You’ve spent weeks, months or in many cases years writing your novel, rewriting it, editing it, tweaking it. You’ve put it in a cupboard or a dusty folder on your laptop and come back to it with fresh eyes. Congratulations! This, in itself, is worth celebrating. Not everyone makes it this far! But you don’t want it to languish unread – you want it to get out into the world and be read by other people.

You do a little digging and discover that you have two options: 1) self-publish or 2) try to secure traditional publication.

I’m not here to talk about self-publishing. I’m here to talk about the second option: securing traditional publication. Now, before you say anything - yes, there is plenty of information about this online.

1) But most of the information is fairly general. I am a former literary agent who has seen thousands of submissions. I only took on a few authors a year. I am here to tell you how to make your submission stand out from everyone else's using detailed, specific examples.

2) Submitting to an agent can be a daunting process. Where do you start?! What if every agent you submit to rejects your novel? How to Submit to a Literary Agent is an online course that aims to provide you with the skills, knowledge and - most importantly - confidence required to create a strong submission package and give you the best chance possible of securing a literary agent.

It is suitable for anyone who has completed a novel and is self-directed, so you can access any part of the course at any time. It comprises a mix of videos, written advice and FAQs.

What you’ll learn in this course:

• -         how agents work and what they are looking for in a submission
• -         the importance of market knowledge
• -         how to make the start of your novel grab an agent’s attention
• -         how to hone your pitch
• -         how to write a strong query letter
• -         what agents look for in a synopsis
• -         common errors when submitting to agents
• -         how to choose which agents to approach
• -         how to stay motivated in the face of rejection

What people have to say about the course:

‘I've found the course really helpful … especially the section on how to write a decent synopsis’

‘Really satisfying as it forced me to evaluate my novel to try and discover what it was about and what I wanted to achieve by writing it’ 

‘I found the course very helpful and well put together. I've read everything I can find online about agent submission and synopsis and while happy with my book, still didn't have the confidence to submit. This has already helped me fill in some gaps to tighten my submission up’