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

Orion, an imprint of Hachette, will publish a second novel by The Novelry graduate, Rebecca Ley.

Rebecca says: “The Novelry’s writing courses are unique—intelligent, surprising, more than a little magical—and I can’t recommend them highly enough. The lessons enabled me to tap into my subconscious in a way that no other writing course had. The result was my debut novel, For When I’m Gone, which was published by Orion Fiction.

“While working on my second book I returned for another course, which was also superb, and invaluable in terms of understanding archetypes and the ingredients for a spellbinding plot. The course rewires your writing brain—suddenly, completing a manuscript seems manageable. Combine this with astute advice from incredible writer Louise Dean and I can’t imagine a better head start in this particular creative process. You can even do it all in your pyjamas, should you want—what could be better!”

Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House in the U.S., and The Borough Press, an imprint of HarperCollins in the U.K., has acquired the debut novel by The Novelry graduate, Rosie Storey.

TV rights to adapt the novel have also been snapped up by See-Saw Films, a production company with BAFTA, Emmy, and Oscar wins.

Dandelion is Dead follows Poppy, who, in the throes of grief, responds to a match on her dead sister’s dating app. But when she meets up with Jake, the attractive stranger—who thinks she’s her dead sister, Dandelion—their chemistry is undeniable, and the lies quickly spiral out of hand...

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

Rosie says: “My plan after completing The Novelry program was to approach literary agents, so I was thrilled when The Novelry made these introductions. As someone who has been writing for many years, I’m used to my fair share of rejections; I was absolutely delighted (and surprised) to have the opportunity to meet a number of great agents very quickly. I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience. Thank you so much to Josie and The Novelry—I really felt part of a team.”

Shylashri Shankar, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed a three-book publishing deal with Canelo Crime.

Blood Caste is an atmospheric upmarket historical crime fiction novel set in nineteenth-century India under the British Raj. Rivalries flare between an outcast Brahmin detective and a prickly English inspector when they must join forces to find a Jack the Ripper copycat in 1895 Hyderabad. Blood Caste will appeal to everyone who has devoured books by Abir Mukherjee, Sujata Massey, and Elly Griffiths.

Shylashri was introduced to her literary agent James Wills at Watson, Little through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

An earlier draft of Blood Caste won the 2022 Spotlight First Novel Award, and was also longlisted for the 2022 CWA Debut Dagger. Shylashri is a researcher based in New Delhi, and won the AutHer Award for Best Non-Fiction 2021 for Turmeric Nation: A Passage Through India’s Tastes. She has also published three academic books, and reviews crime fiction for a national magazine in India.

Pushkin Children’s Press has published four middle-grade fiction novels by The Novelry graduate Susie Bower, as well as two books for younger readers.

Susie was introduced to her agent at literary agency Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Susie says: “I joined the amazing online writing community The Novelry. Up until then, I’d only written full-length fiction for adults but had got to the point where I’d lost momentum and couldn’t finish anything. I wailed to Louise at The Novelry that I had no ideas and she assured me that after the first week of The Novelry courses, I’d have something. She was right. I waited 66 years to get an agent. It was worth it.”

Theo Clarke’s memoir Breaking the Taboo is an instant Top 20 non-fiction bestseller!

Biteback Publishing acquired the first book by The Novelry graduate, Theo Clarke. Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma, which The Times described as “a shocking book exposing Britain’s maternity crisis,” and the Daily Mail called “a shattering story of giving birth in Britain today,” received widespread coverage in national news and was picked as Book of the Day by New Statesman.

Theo says: “I used The Novelry courses to write 100,000 words in six months. As I progressed through the classes, I realized how important structure was to writing my story down. I found it so helpful to be given advice such as thinking of myself as the ’past you’—more like the main character in fiction. For the first time, having never been a plotter before, I finally sat down and wrote out a chapter list.

“The Novelry helped me realise that I wasn’t writing my whole story down but only a portion of it. In my case, this was the moment I suffered a traumatic birth while elected as an MP in one of the most turbulent moments in recent British history—with three Prime Ministers and the death of the Queen.

“I started to think seriously about story arc and what was the change I had undergone. I began writing my memoir about being one of the few MPs to have had a baby while elected, but I ended up sharing how vulnerability became a strength—and revealing in much more detail than I had planned the trauma of giving birth to my daughter. I realised on the course that my memoir wasn’t about me, but about what I had learnt from my experience to help others recover from their birth trauma and feel less alone.

“I found the practical exercises particularly helpful, such as sketching out a timeline with key events and using old photographs on my phone to prompt ideas and write them down. Writing a book can be a lonely job, so I also enjoyed connecting with other writers by joining the workshops. Having done other writing courses, I would recommend The Novelry as the course that helped me get my published book over the line—so thank you!”

Boldwood Books have published three novels by The Novelry graduate T.J. Emerson.

Tracey says: “These creative writing courses have changed my writing life. Within a short time of starting the lessons, I had my idea sorted and ninety days later I had my first draft. After taking the editing course and taking advantage of all the wonderful author chats and workshops offered by The Novelry, I secured a two-book deal, and it has been optioned for development into a six-part TV series.”

Emmeline Fernandez has signed with agent Liza DeBlock at Greenstone Literary Agency for her debut novel, A Little Grace. Emmeline is a graduate of The Novelry and was introduced to her agent through our bespoke submission service.

In A Little Grace, a gruesome discovery of a body in the woods sets three strangers on an unexpected collision course: a sheriff on his first murder case, a tormented brother, and a mother on the run—perfect for fans of The God of the Woods and All the Colors of the Dark.

Emmeline says: “When I started The Novelry, my only goal was to finally put on the page an idea I’d been turning over for six years, to do justice to the story in my head. Working with Kate Riordan and Amanda Reynolds helped me do exactly that. Without ever reading a word of my work in progress, they understood what I was trying to achieve and pushed me to find new ways to get there.

“I was so proud of that first draft that I even began to imagine a far-off world in which I might be published. Then I started working with editors Sorcha Rose and Tash Barsby. Their carefully considered advice and thoughtful edits helped transform my manuscript into something I could never have imagined—a real novel, and a better one than the one I’d originally set out to write. They supported not only my work but me as an author, including introducing me to an agent who believed in my book more than I did.

“At every stage of the process, I felt supported and championed by the whole team at The Novelry, and I’m so glad I made this leap for myself.”

Hannah Choi Paul has signed with agent Nicole Cunningham at Trellis Literary Management for their debut novel, Hyori.

In Hyori, a former morgue assistant receives a package from her dead mentor, Frankie, and is pulled back into the homicide case that ended their friendship: the murder of eighteen-year-old Heaven Kim. The deeper back into the case she goes, the more unstable her sense of self becomes, until she must face the fact that she’s the only person who can restore justice—and that doing so may unravel the fragile identity she has constructed as a wife and mother. Hannah Choi Paul is a graduate of The Novelry and was introduced to their agent through our bespoke submission service.

Hannah says: “For a long time, I worked alone. In 2025, I decided to change that—investing in myself and my writing through The Novelry's Big Edit and the UMA. That decision led me to my wonderful literary agent, Nicole Cunningham at Trellis Literary Management. I'm deeply grateful to The Novelry team for helping me get here. It's a dream come true!”

Jane Mansour, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Hannah Todd at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.

Jane says: “The Novelry gave me the time and structure to write. The daily lessons helped me bash out a messy first draft. I then did The Big Edit, which guided me through the self-editing process, and helped me think about submission to agents. I found the workshops a great space to ask questions and focus on elements of plot and pace, especially when I was in the depths of structural edits.”

Jane has spent the last two decades working in the Employment and Adult Skills sectors in the U.K., U.S. and Australia.

Janet Change, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Hellie Ogden at WME's books division for her debut novel, Girl Dinner—a compulsive bookclub novel with a horror twist about Connie, a downtrodden personal assistant who attends culinary school in Paris and slowly becomes a cannibal.

With the dark satirical voice of R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface, it touches on themes of identity and female relationships like in Mona Awad’s Bunny.

Janet was introduced to her agent at WME through The Novelry’s bespoke submission service.

Janet says: “The support from The Novelry has felt like slipping into a warm bath: safe, comfortable, and barely any chance of drowning. The pace of the Ninety Day Novel helped me outrun my doubt (no time for fear when you’re writing 1200 words a day!), and The Big Edit turned my lump of clay/glass/whatever into something cohesive that still felt true to who I was, and not worrisome at all that it ended up being about cannibalism.

“Amanda, Lesley, and Katie were such encouraging coaches, and I don’t have enough words to describe how wonderful Craig and Josie were—and I have a lot of words. (But not TOO many words, thanks to them!) Josie was the most incredible advocate, and I’m so grateful she held my hand as I took my first steps into the publishing world. She and The Novelry will always be a part of my story.

“I am beyond thrilled to sign with Hellie and her team at WME, what an absolute dream come true. The Novelry performs miracles every day, and I’m so lucky that today was my turn. Thank you for believing in me and my book!”

Jennifer Snow has signed with agent Bridget Smith at JABberwocky Literary Agency for her novel, The Dividing Line. Jennifer is a graduate of The Novelry and was introduced to her agent through our bespoke submission service.

The Dividing Line is set in a country cut off from the rest of the world by a magical Line that keeps out the deadly monstrous. When one of the surveyors holding a portion of the Line in her body is murdered, two women—one to plot a course for the Line, the other to construct and hold it—are assigned to replace her segment, but in the course of their work discover much more about the Line than they were ever taught.

Jennifer says: “I joined The Novelry to improve my writing craft intentionally, rather than through trial and error, as I had reached a sticking point in a complicated novel. It has been an experience far beyond my expectations! The Novelry provides structure for the process of creating a story and bringing it to life, from the initial concept to polishing the query letter and synopsis. There are new offerings and workshops every week about every aspect of craft and the publishing industry; online community; genre-specific and cross-genre resources; and the support of book coaches and professional editors”

”My book coach, Andrea Stewart, helped me interrogate my story ideas from their first seeds through the first draft, with energy and humor, and editors Craig Leyanaar, Natasha Qureshi, and Elizabeth Kulhanek challenged me to strengthen my story’s structure, characters, pacing, and tension—not once, but multiple times. Having that feedback and being pushed to continually make the work stronger—that’s the best thing an author can ask for. I’m so glad I found The Novelry and would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their writing and develop a strong, sustainable practice as an author and storyteller.”

Joss Wyatt, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Marina de Pass at The Soho Agency for her speculative women’s fiction novel, The Man of My Dreams.

Disillusioned at a couples therapy retreat, Lizzy meets her perfect man—in her dreams. But when he comes to life, and takes her husband’s place, she realises there’s more at stake than just her marriage…

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

Joss says: “I’ve been writing and querying different novels for years, and signing up to The Novelry has hands-down been the best decision I’ve made in my journey so far. I found the course content particularly incisive, and the writing and editorial coaching helped me evaluate my story from all sorts of new angles.

“The submission process was a breath of fresh air compared to the cold querying I’ve experienced in the past. I genuinely believe I’d still be in the trenches searching for an agent were it not for The Novelry. Not only is the whole team talented and wonderful, but they champion you when you feel like you’ve hit a wall, and bring enthusiasm and ideas to help you find a way over. I am so grateful to Josie, Lizzy, Tash, Emily, Sadé, Mahsuda, Katie, and Kate for all their insights and efforts.

“I started the course hopeful and finished not only a stronger writer but… agented! It’s a dream come true.”

Maggie Bowler, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Clare Coombes at the Liverpool Literary Agency, for her debut novel, In The Picture.

Michael Lawson, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Mia Dakin at Greene & Heaton for his debut novel, The Coast is Queer—a gorgeous LGBTQ romcom set in Gran Canaria featuring drag queens, cheap booze, and a cast of holiday makers getting ready for the Pride parade!

Michael says: “I couldn’t have done it without The Novelry team. Having Libby Page as a mentor and Gillian Holmes as an editor has been a masterclass in writing. Thank you for taking a chance on me on the Octopus Scheme—I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE AN AGENT!”