Who is the Path to Publication Course suitable for?

Have you got a completed, edited manuscript ready to submit to agents? If so, this course is for you! Path to Publication won‘t focus on the fundamentals of writing, but rather the steps that come after you‘ve finished your book. We recommend it to authors with a completed manuscript and an interest in traditional publishing, especially if you are either:

• Looking to ideally position yourself before querying literary agents.
• Familiar with the querying process but struggling to capture the attention of literary agents.

If you‘d like a course that focuses more on the writing of your novel, take a look at our Ultimate Novel Writing Course.

Which genres are suitable for this course?

All fiction genres are suitable for Path to Publication, including MG, YA, and Memoir/Auto-Fiction. Unfortunately the course is not suitable for specialist non-fiction projects, as non-fiction book proposals will not be covered in the tutorial content. If you’re unsure whether your novel would be suitable, you can get in touch with the courses team at courses@jerichowriters.com.

Are there live calls included in the course?

There will be a live call each week with the tutor and other course students. In Week 4 and Week 8, there will be additional special guest webinars, so there will be two calls that week. All calls will be held in the evening (GMT) on Zoom, and will be recorded.

I’m a writer based outside the UK, is the course suitable for me?

Whilst Path to Publication will focus on the UK publishing industry (for now!), that doesn’t mean it won’t still be useful. If you’d still like to learn the fundamentals of pitching your novel, crafting a convincing submission package and networking with agents, this course is for you. Writers based outside of the UK can also still submit to UK literary agents, making the industry knowledge you‘ll learn on the course indispensable.

How much time will I need to spend on the course every week?

In total, we estimate you’ll need to spend a minimum of 3-4 hours a week on the course. This includes one hour spent on the weekly group webinars and one hour spent studying the weekly tutorial content. In Week 4, an additional hour will be required for the guest webinar, and in Week 8, two additional hours will be required for the agent showcase. The remaining time should be used to complete your weekly assignment. Of course, the more time you put into the course, the more you’ll get out of it!

Calls will be held in the evening (UK time) and will be recorded, so can be watched back at a later time if you are unable to attend live due to other commitments.

Can you guarantee I’ll be published if I take this course?

We cannot guarantee you will published once you have taken the course, nor can we guarantee that you will sign with a literary agent. What we can guarantee is that you will give yourself the best chance possible when it comes to submitting to agents, cutting out common mistakes made during the querying process and understanding your role as an author.

Do you have any bursaries available for this course?

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 happens if I pay for the course and change my mind?

If you wish to be refunded for the course, you are entitled to a refund up to 14 days before the course starts, but note that an administration fee will be charged. After this, no refund will be possible. To avoid loss, we strongly advise customers to ensure they are able to take the course on the dates advertised, and that they are comfortable undertaking this online. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.

Does my book have to be professionally edited to submit to agents?

Whilst your manuscript does not have to be edited by a professional ahead of submission to agents, we do encourage you to edit it to the best of your ability, and receive feedback from others. If a manuscript assessment or developmental edit is not feasible for you, there are lots of other options. Beta readers can provide feedback on a first draft, in exchange for you reading their own work. This is a usually free service, as it’s a partnership. We also have our Self-Edit Your Novel course, where you’ll learn how to self-edit a book, so you can make sure your manuscript is in the best possible shape when you’re ready to submit.

What support will be available to me?

As a student on this course, you will receive peer-to-peer feedback and tutor feedback on weekly assignments. You will also be able to ask questions during weekly live group webinars and may reach out to the Jericho Writers team at any time if you would like any additional support.

What feedback can I expect to receive during the course? 

Your weekly assignments will be shared in the course forum for written tutor and peer feedback. Comments from students and the course tutor can be seen by everyone on the course.

What will I get from the course?

After completing the course, you will have:

• A deeper understanding of the traditional publishing industry to help you position yourself for success when querying agents.
• Knowledge of how to avoid common mistakes made by writers querying for the first time.
• A high-quality submission package.
• One-to-one agent feedback on your submission package.
• An anthology entry of your first 500 words and pitch sent to our database of literary agents.  

What are the technical requirements for the course?

Path to Publication is held on our state-of-the-art online learning platform. To access the course, you will need a computer or laptop. You can access the learning platform on a phone, but please note the platform is not optimised for mobile or tablet devices so we recommend using a computer or laptop to have the best experience. You’ll have access to the teaching and platform forum indefinitely, so your course friendships will long outlast the duration of the course.

During the course there will be weekly calls held on Zoom. To access Zoom you will need a device with a working camera/webcam and microphone to participate in the group discussion and activities. You will also need a strong, reliable internet connection. A reliable internet connection means there are no frequent interruptions or dropouts during the course. You should be able to stream videos, participate in live sessions, and submit assignments without the connection cutting out. We recommend a minimum of 3-5 Mbps for a positive experience.  Please find the Zoom system requirements here: https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060748  

While our online courses have been designed to be user-friendly, we will be on hand to help if you need any extra support.