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

Mona Tewari, a graduate of The Novelry, has been published by Bindery Books and become an instant Indie Bestseller. Her debut novel Burn the Sea is a lush historical fantasy, based on the life of Indian monarch Abbakka Chowta, in which a fierce queen must defend her country against both the colonizing monsters attacking from the sea and the cowardly manipulations of a neighboring king... who happens to be her husband.

Mona says: “I am extremely grateful for the help of so many wonderful people at The Novelry (especially Tasha and Craig) who helped make this book possible.”

Mona is represented by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency.

Macmillan has published the debut novel from The Novelry graduate, Monica Vuu.

When One of Us Hurts is described as “small-town crime fiction at its shocking best. Monica Vuu has crafted a memorable debut full of macabre surprises.”

Monica says: “Signing up for a course at The Novelry is one of my best decisions. I was 100% green; it was my first foray into writing. With the daily lessons and the supportive community, The Novelry made my induction into the fiction-writing world joyful. There was no way to know then, but the positive experience set the tone for my ongoing writing journey. This is a safe space for inexperienced writers to come and play.”

Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has published Dream Hunters, a middle-grade adventure by The Novelry graduate Nazima Pathan, as part of a two-book deal.

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

Nazima says: “The Novelry was a game changer on how to approach a novel, and turn it into a well-structured, polished piece of work. The manuscript assessment was spot on. Incisive, constructive and encouraging. I feel I have learned so much and am stronger for it!”

Nicole Brooks, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a publishing contract with Blackstone Publishing for her debut novel, No Higher Ground.

No Higher Ground is a high-stakes, race-against-time thriller of one family trapped during a flood of epic proportions.

Nicole was introduced to her agent Rachel Beck at Liza Dawson Associates through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Our writing coach and bestselling author Kate Riordan says: “This is a white-knuckle ride from start to finish. The secret horrors of the past are woven skilfully into the terrifying present-day flood, so that the tension builds to an almost unbearable pitch. I couldn’t put it down!”

Nicole says: “I came to The Novelry at my lowest. I’d been trying to get an agent for five years and although I’d had some near misses, I knew I only had the energy for one more try. With a recently queried manuscript in hand, I decided I couldn’t do it alone anymore and hired The Novelry to help me through the process. The lessons were easy to follow and chock-full of great information. I especially appreciated the writing coach meetings, where Kate helped me sort out the problem with my story. From there, it was a full rewrite, but the outcome is something I’ve never been so proud of. The Big Edit really made my writing sing! Add in Tash’s wisdom about reworking a major plot point and Emily’s dogged determination to see me successfully through to the end, and I have finally achieved my ultimate writing dream!

“I couldn’t be happier with my decision to work with The Novelry. The kindness and respect shown by everyone made me fall back in love with writing and made me feel like I really could do this. I look forward to working with Rachel and building on the solid writing foundation I finally found at The Novelry.”

Nikki Allen, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a two-book deal with Pan Macmillan. Crime and thriller editor Raphaella Demetris acquired world English language rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The Hideaway, the first book in the deal, will be published in July 2025, with the second thriller to follow in 2026. Romanian rights have also been sold.

In The Hideaway, what should be the opportunity of a lifetime for five strangers becomes a fight for survival when a meditation retreat in Costa Rica turns deadly..

Nikki says: “Since joining The Novelry in early 2022 with nothing but a spark of an idea and the determination to (somehow!) turn it into a novel, I have been blown away by Louise Dean’s course materials, the author coaching, the community of writers and the incredible support from editors to boot. I am beyond thrilled with how far I’ve come, both with my writing and signing with such a top-notch agent, and am so excited for my future writing career. Thank you, The Novelry!”

Mysterious Press—the publishing home to authors Megan Abbott, P.D. James, James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard and more—has acquired Glitter in the Dark, the debut novel by The Novelry graduate Olesya Lyuzna—a queen noir set in roaring twenties New York.

An ambitious advice columnist who knows she is capable of solving more than beauty problems witnesses the kidnapping of a famous singer at a Harlem speakeasy and manipulates a brooding detective into a reluctant partnership as the case unravels.

John Murray Press, an imprint of Hodder at Hachette, has acquired Sunbirds by The Novelry graduate, Penelope Slocombe.

Inspired by the real-life mystery of the nearly two dozen Western travelers who disappeared in Northern India’s Kullu Valley between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, Sunbirds is billed by the publisher as “a propulsive, emotionally intelligent debut about a woman’s search for her son, and herself.”

Author Rashmi Sirdeshpande, a graduate of The Novelry, has published eight books for children, was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2022, and voted one of The Times Best Books of 2020.

Rashmi says: “Utterly brilliant. Do this course! Life-changing, in fact. The course, the community and the guide, are the best things that have ever happened to the writer in me.”

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!”