Writers Workshop literary consultancy and editorial services

We handle all types of novel: every length, every genre, every subject. We also handle short stories, novellas, chunks of novels - whatever you need help with.

Because we have a large & diverse group of Editors, we almost certainly have someone who knows your genre & what it takes to succeed in it. It's our mission to pass that knowledge on to you, in a way that is expert, sympathetic - and always honest.

If your book is strong enough to be marketed, then we'll help you do that too. As Britain's leading editorial consultancy, we are well connected with some of London's leading agents.

We can't guarantee that your book will sell - nobody can. But we'll do all we can to help you get published.

See also: Fiction FAQs | Free Advice | Sample Reports

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In exchange for a one-off fee, we will:

• Read your manuscript. Closely and with care. Your editor will be an author of quality themselves, and will know the market for your particular genre. Click here for more info on our wonderful editors.

• Prepare a full report. For novels, reports are 3,000 words long, often longer. (For shorter work, reports are usually around 2000 words). Our report is tailored to your specific needs, but usually cover such things as plot, characterisation, prose, settings, market requirements, and suggested next steps. For more, please browse some of our recent sample_reports.

• Discuss the report with you. Discussions are generally held by telephone. There is no set limit for these discussions - they go on as long as it takes to do it right.

• Stay in touch. The report and phone discussion should cover 99% of everything you need to know - but if follow-up questions do arise, then we're happy to help. (Bear in mind though, that once you start correcting your MS, it's tough for us to advise until we've re-read it!)

• Place your work with agents, where appropriate. Where work is of marketable quality, we will pass it, with our endorsement, to some of the leading literary agents in the UK. There are no guarantees in this game - but our record of placing work is second to none.

Today's publishing industry is competitive, crowded and commercial. Our principal aim is to help clients bring their work to the level required by today's market. But please be aware that this is not always feasible. We are good, but we're not magicians!

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Other services

• Overseas clients. We're very happy to work with clients from overseas, and do so all the time. Since we work by phone & email, it really makes no difference to us where you're based (though Australian clients are kindly requested not to mention cricket - we're still sensitive.)

• Opening chunks. We often look at the first 10 or 20,000 words of somebody's project. It's a great idea to get feedback early, and it's a service we're very happy to offer.

• Mentoring. If you want mentoring, we can provide it. It's usually best to get full editorial feedback on your work first, however. Just get in touch to discuss this further.

• Copy-editing. We do offer a comprehensive copy-editing service. This checks your manuscript for typos, spelling mistakes, punctuation issues, etc. Please note that very few writers actually need this service - it's almost always more important to focus on the big things first (story, characters, prose style, etc). But if you do want copy-editing, then we're happy to do it. If you're not sure, then ask.

• Short Stories. We are happy to read, critique and discuss individual short stories (up to around 10,000 words). Reports are at least 1,500 words long. Phone discussion is included in the fee. Our short story editors have a hatful of major prizes between them, so you're getting tips right from the top.

Keen to go ahead?

Working with us is very simple. All you need to do is send us your manuscript with payment, and we'll take it from there. For more on how to do this, please see Fees & How to Submit. If you need more help or info, then please just contact us.
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