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

Geoff Parkes, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a two-book publishing deal with Penguin Random House Australia. Fiction publisher Beverley Cousins bought rights to When the Deep, Dark Bush Swallows You Whole and The First Law of the Bush from Catherine Wallace at High Spot Literary.

Geoff’s debut novel is based around the disappearance of a Finnish backpacker from her job in a shearing gang in rural New Zealand, and the impact this has on the life of her boyfriend—who, in trying to find out what happened, discovers more than he could ever have expected about his family and the small town he grew up in.

Geoff says: “What I found particularly beneficial was to be able to step logically, through a series of progressions; compiling the first draft, learning how to edit that myself, before handing it over for more rigorous assessment and editing. I’m extremely grateful for the professional expertise and friendly assistance of Lizzy Goudsmit Kay and Tash Barsby, who ensured that at every contact point, the novel was made better than what it was before.”

Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus, pre-empted No Life for a Lady, the ‘effortlessly funny’ debut novel from Comedy Women in Print shortlistee and The Novelry graduate Hannah Dolby.

Hannah says: “I wrote and edited my novel at The Novelry and want to thank you for all the support!

Pamela Dorman Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, along with Penguin Canada, Grijalbo (Spain), and Nord (Italy), has acquired Clever Little Thing by The Novelry graduate, Helena Echlin.

‍Clever Little Thing is a taut psychological thriller about a woman convinced her daughter has been possessed by her former babysitter, comparable to Ashley Audrain’s The Push and Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth.

Helena was introduced to her agents Chad Luibl and Emma Leong at Janklow & Nesbit through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Helena says: “My editor took my submission package to the next level. She gave me the perfect premise line, went over my first three chapters with her brilliant editorial eye, and gave masterful advice on how to reorganize my book’s timeline to jack up suspense. She then handpicked the perfect agents and gave me the benefit of her industry wisdom throughout the entire submission process.

“I couldn’t recommend The Novelry more highly.”

Holly Race’s debut adult fantasy novel Six Wild Crowns is an instant Sunday Times bestseller! 

Orbit, an imprint of Hachette, acquired The Novelry graduate Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns in a six-figure deal, described as “a beautiful fantasy re-imagining of Henry VIII’s wives from the perspective of Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.”

Holly says: “I took The Novelry course as a way of breaking out of my comfort zone and elevating my craft after my YA fantasy trilogy was published. I was keen to explore other genres and markets, but lacked the confidence to do so without some external guidance. The Novelry offers an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent approach to writing, and I still have some of the course’s advice stuck to the wall above my desk as a constant reminder! I received feedback from both Katie Khan and Tasha Suri as I worked through two novels, one of which was Six Wild Crowns. They offered the kind of knowledgeable, honest and kind feedback that left me feeling fired up and certain of my next steps.

“I’ll be forever grateful to them and to The Novelry.”

Janice Okoh, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a publishing contract with Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House in the U.S., and with Hemlock Press, an imprint of HarperCollins in the U.K., for her debut novel, Girl Number Eight.

An upmarket crime novel set in the Department of Ritualistic Murders and Human Sacrifice amid a vividly evoked Nigeria, the story follows an Igbo house girl desperate to find her daughter and a strong-willed, queer detective doing everything in her power to make that happen.

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

Janice says: “I was lucky enough to use The Novelry course to finish the first draft of my novel, which I’d been writing for several years. Louise and Mahsuda were particularly encouraging and, with Mahsuda’s coaching, helped me believe that I could get to the end. For me, The Big Edit is the mother of all courses — it took my writing to another level. I loved every lesson. Receiving such detailed and constructive feedback from Tash and Josie was invaluable, and I couldn’t believe how much more feedback Josie gave me to prepare the manuscript for submission—and all for free. I feel she went over and above.

“I’m not gonna lie, querying agents was nerve-wracking—and with a few twists and turns—but I felt that I was in the best pair of hands with Josie, and I am thrilled to be working with Madeleine Milburn.

“I’ve taken a lot of courses, but at The Novelry, the tutors are exceptionally talented, generous and kind. With weekly live workshops to attend and countless recorded sessions that I’ve yet to mine, I am so happy I signed up to The Novelry and continue to sign up because I feel that I’ve found a home here for as long as I want.”

Jennifer Sadera, a graduate of The Novelry, has sold her debut novel, I Know She Was There, to Sue Arroyo at CamCat Books.

Jennifer says: “Working with The Novelry was one of the most enjoyable editing experiences I’ve had in my 12 years of full-time novel writing. After reading the many positive reviews, I decided to submit my finished manuscript for feedback.

“I’m thrilled I made that decision. My editor Tash Barsby guided me through edits to a manuscript I’d thought was ready to go, but soon realized needed the touch of an expert. From minor tweaks to thought-provoking suggestions, Tash covered everything: insightful observations about pacing, plot, and character development, the importance of tangible triggers, and paring down the query letter. My Publisher’s Marketplace announcement even contains her suggestions.”

Joanne Kormylo, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a two-book deal with Hodder and Stoughton, an imprint of Hachette, with her historical fiction novel The Resistance Daughter.

Joanne says: “I discovered The Novelry when I was ready to give up on my debut novel. After years of research, I knew my work had potential, but I lacked the expertise to identify and fix manuscript weaknesses essential for attracting a publisher. The Ultimate Manuscript Assessment offered by The Novelry was exactly what I needed. Prepared by editor Gillian Holmes, I received a detailed report, marked-up manuscript, and a video call. I have to admit, the work ahead seemed daunting, but Gillian was right, and her advice and guidance were excellent. Add to that my productive coaching sessions with Kate Riordan and I’m delighted to report that I’ve signed with an agent and secured a two-book deal with Hodder and Stoughton.

“I highly recommend The Novelry based on my positive experience.“

Milksop, a tender coming-of-age story set in rural Ontario, is out now, published by Chicken House Press. John is a graduate of The Novelry, with our courses helping to bring his novel all the way from first draft to final edit.

John says: "The Novelry—both its great programs and wonderful people—guided me through the challenging, inspiring process of writing my very first novel. Simply put, Milksop would not exist without The Novelry... I couldn’t be more grateful for the vision, skills, and encouragement I’ve received."

Cheers to you, John.

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!”