book to share with friends and family, to self-publish, or to make the journey to becoming a traditionally published author, we’ll make a plan to get you there and ensure you’re writing the right story, the right way.

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Yes, we do.

Each and every one of us at The Novelry is the living proof of it. All writers learn to write and most take courses. The sole qualification is an enjoyment of reading fiction. You can read some of our writers’ stories and reviews of the courses. They were once browsing the website as you are, and now they are writers with novels to their names.The question is — do you want to write a novel? If you do, you’ve come to the right place.

We don’t push tired old literary theory, textbook teaching, or academic coursework created elsewhere. There isn’t only one way to write a book. But there are lots of consistent elements to a great story, and quite a few things to avoid in the writing to help your reader turn those pages faster!

We’ll give you tools, not rules.

You’ll get some shiny new equipment for your writer’s toolkit based on insights into the craft techniques of famous and bestselling authors, the greats, and contemporary writers, too. We will give you a fresh solution for every problem you meet. What’s more, you’ll get just the right advice for you and your story with your coaching.

The content of our writing classes was developed by our founder and course director, Booker Prize-listed, award-winning author Louise Dean, to share more than 20 years of writing experience. You can read our story here to find out why and how Louise decided to create a radical new approach to writing fiction.

Yes! But we will convert those nerves toexcitement within seconds of your arrival.

Only one writer has ever arrived at The Novelry not feeling nervous. (Hello, Sean!)

There’s a very warm welcome waiting for you at The Novelry. We’re a friendly bunch. We know how much this means to you.

We were once sitting where you are now, and the truth is, we all feel nervous when we start a new novel, no matter how many we have written or had published. No writer is ever completely secure in their work, but we’ll show you why those nerves are important later in your writing life (taste and judgment!). All you need to get going is warmth, community, a sense of purposeful play, and someone credible who believes in you (your coach!).

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There’s never a good time, so the best time isprobably now.

And while there’s never a good time, there is a great place. Our courses were designed for busy people with day jobs, family life, and many calls on their time. We’ll show you our One Hour a Day writing method,  and do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to structure and planning, ideas and inspiration. You’ll wish you’d started years ago.

As Doris Lessing said, “Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.” Start today!

The best writers tend to think they’re not very good. Even the greats despair about their writing. John Steinbeck kept a journal during the 100 days he spent writing The Grapes of Wrath, in which he stated that he wasn’t really a writer at all — that he’d been fooling everyone — and then tells himself to stop worrying and to get on with it. “Just a stint every day does it.”

Every writer learns to write! Many writers take courses. Our curiosity, as writers, means we never stop learning.

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The Ultimate Manuscript Assessment (UMA) is designed for our members who are ready for a comprehensive editorial assessment of the complete novel up to 100,000 words. It is included in the Finished Novel Course or can be purchased separately by our members.

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The Finished Novel Course is our complete course program, including a full read of your novel from professional publishing editors, carefully packaged to save you money. The price includes a substantial discount versus purchasing the items separately.

You can spread the cost too, with a payment plan, or with Klarna, PayPal, or Afterpay — each offers repayment plans of upto 24 months, depending on your eligibility and the purchase amount.

Plus, you can extend your access to the program and keep everything included for just $59 or £49 a month after your year of access ends. It’s the smartest plan for writers who mean business.

The price shown on our website today includes your savings. This bundle pricing is only available at purchase; it isn’t possible to upgrade to it later.

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No. All of our courses are self-paced, so you can enroll and begin whenever you’re ready.

Our biggest investment is in people. We employ an in-house team of world-class writers and editors — not freelancers — who bring both major accolades and genuine passion for nurturing new talent. It’s a rare combination, and we pay them properly for their expertise and care.

You’ll develop your novel with a New York Times or Sunday Times bestselling author — someone who’s reached the top ten and sold books worldwide.

Your manuscript will receive attention from editors who’ve held key roles at Big Five publishers such as Penguin Random House and have edited authors like David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, Nicholas Sparks, Joyce Carol Oates, Joanna Trollope — even Stephen King.

Behind the scenes, our interdisciplinary teams meet regularly in small, genre-focused groups to review your progress as an individual writer and ensure you’re developing to reach your highest potential.

Our lessons are written and presented by a Booker Prize-listed author, and you’ll have access to over 40 live classes and workshops each month.

Our programs cost a fraction of an MFA (typically $12,000–$48,000) and, unlike an MFA, you’ll graduate with a finished novel ready to submit — and direct access to literary agents. We maintain close relationships with leading agents worldwide, understand their wish lists, and submit manuscripts we believe are truly ready. We meet with agents regularly to champion our writers, often seeing representation offered within two weeks of submission.

There’s no charge to enter our submissions process, and we never take commission. Our editors work through several rounds of review to help you reach your goal.

You don’t need a course to write a novel — and there are plenty of free ones online. But if you choose to invest with us, you’ll gain dedicated one-to-one support, industry-level editorial guidance, and a warm, creative community that takes your writing — and your investment — seriously. We never forget that it’s a privilege to be part of your story.

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes two to three years to complete. Applications for Creative Writing MFAs require a portfolio for admission, and fees can range from $12,000 to $48,000. As with any graduate degree, these courses vary greatly in terms of quality and resources. But one thing’s for sure: publishers aren’t looking for qualifications. They just want top-quality submissions.

Students join The Novelry to write a book that will sell. More affordable than a Creative Writing MFA, our most comprehensive course (The Finished Novel Course) is just a fraction of the cost. Most importantly, graduates leave our program holding a full manuscript, having worked with global bestselling authors and professional editors to reach publishing standards.

You can get feedback on your writing as and when you want it with additional paid sessions with your coach or your editor. We don't include these in all plans as it would raise the price, and not all writers need or want them. However, some courses — including The Big Edit and The Finished Novel Course — include feedback sessions.

We strongly advise writers to get feedback on the storyline only (included in your coaching) at first draft. Once you know the story, you can then revise it in the editing phase of our program, and that's the right place to get feedback. Otherwise, you're wasting your time and money! We don't want that! Our process is carefully considered to help writers make it all the way to publishing without spending a fortune on editors before they know they have a great story.

You can purchase additional feedback sessions from 2,500 words at a time at $545 or £450, and enjoy as much expert feedback or critique from our team as you want. You can also sign up for The Finished Novel Course, which includes editorial sessions and a full manuscript read.

Our writing community is online worldwide 24/7. Wherever you are, you'll find writing buddies online when you're seeking company. It's a hive of friendly writerly encouragement, full of advice, tips, and news, and you can get feedback on your work when you're editing your second draft at our workshop.

You'll be invited to join the closed, secure community when you join us on our courses. With our Catch Up TV service, you can watch back all recorded guest events at a time to suit you. Find out more about our community here.

We offer 40+ live classes every month, with weekly classes for all writers, including Masterclasses, Craft Conversations, Genre Clubs, and Story Clinics hosted by a writing coach. Come and meet your fellow writers in every time zone. Plus, we offer special guest sessions with bestselling authors and industry professionals.

Don't worry if you miss a special guest event! They are available recorded as part of Catch Up TV at our community. You'll love our vast library of recorded classes with world-famous writers like Kristin Hannah, Yann Martel, Tayari Jones, Alix E. Harrow, Paula Hawkins, David Nicholls, and many more.

Our typical writer member has wanted to write a book for a long, long time. They are heavy readers, very often cat- or dog-lovers, and they are curious about the way humans work!

We welcome beginners — no bad habits! — and are open to all and non-selective as a principle. All you need is a love of reading. If you have a novel you have started or abandoned, you will find everything you need to stay on track to complete it this time.

Often writers come to us after taking courses elsewhere, because our focus is wholly on you and your story.

Writers at any stage of their journey will flourish at The Novelry.

Our courses are self-paced to support writers to make progress their way, as and when time allows, with flexibility for periods when more time is available.

We suggest one lesson a day, which will take anywhere from 20 minutes to half an hour, or as long as you wish. Each lesson is delivered by video and text with downloads, and it's timed to coincide with where you're at in your writing process. Most writers follow their lesson with writing time.

We suggest you find an hour a day for your writing during The Big Write phase of our program, which is designed to take 3 months of your year, or as long as you wish. It's one hour just for you, and you'll come to love this special time. One hour a day? You deserve it.

Our self-paced writing courses start the moment you sign up. Ready when you are!

You have a year of access to your course, but can easily extend your program with our Rollover Plan of $59 or £49 a month (less if you buy an annual plan).

All currencies are accepted and converted at today's rates at checkout.

If you're having problems checking out, you can update your browser in a click at whatismybrowser.com.

You can review our course prices with a side-by-side comparison table available on our Pricing page here.

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Yes. At checkout, you can choose Klarna, PayPal, or Afterpay, and each offers repayment plans of up to 24 months depending on your eligibility and the purchase amount.

Klarna offers Pay in 4 (four interest-free payments over six weeks) and monthly financing over 6, 12, 18, or 24 months. PayPal Pay Later offers Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly, with fixed payments over terms from 3 to 24 months. Afterpay offers Pay in 4 and monthly payments over 3, 6, 12, or 24 months on larger purchases. Terms, eligibility, and interest rates are set by each provider and can vary, so please check klarna.com, paypal.com, or afterpay.com for current details.

You can email us at hello@thenovelry.com and we’ll respond quickly to your question.

Because publishing is global, so are we! We are located in the U.K. and the U.S.A., with offices in London and New York, and our companies are registered in both the United States and England and Wales. You can find our details on our Contact Us page here. We offer annual parties in New York and London, and we coach and work with writers worldwide in all time zones.

The Novelry will only contact writers from official @thenovelry.com email addresses.

We do not approach writers from personal email accounts (including Gmail) offering representation or publishing opportunities.

If you've received an email purporting to be from a member of our team, please see our Fraud Advice page for more information.

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‍Data Protection and Copyright

Your work always remains yours. All team members, including coaches and editors, are bound by strict confidentiality rules, and material is never shared or reused outside of The Novelry.

We have a company wide policy to protect and safeguard your data. We do not retain your content or materials outside secure company systems or for longer than needed to work with you. Once your account is closed, your data is deleted in line with our retention schedule, and we carry out regular audits to clean and maintain our systems.

All material you share with us — including drafts, outlines, synopses, and ideas discussed in coaching or editorial sessions — is treated in strict confidence. Your copyright remains entirely yours, and no member of our team may share your work or ideas without your express permission. While copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves, we treat all creative material you share with us with the same respect and care. Please take care if you choose to share your writing or ideas with other companies, platforms, or services, as not all providers offer the same level of protection or confidentiality that we guarantee.

Please review our Privacy Policy, and see our cautionary advice on the use of AI at our AI Policy here.

You have a year's access to your course from the date of purchase.

The courses are self-paced, so you can take the lessons in your own time. You can schedule your coaching sessions at times to suit you, too.

We cannot pause or freeze subscriptions, but don't worry! You can easily extend access to your program with our Rollover Plan for just $59 or £49 a month, or $599 or £499 a year. Most of our members do because they love writing with The Novelry.

We maintain a happy and supportive community for all of our writers. Our community is open to adult writers aged 18 and over, and is governed by courtesy and respect, with some simple rules of engagement that ask members not to engage in partisan commentary on political matters. You'll find The Novelry a safe place.

See our terms and conditions here.

‍Age requirement. The Novelry is for writers aged 18 and over. By enrolling, you confirm you are 18 or older.
Refunds. We offer a 14-day refund policy on all courses.

At your very first session with your writing coach, the first question we ask you is: What do you want? That's your brief to us so that we can support you in your chosen direction. If you're planning to self-publish, we will ensure the work you produce is to industry standards. In The Big Edit, you will be guided not only to prepare a story that readers love, a book that sells, but also on how to work to the highest worldwide publishing standards. You'll be among friends in our worldwide online community of authors, many of whom have self-published before.

No. We wouldn't dream of it.

Most literary consultancies take a 10% commission on your publishing contract. Add that to the 15–20% a literary agent receives, and you have given away 25–30% of your hard-won income as a writer!

We are all published authors and professional editors at The Novelry. We know how far you have come, and we value the emotional and financial investment you have made. We do not, and never will, take commission on successful submissions.

And please, never pay anyone to be published.

We are in touch with literary agents daily, with regular meetings, and prime them on forthcoming manuscripts from our writers. If your manuscript is ready for the commercial market and right for one of our trusted agents, you’ll be invited to enter our submissions process. There is no cost for this service and we neither ask for nor accept commission. It is by invitation only.

Every member is eligible. No course, session, or amount spent buys a submission. The invitation depends on the manuscript alone, assessed individually. We’re highly selective because our agents’ trust is what makes the introduction worth having: when we send, they read.

Most manuscripts need several drafts to reach that standard. Being told “not yet” is the normal path, not a verdict — most published novelists have been there repeatedly.

We don’t publish submission percentages, because they aren’t a meaningful measure of any individual writer’s prospects. Publishing is subjective: there are no guarantees anywhere, and an exceptional manuscript can win one agent and not another. Our job is to make sure that wherever you submit, your work goes out at its highest possible standard. Writers who aren't invited to submit through us keep the full submission package they’ve built here, and many go on to secure representation independently with it.

We can't promise to get you published, but we will give you all the tools you need to write and edit your novel to publishing standards with help, support, and feedback from industry professionals and successful authors.

Our close relationships with leading literary agencies mean agents read our submissions quickly and with great interest. Our submission service is invitation-only, and we have a strong track record of getting our members literary agency representation.

We’re highly regarded and recommended by publishing professionals and have an “Excellent” rating on the independent review site, Trustpilot.