Ultimate Novel Writing Course UK Europe
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Ultimate Novel Writing Course | UK & Europe
This year-long course combines online mentoring, weekly tutorials and editorial feedback, literary agent feedback and an exclusive online networking event. Start with a work in progress – end with the tools and contacts you need to get published.
Applications for the Spring 2023/24 course are now closed. Our next course will start in October 2023, and applications will open soon. Check back here for more information.
This course at a glance:
A One Year Course
October 2023 – September 2024
Online Learning
Combined with opportunities to get your work seen by agents
Flexible Payments
Pay upfront or in instalments
Key Information
Date: October 2023 – September 2024
Duration: 1 year
Price: £4,950 paid upfront or split into 11 monthly instalments of £495 (totalling £5,445).
Entry: By application only. Download a prospectus to find out how to apply.
Location: Online (open to students worldwide, with all calls taking place at GMT/BST).
Questions? Contact our courses today via email or phone us on 0345 459 9560
Our connections are now yours
We’re partnering with top literary agency Peters Fraser + Dunlop to give them an exclusive first look at our Ultimate Novel Writing Course students’ hard work and submissions. If you have a finished novel by the end of the course, we’ll send your submission pack to Peters Fraser + Dunlop for you, with the guarantee that an agent will read your work.
You’ll receive personal feedback to help you refine your manuscript and give you a head start on your agent search.
Get your work discovered
Make sure your words are seen by the right people! At the end of the Ultimate Novel Writing Course, a sample of each student’s work is sent to our database of top literary agents, including Peters Fraser + Dunlop, Madeleine Milburn, The Soho Agency, and more.
Last year, more than 30% of our students received a full manuscript request from the anthology alone, so what are you waiting for?
Curious?
Download our Spring prospectus to find out more about the course
A flexible course for serious writers
We built this course to give you everything you’d get from an MA plus much, much more. Alongside weekly online tutorials, you’ll receive one-to-one support, editorial feedback, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer feedback.
One-to-One Mentoring
Connect with your personal mentor every month. They’ll be on hand to offer feedback on your work as you write, and available to answer specific questions about how to get your novel to where you want it to be.
Editorial Feedback
Your personal mentor will provide a detailed, full-length manuscript assessment on the first 100,000 words of your novel, and support you as you implement any changes.
Weekly Tutorials
You’ll learn the craft of professional writing in detailed weekly tutorials – from plotting, to self-editing. You’ll also hear from special guest tutors throughout the course, such as top authors and literary agents.
Community
You’ll be part of an exclusive group for Ultimate Novel students in our online community. You can exchange feedback, ask questions, or just hang out with new friends in your own private chat room. You’ll also get access to all Jericho Writers exclusive membership content – for life.
Networking Events
You’ll attend an online networking event with handpicked agents, plus have your work featured in our end-of-year anthology which is sent to our database of top literary agents.
Publication Support
We’ll introduce you to literary agents through one-to-ones and guest webinars, and teach you how to self-publish successfully. You’ll also get a lifetime of ongoing publication support from our team after the course comes to an end.
Your year at a glance
OCTOBER : Planning your novel
This month, you’ll learn how to plan and structure your novel and put this into action for your own work.
NOVEMBER : Point of view
We’ll explore all the different kinds of point of view; from omniscient and third person limited, to first person, and see how each one can inform our own work.
DECEMBER : Setting
It’s time to start writing your novel. This month, we’ll look at how you can maximise the potential of your setting.
JANUARY : Character
You’ll learn the techniques and tools you can use to strengthen and develop your characters.
FEBRUARY : Emotion and senses
This month, you’ll study the art of transferring weight of emotion onto objects and atmosphere.
MARCH : Pacing and tension
How do you keep your reader engaged? We’ll discover the importance of building tension, no matter the genre.
APRIL : Voice and style
A well-developed style is like a fingerprint: what can you do to practice yours, and to make your words flow?
MAY : Writing a great ending
By now, you’ll have a working manuscript and be aware of all the techniques that shape your world – so it’s the time to draw upon everything you have learnt so far and nail that ending.
JUNE : Self-editing
This month, we’ll look at your manuscript in its entirety and learn how to turn that first draft into a masterpiece.
JULY : Getting published
Through detailed tutorials, we’ll learn the art of perfecting your submission package and how to find the best agents for your work.
AUGUST : Author-led marketing and self-publishing
Learn the core tools of self-publishing – which also form the basis for any author-led marketing campaign.
SEPTEMBER : End of course networking event
Join us to celebrate your achievements! Meet your peers and tutors for our end-of-course online reading, where you will get the chance to showcase your work to top literary agents.
Get to know your tutors
One tutor will be your personal mentor and will guide you through the course, providing monthly one-to-one sessions and regular feedback on your work. (You will have the opportunity to select your preferred tutor during the application process.)
You’ll also get to know the other tutors throughout the course during the various modules across the year.
Anna Vaught
Specialisms: Anna loves working with writers of literary and commercial fiction (particularly gothic, magical realism and historic), and short story collections.
Anna is the author of eight books, most recently the novel Saving Lucia (Bluemoose 2020 & 8tto, Milan, 2023) and short fiction collections Famished (Influx Press, 2020) and Ravished (Reflex Press, 2022). She writes regularly for The Bookseller (where she has also been a columnist) and has had opinion pieces and features, reviews, short fiction, memoir, and creative fiction published in various literary journals and in the national press and she is currently a columnist for Mslexia.
2023 sees publication of her memoir These Envoys of Beauty (Reflex Press), novel: The Zebra and Lord Jones (Renard Press, UK & Commonwealth), and The Alchemy (Renard Press), her first book about writing, with a focus on gentle productivity.
Gavin James Bower
Specialisms: Gavin enjoys working with writers of contemporary fiction, crime, thrillers, short story collections, and creative non-fiction.
Gavin James Bower BA (Hons) PhD FHEA was born and grew up in Lancashire. He graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sheffield, before modelling in Paris and later working as an editor and publisher in London. The author of two novels (Dazed & Aroused and Made in Britain) and one nonfiction title (Claude Cahun: The Soldier with No Name) – for which he received a Society of Authors award – his journalism has featured in the Guardian, the Independent, Independent on Sunday, the Sunday Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and BBC Radio 5 Live. He joined EastEnders in 2014, writing five episodes. He now lives in Somerset and teaches Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
Emma Cooper
Specialisms: Emma loves working with writers of contemporary fiction, crime, thrillers, literary, book club, women’s fiction, and romance.
Emma is the author of highly acclaimed book club fiction novels and is known for mixing humour with darker emotional themes. Her debut, The Songs of Us, was snapped up in multiple pre-empts and auctions and was short-listed for the RNA contemporary novel of the year award. Her work has since been translated into seven different languages.
Writing came to Emma later in life. As a mother of four, she had little spare time and wrote her debut during her lunch hour while working full-time. She went on to run her own successful manuscript appraisal service, where she has worked with traditionally published authors, as well as new aspiring writers. Emma is a passionate advocate for working-class writers and loves to help others on their road to publication.
She has had four books published so far: The Songs of Us, The First Time I Saw You, If I Could Say Goodbye and It Was Always You.
Emma is currently working on her fifth novel, as well as working as a creative writing tutor and mentor.
We helped Jack go from first draft to published book
Jack Lutz
UNWC student 19/20 and author of ‘London in Black’ (Pushkin Vertigo, 2022)
The course has been amazing so far.
I have never studied any form of creative writing past school, as I was afraid of turning it into a chore, so I was apprehensive about starting knowing I might be swimming in the deep end. On the contrary I’ve really enjoyed it and my writing has excelled dramatically, with feedback, the exercises and reading set and making time for my MS.
Verity H, UNWC student 20/21
Get your writing discovered.
Download our prospectus to find out how to apply.
We’ve helped hundreds of authors achieve their goals
Carol Lupton
UNWC student 19/20 and author of ‘Red Dirt Girl’ (The Book Guild, 2022)
Frequently asked
questions
Who is this course for?
This course is perfect for anyone serious about writing a novel and seeing it traditionally published, or successfully self-published. Ideally, students on the course have already working on a draft they’d like to write and polish. This is truly one of the best novel writing courses available. The mentoring aspect of the course will be completely personalised to you, so we’ll work from whatever your starting point happens to be, and provide you with all the writing tips and advice you need.
Do you handle all genres? What about creative non-fiction? What about children’s and Young Adult?
We warmly welcome writers in almost every genre, from very literary to commercial. Our tutors work across a diverse list of categories, including both creative non-fiction and fiction writing. We certainly also welcome YA writers. If you write for much younger children, the course may be less suitable – but feel free to ask.
I have a full time job / family commitments. Can I do this course in my spare time?
Yes. We purposely designed this course to fit in around your other commitments; flexibility is one of the many benefits of online novel writing courses. Bear in mind that we will be asking you to write (or rewrite) your novel, as well as engage with teaching material and other online/offline events throughout the year. If you think you can manage that, we’ll be happy to accommodate you – and of course we’ll be as flexible as we can be.
Do I need to be available at set times every week?
For the most part, you’ll be able to work to a schedule that suits you. There will be at least two monthly zoom calls. All calls will be recorded, so if you can’t make the live session, you’ll be able to watch the replay. The only truly fixed part of the calendar is the in-person event at the end of the course. While access to our live events is included, students will be required to pay for their own travel to and from live events, including any additional expenses incurred.
Will the online elements of the course be easy to use?
We use an easy-to-navigate online teaching platform to provide our virtual classrooms. It’s incredibly user-friendly and you’ll have no difficulty understanding what to do. The course will also have its own private space within Jericho Community, and we’ll maintain that group permanently, so your course friendships can long outlast the end of the course. If you do need help at any stage, we’ll be on hand.
Do you have bursaries available?
While we don’t have a full bursary available for this course, we want to help great writers get published, and if your personal circumstances make it impossible for you to fund the full price of this course, please get in touch. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll always do what we can.
What is the application process?
We invite writers from all backgrounds to apply to this course, whatever their educational backgrounds or prior achievements. We do however ask that all applicants are genuinely committed to a career as an author.
If you feel this best describes you, please download our course prospectus here and follow the links to the application page. This page will ask you to describe your idea, your personal goals, and upload a sample of your work.
We aim to respond to all applications within 15 working days. All work will be forwarded to the course tutors who will make the final decision on entry according to which writers they feel show commitment and commercial viability.
If you have any questions about the application process, you can email us on courses@jerichowriters.com, or call us on UK: +44 (0)330 043 0150, or US: +1 (646) 974 9060.
Where can I get a complete course outline?
You can find the full course outline in our prospectus.
Is this course suitable for international students?
Yes. We have a very international client base already and we welcome applications from anywhere in the world. It’s open internationally for writers from all over the world, and all online calls and live events will take place at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
If you’re based in more international time zones, our Ultimate Novel Writing Course (North America & Australasia) will take place at Eastern Time (ET).
Are you ready to take the next step in your writing?
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