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

New Island have signed The Grateful Water by The Novelry graduate, Juliana Adelman—a historical debut set in Dublin in 1866 about an ensemble of characters seeking refuge or forgiveness from the River Liffey.

Juliana is represented by literary agency Greene & Heaton. 

Juliana says: “I was just dabbling around with little prospect of finishing anything when I took The Novelry courses. I got to the end which gave me the confidence to revise and revise some more with The Big Edit. The best thing about The Novelry is the people! A supportive environment fostered by Louise and the team and a whole crew of writers.”

Penguin Random House has acquired The Language of Birds by The Novelry graduate, K.A. Merson. Ballantine Books will publish the novel in hardback.

In The Language of the Birds, a brilliant but solitary teenager must unlock ciphers, unearth buried clues, and reckon with the outside world as she pursues an ancient secret in this brainteasing, puzzle-filled mystery.

K.A. Merson says: “There may be numerous paths to publication, but I’d argue that most of them are long, winding, and full of danger. It pays to hire guides who know the way and can identify the hazards. For me, one of those guides was The Novelry. After making many of the changes suggested by The Novelry, my agent queries garnered significantly more interest in the form of full MS requests. It can really pay to hire professionals.”

Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, will publish The Accidental Malay by The Novelry graduate, Karina Robles Bahrin.

The novel was the winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

Karina says: “Thank you for all the support The Novelry team gave me :-) I couldn’t have finished the manuscript without the help of everyone there.”

Welbeck, an imprint of Hachette, will publish two books by The Novelry graduate Kate Gray, acquired in a six-figure deal following a four-way auction.

Kate says: “In desperate need of some TLC, I joined The Novelry. I wanted to feel part of a gang, share writing wins and woes, and remind myself that I’d done it before and I could do it again, no matter how daunting the blank page first appears. I hoped that if I surrounded myself with like-minded writers, I would soon be fired up with creativity and rediscover that escape I desperately craved. I looked forward to the weekly team chats, and the live author Q&A sessions where I wrote down all the advice and notes in my new Moleskine until my hand ached.

“One of the things I loved so much about The Novelry was the One Hour a Day method. This became an almost meditative form of self-care for me, especially during that first draft of The Honeymoon. I decided to write the sort of book that I would want to read. A fast-paced thriller with twists aplenty, relatable characters in situations that you as a reader could easily find yourself in and gritty themes; everything I adore in suspense fiction. Within two months I had a finished first draft. Unheard of in my writing career. Within four months it went on submission. Then it went to best and final bids at auction a fortnight later. This story, one that hadn’t existed even half a year ago, was now going to be a lead title for Welbeck.”

Penguin Random House and Bloomsbury published The Novelry graduate Kate Weinberg’s “crackling, comical, tender and mysterious” novel, There’s Nothing Wrong With Her.

‍U.S. rights were sold to Putnam (Penguin Random House) by Janklow & Nesbit and Bloomsbury acquired U.K. and Commonwealth rights.

‍There’s Nothing Wrong With Her is about a woman suffering an unnamed condition that confines her to a physical and mental state she calls The Pit. This is a book “about mental health, the certainties of medicine, buried trauma, love, death and time lost in the crushing—and comical—hopes of modern life.”

Kate says: “I’ve used the inspiring resources of The Novelry for help in developing both of my novels, The Truants and There’s Nothing Wrong With Her. I can say, hand-on-heart, that it has given me more tools and confidence—in both the art and craft of novel-writing—than my year-long prestigious Masters degree in Creative Writing ever did.”

Kelly Mullen, a graduate of The Novelry, has published her second novel, A Murder in Eight Cocktails, with Century (an imprint of Penguin Random House).I

n the seaside haven of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Willa Keane’s marriage is in a rut. As a retired interior-designer-turned-influencer, she’s sure life begins at fifty-five, whereas her husband, Marty, is more interested in watching his beloved birds.

So when Willa is invited to the opening of the chicest new cocktail bar in town, she hopes the evening will rekindle their flame. But arriving at the party, Willa is shaken to discover it’s being hosted by her charming ex-husband, Paul.

The night is thrown into even deeper chaos when the bar’s enigmatic owner is found dead on the rocks below. A suicide message suggests there’s no foul play, but Willa’s heightened senses aren’t so sure. Now she must solve the mystery together with her husband…and her ex-husband.

Can they find the killer before another victim is served their last cocktail?
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HarperCollins will publish the debut novel from The Novelry graduate Lucy Barker in a ‘significant’ two-book deal.

In the U.K., Katie Bowden, editorial director at 4th Estate, secured U.K. and Commonwealth rights to The Other Side of Mrs Wood.

The Other Side of Mrs Wood is described as “an irresistible historical comedy about two warring mediums in Victorian London, inspired by the real-life rivalry between famous spiritualists Agnes Guppy and Florence Cook in the 1870s.”

Lucy says: “I signed up to The Novelry to force myself to finish a languishing draft, thinking I’d use it as a prompt rather than a “school”—I’d done enough writing courses and wasn’t expecting to learn much more from the lessons. But WOW! Louise has developed a cornucopia of thought-provoking sessions and exercises that challenged the way I saw my practice and stretched my thinking and experience well beyond my comfort zone, resulting in a first draft I never thought I’d ever be able to write. And, just as predicted, I really did quickly start to come to my writing with confidence and joy. As a writer, you can’t ask for much more. I’m hugely grateful that I discovered this fantastic writing course and the marvellously inspiring Louise Dean and her equally inspiring coaches. Thank you!”

Crooked Lane Books has published The Lost Hours by The Novelry graduate, Lynn Tavernier.

‍The Lost Hours was a Finalist for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award and described as “if Dennis Lehane and F.Scott Fitzgerald co-wrote a book” by Peter Farrelly, Academy Award-winning co-writer and director of Green Book.

Lynn says: “I’d begun submitting to literary agents hoping to secure representation, but the results were less than encouraging. One agent offered kind words, but passed explaining the book still needed work and I should consider professional editorial assistance. He suggested I look into The Novelry. Tash Barsby’s lengthy report addressed every component of the book. I went to work and edited based on Tash’s recommendations, and the result was nothing short of amazing. My novel won the Claymore Award for best mystery at the Killer Nashville writers’ conference, and then became a finalist for the Debut Dagger Award. Soon after, I secured agent representation and then, the holy grail: a book deal.

“I can encourage anyone in need of editorial assistance to find it at The Novelry.”

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!”