The Novelry

Just look at this beautiful and atmospheric cover for Girl Number 8, the debut novel by The Novelry graduate Janice Okoh! Coming in January 2027 from Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House in the US, and Hemlock Press, an imprint of HarperCollins in the UK.

Girl Number 8 follows fictional Detective Sola Adeyemi of Nigeria’s real-life Department of Ritualistic Murders and Human Sacrifice as she investigates the disappearance of a 4-year-old girl, who vanished from the home of a powerful politician.

Janice—an experienced playwright—took The Novelry’s courses and was introduced to her agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency through our bespoke submission service.

Congratulations, Janice!

So you’ve written a beautiful book with personal themes and inner passions that are important to you. But now you have to sell that book and make sure your story is universally relatable, too. No pressure.

Children’s author Ashley Thorpe has some sage advice on publishing marketing trends and how to navigate them, without compromising your vision. It is possible!
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Read the full article on The Novelry blog.

Happy publication day to John Van Rys!

Milksop, a tender coming-of-age story set in rural Ontario, is out now, published by Chicken House Press. 🥛

John is a graduate of The Novelry, with our courses helping to bring his novel from first draft to final edit.

“The Novelry—both its great programs and wonderful people—guided me through the challenging, inspiring process of writing my very first novel. Simply put, Milksop would not exist without The Novelry... I couldn’t be more grateful for the vision, skills, and encouragement I’ve received."
—John Van Rys

Cheers to you, John. 🧡

We all know what editing is. As writers, it plagues us to kill our darlings. But what is line editing, and why does it matter?

As we ready ourselves for The Big Edit Challenge this June (which includes a line editing boot camp), we invited our editor Lily Cooper to explain what line editing actually means—and how it could turn your book from a good one to a fantastically wonderful and absolutely splendid one. Actually, cut that. A good one. And there’s your first line editing lesson!

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Read the full guide on The Novelry blog.

Today, we’re thinking of the parents and carers quietly creating extraordinary things alongside the demands of everyday family life. 💛

Alice Kuipers reflects on writing books while raising children, and shares wisdom from fellow writers balancing creative ambition with school runs, caregiving, interrupted mornings, and very little silence.

There’s no perfect formula for writing while looking after others—but there are ways to protect your creativity, little by little.

Read the full article for honest, reassuring advice from writers making space for both family life and fiction-writing. ✨

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You might have a thorough sense of your novel’s world-building — but are you successfully world-revealing?

What’s hidden beneath your world?

This May, join bestselling author Cassandra Clare for a discussion on introducing recognizable settings with a twist, revealing hidden layers and spinning the familiar into the fantastical. Reimagining the underworld of her favorite city, New York, Cassandra created her bestselling, genre-defining series, The Mortal Instruments, which sold millions of copies and was subsequently adapted for both film and television.

Our writers can RSVP now to this conversation hosted by Dhonielle Clayton. Expect a dazzling session on how to reveal your world effectively, immersing your reader in your story’s unique perspective.

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This sub-genre of science fiction has haunted readers for centuries, unearthing our deepest fears about the world.

By inviting readers to question the state of the present as much as the potential futures ahead of us, dystopian novels are incredibly prescient, loaded with questions about human life. Some of us may find them disconcerting, while for others they provide food for thought and important lessons to heed.

Count down our top 20 dystopian books over the years and learn tips on how to write your own. Explore isolated settings and sci-fi allegories. Think about the message you want to send into the universe. And, most importantly, how your main character fights against the oppression with the hope of finding a better world.

See if your favorite dystopian novel made our full list in the link in bio. Or recommend more in the comments. 🌃

https://bit.ly/4u0GZzo

A strong edit happens in layers.

Think of it as a series of layers that take your manuscript from rough draft to something truly complete.

Layer 1 — Idea development
Layer 2 — Story development
Layer 3 — Structural editing
Layer 4 — Line editing

Each asks something different of you, and knowing where you are changes how you move forward.

This June, we’ll explore every stage inside The Big Edit Challenge—our new 9-week program designed to help you edit with clarity.

Ready to see your draft differently? 📚 ✨Learn more.

https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/the-big-edit-challenge