Path to Publication: Navigate the world of traditional publishing
Path to Publication: Navigate the world of traditional publishing
The definitive course on traditional publishing
Learn everything you need to know about getting published on this 8-week intensive, online course.
This course, tailored specifically for writers seeking to be traditionally published, provides an in-depth exploration of the industry’s inner workings. Tutor Kate Harrison will teach you how to craft a compelling submission package, pitch your work effectively, the art of author branding and the business of books and where your novel fits.
Suitable for authors with a finished manuscript who want to get traditionally published!
There are only 15 places available on the February intake of the course. Download the brochure and enrol now to secure your place.
Get prepared for your writing career
Publishing is a famously hard industry to break into. Set yourself up for the best chance of success with this all-encompassing course, covering everything you need to know about getting published.
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About the course
During the course, you will be given at least one assignment each week to complete, which will give you an immediate head start with your publishing career. You’ll emerge from the course with a winning submission pack and the knowledge to navigate that all important author/agent relationship.
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Get your work out there
You’ll also benefit from an end-of-course online reading for top literary agents, a free Agent One-to-One session, and be featured in our end-of-course anthology.
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Get to know your tutor
Kate Harrison is the bestselling author of 25 novels and non-fiction books, a former TV development producer, and a specialist in helping new writers pitch and present their work. She’s been published for over 20 years, under her own name and the pseudonyms Kate Helm and Eva Carter. Before becoming an author, Kate worked as a TV news correspondent and led a team developing and pitching new programmes and formats for the BBC. Her guide for writers, ‘Pitch Power’, was published in 2019.
Download Brochure
Course Syllabus
Week 1: An introduction to the publishing world and your publishing goals
This week we will introduce the course and the contemporary publishing industry; look at your publishing goals and what success means for you; and identify the basic story and genre of your novel.
Outcome: An understanding of the basics of how the publishing industry works and how new writers can navigate it. Plus a clear, enticing description of your novel’s premise, theme and genre, and a clear vision of your publication goals.
Week 2: Polishing your opening chapters: Plot & Character
Did you start the novel at the right place? Are you pulling in the reader right away? Do you know your characters inside out? Who is telling your story and is it the best choice? These are just some of the questions we‘ll focus on for this week as we dive into your opening pages to make sure they‘re as compelling as they can be.
Outcome: Fine edits will enhance the first three chapters of your novel, and you’ll also understand how to tackle the rest of the manuscript in your final edit.
Week 3: Your opening chapters: Voice, Pace & Style
This week we’ll look at voice, pace and style. We’ll also explore options for checking and double-checking spelling, grammar and punctuation to make proof-reading easy. Do your chapters showcase your voice and how can you maximise this elusive quality? Does your voice and style obscure the meaning or hold up your story? What pace suits your book and genre?
Outcome: Improvements to your voice, style and pace in your first three chapters and the tools to allow you to apply the same principles to the rest of the book. You’ll also learn proof-reading techniques you can use for future projects.
Week 4: Perfecting your pitch – and discovering your readership
This week is focused on identifying and describing the hooks and elements of your book that will help it stand out to agents, publishers and readers. You’ll be introduced to the language of pitching, including elevator pitches and hooks, so you can describe your book in a compelling way. You’ll be able to look at your book from the reader/agent’s point-of-view, helping you to understand its appeal and genre in more depth.
Outcome: A clearer understanding of how to pitch and what agents and publishers are looking for in new work. You‘ll also have a shortlist of potential hooks, a deeper knowledge of where your novel fits in the marketplace, plus ideas for comparison titles and authors.
Week 5 – The role of agents and publishers – and how to approach the right one for you
Publishing can be a confusing industry. This week we’ll demystify the book trade, to help you understand fees, contracts, rights and just what an agent can do for you. We’ll discover how agents and publishers select and publish books – and how to identify the right people to work with as you pursue publication. We’ll also look at publishers in the digital field who take direct submissions from new authors, and examine if that might be a good fit for your book.
Outcome: A clear understanding of the industry you want to be part of and a long list of possible agents and publishers.
Week 6 – Writing your synopsis and author bio, plus author branding basics
The synopsis helps an agent or publisher understand if your book is coherent, satisfying and right for the genre. This week we’ll help you tackle the challenge of summarising the important parts of your book. We’ll also look at what the agent wants to know about you – and how to approach your author brand. You’ll begin to define your own brand, including what your brand or online presence might include – and what you can choose not to share.
Outcome: A polished synopsis ready to use when pitching to agents and an understanding of brand & how you can develop yours.
Week 7: The query letter and submission package
This week we’re going to work on your query letter/email to make it impossible to ignore. It’s time to bring together the elements you’ve worked on, to produce your all-important query letter and submission package for agents and/or publishers. Your work and research so far mean you’re ready to make a professional – and irresistible – approach.
Outcome: A completed query letter and a finished submission package ready to send out.
Week 8: Author well-being & resilience
The last week of the course will focus on preparation for the Agent Showcase with tips and tricks on presenting and live reading. We‘ll look ahead to the submissions process – what to do while waiting for feedback, how to view rejection – and how to respond to positive agent and publisher responses! Lastly, we‘ll look at how to build resilience as a writer and setting goals for future writing projects.
Outcome: Professional feedback enabling you to improve your pitch, plus a submissions plan, and clear goals for your future work.
Why choose this course?
Weekly tutorials
Direct feedback on your work
Industry feedback
Indefinite access to course content
Agent One-to-One Session
Anthology
Choose the right course for you
To join the course, you’ll need a finished manuscript that’s already gone through a few rounds of edits as well as a fierce motivation to learn. Not sure if your manuscript is ready? Our team would be more than happy to help you decide the best option for you over the phone.
Path to Publication
The Ultimate Novel Writing Course
*Please note, the UNWC benefits will vary per course package. Please see here for more information.
How can we help?
If you’d like to know more about the Path to Publication Course, book a call to speak with a member of our team at a time that suits you. We’d love to hear from you!
We have online courses for every stage of your writing journey.
THE ULTIMATE NOVEL WRITING COURSE
Write a publishable novel in a year with the Ultimate Novel Writing Course. Our bestselling online course takes you from first draft, through to publication – with expert support and guidance every step of the way. From £2950, 12-month course.
SIMPLY SELF-PUBLISH
Learn how to successfully self-publish and market your novel – perfect for writers with a polished manuscript ready to take it to readers. Premium Members save 10%. From £995, 10-week course.
SELF-EDIT YOUR NOVEL WITH DEBI ALPER
An online, tutored course to help you develop a publishable manuscript that readers will love. This self-editing course will give you all the tools necessary to analyse and deconstruct your draft and all your future manuscripts. £895, 6-week course.
Frequently asked
questions
Is this course right for me?
Have you got a completed, edited manuscript ready to submit to agents? Then yes, 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. 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.
Will I be able to complete this course around personal commitments?
The course is fully online, and we estimate you will need to commit 3-4 hours of your time each week. Calls will be held in the evening (GMT) and will be recorded, so can be watched back at a later time. We encourage you to commit as fully as you can throughout the 8 weeks to get the most out of the course.
Is the course learning platform easy to navigate?
We use an easy-to-navigate, user-friendly online teaching platform, so you’ll have no difficulty understanding what to do. You’ll also have access to the teaching and platform forum indefinitely, so your course friendships will long outlast the duration of the course. Of course, if you do need help at any stage, we’ll be on hand.
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.