Success stories
Our writers go on to publishing contracts with major publishers.

Anna Brook-Mitchell, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a two-book deal with Pan Macmillan for her debut novel, Motherfaker, a ‘hilarious and heartfelt’ debut about a child-free-by-choice teacher who decides to fake a pregnancy to get a year off work.

Publishing director Katie Loughnane snapped up Motherfaker in a 48-hour pre-empt, and rights have also sold in Germany and Hungary.

Anna was introduced to her agent Jemima Forrester at DHA through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Anna says: “I joined The Novelry after I’d finished my first draft. I wanted to make sure that I was giving my novel the best chance possible and getting to work with an experienced editor was such a selling point for me. What I didn’t realize was how much of an anchor The Novelry would become while I edited my manuscript — joining a Zoom or re-watching a lesson when I needed some motivation, feeling part of the community of other writers, and getting much-needed pep talks from the amazing writing coaches. Best of all, though, was getting to work with incredible editor Josie, who believed in my book from the get-go and gave such thoughtful feedback on my submission package and then, later on, my full manuscript. Josie handled my querying process via the submission service brilliantly and was such a cheerleader for me and my book, meaning that when the offers started coming in, I really felt like we’d achieved it together.

“I’m so grateful to the entire team at The Novelry and I am thrilled that they introduced me to my fantastic literary agent Jemima at DHA — it still feels very surreal to get to say that!”

In a significant six-figure, two-book pre-empt, Grand Central (Hachette) has bought the U.S. rights, and Atlantic imprint Corvus has acquired U.K. and Commonwealth rights, to One Moment, the ‘heart-wrenching and uplifting’ debut novel by The Novelry graduate Becky Hunter.

Becky says: “I found The Novelry at a time when I was ready to give up. I was feeling very low on confidence and knew I’d be my own worst enemy if left to my own devices. Signing up to The Novelry’s course was just the thing I needed—it provided me with structure, support and encouragement. I was inspired to get writing and keep going, and the course made me think more deeply about plot and character, so that I had a finished manuscript that needed relatively little editorial change when I got to the end. The coaching sessions kept me on track and helped me work through plot kinks along the way and I felt like I had a real champion through the whole process.”

Brisa Carleton, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a book deal with Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette.

Brisa’s novel Last Call at The Savoy is pitched for readers of Josie Silver and Fiona Davis and is set at the legendary London hotel. A story of sisterhood and second chances, it follows a young writer who helps uncover the history of the famed American Bar’s first (and forgotten) female bartender, Ada Coleman.

Brisa was introduced to her literary agent Rebecca Scherer at Jane Rotrosen Agency through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Brisa says: “I am so grateful to everyone at The Novelry for their exceptional guidance throughout the writing process of my debut novel. From the moment I joined to the completion of the program, 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.”

Simon & Schuster has acquired and published The Fog by The Novelry graduate Brooke Hardwick.

In The Fog, Kate arrives on the wild, remote island of Rathlin in the freezing Irish Channel for a ten-day writers’ retreat. Plagued by memories she can’t unravel and desperate to understand the breakdown of her marriage, Kate is determined to leave the retreat with answers. As the retreat’s director uses techniques that tap into the eerie mythology of the island, Kate becomes increasingly fascinated by him and her surrounds. But as the temperature plummets and the strange therapy intensifies, her memories unspool. Triggered into a series of disturbing flashbacks, Kate realizes her past hides a frightening truth, but can she trust her own mind? Faced with dark secrets and duplicity, Kate must unlock the answers she’s so desperate to find—and survive the danger she has unwittingly walked into.

Brooke was introduced to her agent Euan Thorneycroft at A.M. Heath through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Brooke says: “I googled “the best online writing course in the world” and found The Novelry. The coaching sessions brought me life! I inhaled the course material and embarked on a disciplined approach to writing. In 100 days, I’d written the first draft! From that point, The Novelry became my touchstone. I logged into their social platform daily, Zoomed with world-renowned authors, agents and editors, and developed invaluable support networks with other novelists. I wrote. I re-wrote.

“Signing up was the best decision of my writing career.”

Trapeze, an imprint of Hachette, will publish Fifty Minutes, the ‘powerful and engrossing’ debut novel by The Novelry graduate Carla Jenkins.

Carla was introduced to her agent Madeleine Milburn at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Carla says: “From the initial idea for my novel to the point of getting agent representation, The Novelry were on hand with support and advice. The dream was always to get an agent and so to receive interest from several was mind-blowing—to have Madeleine Milburn within that list was more than I could have hoped for. I’m thrilled!”

Catherine Greer, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a publication deal Allen & Unwin for her new novel, The Bittersweet Bakery Café. Every major publisher in Australia requested Catherine’s full manuscript, and she signed with Annette Barlow, the publisher of worldwide bestseller Kate Morton. Catherine took The Finished Novel Course at The Novelry.

Penguin Random House has published A Poisoner’s Tale by The Novelry graduate Cathryn Kemp, a dark and gripping feminist retelling of the spellbinding legend of the notorious Italian Poisoner, Giulia Tofana.

Commissioning editor Olamide Olatjuni-Bello at Transworld had this to say: “Cathryn is a brilliant writer and has done such an amazing job with giving Giulia back her voice, helping us understand the complexity of her world and motivations. I am delighted to be publishing A Poisoner’s Tale and can’t wait for readers to meet Giulia.”

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Emma Nanami Strenner’s debut novel, My Other Heart, is a Read With Jenna pick on the Today Show! Jenna B. Hager says: “This novel is full of motherhood and friendship and identity and loss—I fell in love with each character and was grasping for more with every chapter.”‍

Penguin Random House published My Other Heart by The Novelry graduate, Emma Nanami Strenner—a sweeping and heartfelt story about finding your roots across borders and beyond blood ties. Jenna Bush Hager says: “I love this book so much. It’s the story of mothers, daughters, friendship. It’s full of heart and full of twists. I could not put it down.”

Emma says: “I love The Novelry, I regularly dip in and out and find it a wonderful community.”

Cassie and Megan Siechert have signed with agent Keifer Ludwig at Bookends Literary Agency for their co-written debut novel, Kill Her Story.

‍In Kill Her Story, Mexican-American scholarship student Harper Gomez runs an anonymous gossip blog exposing the secrets of her wealthy classmates. But when her best friend is murdered and all signs point the untouchable Carrington family, Harper teams up with the first boy to break her heart to take them down — but, in a small town, there are always people willing to kill to keep secrets buried.

The sisters are graduates of The Novelry and were introduced to their agent at Bookends through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Cassie and Megan say: “We joined The Novelry after secretly dreaming for years of becoming authors. We had written a lot of books before, but we had a new idea that we were so excited for that we wanted to do everything we could to make it succeed.

“With The Novelry, we got such great feedback and encouragement from Simran and Krystle that helped bring our writing to a level we never could have imagined. Now we’re signed with our fantastic literary agent, we’re ready to take everything we learned from The Novelry and continue our dream of writing!”

Claire L Gordon, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Emily Talbot at United Agents after being announced as the winner of the 2026 Rooker Prize.

The Rooker Prize is a story-opening competition launched at Lewes Football Club in 2022 and sponsored by Hachette UK, for the first 400 words of a middle-grade fantasy.

Claire says: “It was November 2024 and I had never written anything longer than a picture book and never believed that I could.“My husband was studying for his second masters and I was jealous. REALLY jealous. But with three young children, there was no way a masters was on the cards for me. Then, while browsing university courses (torturing myself on what could have been), I came across The Novelry. It only took a few days of research to decide this is what I needed - a flexible, expert-led course which could teach me how to write a children's novel.

“The Novelry did not disappoint. I internalised every bit of advice given to me by Piers on our coaching calls, reflected on areas for development after feedback from Simran and spent hours watching the workshops on catch up while folding mountains of washing.

“The coaches and editors became the voices inside my head as I schemed, plotted, wrote and edited. Against all good advice, by early 2026 I was writing/editing three books simultaneously - one chapter book, one lower-middle grade and one middle-grade that I had written with The Novelry.

“I never actually ended up querying in the traditional sense as I won two writing competitions and had agents reaching out to me. Obviously this was a dream scenario which I would never have achieved without studying and learning the craft with The Novelry.

“My agent and I will be working on my newest middle-grade together (and yes that does make this book number four).“Without a doubt I am proof that The Novelry really does grow writers. Thank you to the whole team, I would never have got here without you."

Clare Barnett Huerta, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Chris Bucci at Aevitas Creative Management.

Set in 1923, Clare’s historical crime novel The Finest follows an ambitious young policewoman in New York’s first and only all-female precinct, as she risks her career to prove her friend’s husband innocent of murder. Inspired by real-life detective Isabella Goodwin and the short-lived Women’s Precinct, this will appeal to fans of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series and Ray Celestin’s City Blues quartet.

Clare was introduced to her agent through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Clare says: “The classes gave me the structure, motivation, and confidence to complete my manuscript. Having the support and guidance of accomplished publishing professionals was invaluable at every step. Writing coaches Emylia and Anna gave me insightful feedback on plotting and characters. Editors Tash and Josie helped my submission package shine and introduced me to my agent. I’d recommend The Novelry to any novelist pursuing traditional publishing.”

Connor Martini, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Jamie Cowen at The Ampersand Agency for his debut novel, Pale Red Dot, an adult science fiction adventure on Mars that explores history, memory and guilt, with a queer romance subplot.

Connor says: “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.”

Daisy Carrington, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Nicole Cunningham at The Book Group for Homewrecker, a book-club thriller in which a scorned wife finds solace in an angry internet community—until one of her followers decides to take matters into her own hands.

Daisy was introduced to her agent through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Daisy says: “Over the years, I started and abandoned many novels. After hitting a milestone birthday (I won’t say which one), I decided I didn’t want to look back on my life with regret for never at least trying to fulfil 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 after a Google search, 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 support of the amazing coaches and editors at The Novelry, especially Tash, whose encouragement, thoughtful feedback and industry expertise made navigating revisions and the submission process a joy.”

Danielle Cahill, a graduate of The Novelry, won the Caledonia Novel Award 2024 with her novel Trad Wives and signed with literary agent Ariella Feiner at United Agents. The novel also won the BPA Pitch Prize and was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award.

Emily James, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Kiya Evans at Mushens Entertainment.

Emily says: “Working with The Novelry as part of the Octopus Scheme for underrepresented writers was such a fantastic support as I worked on my novel. It was so encouraging to have the whole team believe in me and my writing, both during my one-to-one coaching sessions and our Octopus Scheme catch-ups, and so lovely to have The Novelry team cheer me on when I signed with my agent. It’s also been fantastic to get to know the other writers on the scheme with me, and I can’t wait to hear what comes next for them! Thank you so much to everyone at The Novelry for being such a huge part of my writing journey.”

Emily Want, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Kate Rizzo at Greene & Heaton for her debut romance novel, The Summer I Found You.

Set on an idyllic Canadian island and featuring the electric will-they-won’t-they love story between an aspiring novelist and a handsome architect, it pairs the small-town feel and romantic lakeside setting of Carley Fortune’s novels with the humour and emotional depth of writers like Emily Henry and Mhairi McFarlane.

Emily was introduced to her agent at Greene & Heaton through The Novelry’s direct submission service.

Emily says: “I am so thankful to The Novelry for their support in getting me to this point in my writing journey. I’ve enjoyed countless one-on-one sessions, workshops, and author interviews as part of my membership, and I’ve been continually impressed by the entire team’s kindness and professionalism. I owe particular thanks to Gina Sorell for her enthusiasm and humour during our coaching sessions, and the editorial dream team of Nic Caws and Emily Kitchin for their detailed and thoughtful feedback. Emily’s expertise and cheerleading throughout the query process was invaluable, and I’m beyond delighted that The Novelry’s submission service has led to me finding representation with the fabulous Kate Rizzo and her lovely team at Greene & Heaton.

“I look forward to remaining part of The Novelry community and would encourage any aspiring writers who are considering joining to take the plunge!”