THE ULTIMATE NOVEL WRITING COURSE
The course you need if you’re serious about getting published
The Ultimate Novel Writing Course is open internationally to writers from across the globe, and we welcome applications from anywhere in the world.
No other writing course offers more. Take advantage of regular 1-2-1 mentoring, weekly tutorials, editorial guidance, literary agent feedback, and exclusive networking events. Start with a work in progress – end with the tools and contacts you need to get published.
Applications close 16 February 2025. Apply before 30 November to save 10% and receive a bonus FREE Agent 1-2-1 session.
One in three of our students ended the course with a full manuscript request
Will you be next?
More than an online writing course
We’ll take you from first draft, through to publication – with expert support and guidance every step of the way. Starting with a rough outline, you’ll work closely with our team of renowned authors to plan, write, and edit your manuscript over the course of a year – and at the end you’ll walk away with a polished novel and comprehensive submission package. No other course in the world offers this level of support, guidance, or opportunities to help you get your work discovered.
Our connections are yours
We’ve partnered with top literary agencies to give them an exclusive first look at our Ultimate Novel Writing Course students’ submissions. If you have a finished novel by the end of the course, we’ll send your submission pack to the agency, 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. Find out more in the course brochure.
Get your work discovered
Make sure your words are seen by the right people! At the end of the Ultimate Novel Writing Course, we include a sample of each student’s work in an anthology which is sent to our database of top literary agents, including Marjacq, Howland Literary, Watson, Little, 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?
Invest in Your Writing: Book A Call
Talk with our team to find out how this course could help your book get published.
Meet Your Tutors
Meet your tutors below! As a student, you’ll be taught by all tutors, each of whom is a renowned author, but one of these will become your Personal Tutor to mentor your throughout the course. Your Personal Tutor will work closely with you one-on-one over the course of the year to perfect your novel. For more information download the brochure.
Download Brochure
Ready to take your next steps towards publication? Find out everything you need to know about the course, including a full breakdown of pricing and details of how to apply, in our brochure.
Course Syllabus
Month 1: Planning Your Novel
It’s important to have a good outline of your novel’s structure and plot before getting started. This month, we’ll learn how to plan and structure your novel, then put this into action for your own work.
Outcome: Perfect your pitch, get to grips with your plot, and make sure you have a sound structure.
Bonus: Introductory video call with tutors and fellow students.
Month 2: Point of View
How is your novel told? Have you thought about trying out different perspectives, different viewpoints? We’ll explore all the different kinds of point of view, from omniscient to first person, and see how each one can inform our own work.
Outcome: Through learning the benefits and experimenting with different points of view, you’ll perfect your narrator’s voice to enhance and enrich your novel.
Month 3: Setting
It’s time to start writing your novel. This month, we’ll look at how you can maximise the potential of your setting – whether it’s a colony on Mars or a suburban living room.
Outcome: Through understanding the importance of setting, you’ll create a world that the reader believes, giving your text weight, authority, and atmosphere.
Month 4: Character
This month, you’ll learn techniques and tools you can use to strengthen and develop your characters, and how you can ensure that their development links closely to the plot.
Outcome: By the end of the month, you’ll have the tools you need to create three-dimensional characters that your readers will fall in love with (or hate, if that’s your intention!).
Bonus guest tutor session: Join award-winning author, Yvonne Battle Felton, for this special guest webinar exploring how to perfect your characters.
Month 5: Emotions and Senses
Study the art of transferring weight of emotion onto objects and atmosphere. We’ll be looking at short sections of your writing, and how to apply the technique throughout your manuscript.
Outcome: This month will include close paragraph work that will guide you through expressing senses and emotions through your writing.
Month 6: Pacing and Tension
How do you keep your reader engaged? We’ll discover the importance of building tension, no matter the genre.
Outcome: This month, you’ll look at how events and situations can be engineered to leave your readers wanting more.
Month 7: Voice and Style
This is what can really set your work apart from the rest. A well-developed style is like a fingerprint: what can you do to practice yours and make your words flow?
Outcome: You’ll gain the tools to develop your own style and ensure that the voices in your novel are convincing and relatable.
Month 8: Writing a Great Ending
By now, you’ll have a working manuscript and be aware of all the techniques you can use to shape your world. But does it work? We’ll look closely at the plausibility and credibility of your story.
Outcome: Read through what you’ve got so far and learn how to tie everything together with a credible ending.
Month 9: Self-Editing
This month, we’ll look at your manuscript in its entirety and learn how to turn that first draft into a masterpiece.
Outcome: Through self-editing tips and tricks, you’ll learn how to always view your work with a critical eye.
Bonus guest tutor session: Join author and tutor, Debi Alper for a masterclass on self-editing, learning tips and tools to rework your draft.
Month 10: Getting Published
Through detailed tutorials, we’ll learn the art of perfecting your submission package and finding the best agents for your work.
Outcome: By the end of the month, you will have built a strong shortlist of literary agents and have a query letter and synopsis ready to go.
Bonus: Agent one-to-one sessions to get personal feedback on your work. PLUS the opportunity to get direct feedback on your submission pack from agents at our agency partnership.
Month 11: Author-led Marketing and Self-Publishing
Learn the core tools of self-publishing – which also form the basis for any author-led marketing campaign.
Outcome: By the end of this module, you’ll know what it takes to successfully self-publish your work.
Bonus guest tutor session: Ask your burning self-pub questions to indie-expert and hybrid author Debbie Young in an exclusive webinar focused on the indie revolution.
Month 12: End-of-course Networking Events
Join us for a series of events of to celebrate your achievements! Meet your peers and tutors to network with a handpicked selection of industry professionals in-person. You‘ll also get to show off your hard work to literary agents in the end-of-course online showcase.
Outcome: Attend an in-person dinner in either New York or London to meet your peers, network with agents and celebrate! Participate in our online showcase and get your work discovered.
We don’t just teach you how to write. We help you to get published.
We built this course to give you everything you’d get from an MA, alongside a strategic emphasis on how to get published. It’s more industry-focussed, more practical, and has more support with the ‘after’ of writing a book than any other writing course. Alongside weekly online tutorials, you’ll receive one-to-one support, editorial feedback, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer feedback.
Weekly Tutorials
Mentoring
Editorial Feedback
Publication Support
Community
Networking Events
Please note, certain elements are only included in the FULL course package. More information on what is available in each package can be found here.
Choose the best package for you
The Ultimate Novel Writing Course offers our most comprehensive approach to writing, editing and getting your book published. But, if you’re looking for less personalised feedback and editorial input, you could benefit from our the CORE package. Our team would be more than happy to help you decide the best option for you over the phone.
Ultimate Novel Writing Course: CORE
Ultimate Novel Writing Course: FULL
How can we help?
If you’d like to know more about the Ultimate Novel Writing Course, or any of our other courses book a call with a member of the team at a time that suits you. We’d love to hear from you!
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 started working on a draft they’d like to write and polish. 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 writers of YA and MG. If you write for much younger children, the course may be less suitable – but feel free to ask.
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 apply now.
We aim to respond to all applications in 3 weeks. 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 to the course and would benefit the most from the course components.
If you have any questions about the application process, you can email us on courses@jerichowriters.com, or book a call to speak with us.
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. We recommend approximately 10 hours should be spent on the course each week to get the most from it. 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 regular Zoom calls but these will always 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. Please note, the ticket to the in-person event is only complimentary in the FULL package, and students will be required to pay for their own travel to and from, 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, which is incredibly user-friendly so you’ll have no difficulty understanding what to do. You’ll also have access to the teaching platform forums indefinitely, 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.
This year we have also introduced CORE – a more affordable version of the course that includes the course content, the end-of-course showcase and one agent one-to-one session, but without the intensive mentoring and some of the additional benefits you get from the full course.
We have online courses for every stage of your writing journey.
CREATIVITY FOR WRITERS
Harness your creativity in this short course designed for intermediate writers. From £495/$633. 4-week course.
FICTION FOUNDATIONS
Ideal for writers at the start of their journey wanting to learn the basics. From £495/$633. 6-week course.
Can we help?
If you'd like to know more about this course, or any of our other courses/services, book a call to chat directly with a member of our team at a time that suits you.