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.”

Talitha McQueen, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent James Wills at Watson, Little for her gothic historical novel based on the life of Rose Edith Kelly, the first wife of infamous occultist Aleister Crowley.

Talitha says: “Joining The Novelry was the best decision I made for myself and my writing career. For years I had thought about writing a novel, but I wasn’t really sure where to start. I found the daily lessons very inspiring, and I was able to complete a first draft. The daily Golden Hour made it a joy to turn up each day and has instilled a daily writing habit that has changed my life. The Big Edit has given me the skills I need to edit my own work. Through my submission process I had support and guidance from The Novelry team. I am so glad that I found my home here at The Novelry and I am now represented by James Wills of Watson, Little. I cannot wait to continue to grow as a writer within The Novelry community.”

Tiffany Hawk has signed with literary agent Chris Bucci at Aevitas with her thrilling, high-stakes novel, Thank You For Your Silence.

Thank You For Your Silence follows a military wife plotting an escape from her marriage, and her drone-pilot husband, who begins spying on her from 25,000 feet—only to discover her new lover is hiding a dangerous secret.

Tiffany is a graduate of The Novelry and was introduced to her agent through our bespoke submission service.

Tiffany says: “I came to The Novelry as a working writer and previously published novelist who hadn’t written a new book in more than a decade, needed a new literary agent, and had no idea how to write a thriller. My investment paid off in spades. Sunday Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh was an absolutely brilliant coach—and so much fun! Then working with Tash Barsby throughout the submission process was one of the highlights of my 20+ year career in publishing. From her editorial savvy to her unflagging support and her expert management of submissions, she was my fairy godmother. In the end, I got five offers from agents at some of the world’s top agencies!”

Victoria O’Brien, a graduate of The Novelry, has signed with literary agent Maria Cardona Serra at Aevitas Creative Management.

Set in 1944 in a Bavarian mountain village, Victoria’s debut historical fiction novel, Marianna Kauffman is No Longer Dead, tells the story of two sisters who discover their priest’s housekeeper dead in the woods and vow to stay silent—until, eighteen years later, when a psychiatrist encourages one sister to confess everything.

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

Victoria says: “I’d been trying to write a novel for a while, but as soon as I joined The Novelry I immediately felt part of a very different world: a focused support group, and access to coaches and editors like Josie and Lizzy, all of whom are so profoundly professional they treat you as an equal and take your work seriously from day one, whatever stage in the writing process you are. That was incredible for me—to have the framework, videos, blogs, live online talks, and to be surrounded by other writers. All of it supported my goal, and whenever I was wandering off course (which was often) The Novelry nudged me back in the right direction, which was exactly what I needed.”