Editing: Sentences, Structure and Submissions with Jenny Parrott

This course is for novelists, memoirists, short story writers and non-fiction writers who have a complete or near-complete draft of a book and want to get ready to query agents and publishers. If you're feeling a bit stuck, this course can also work for you as you'll gain insights into what makes a successful book and come away with a clear sense of direction.

On this course you’ll test your book idea against publishing industry standards so you can give it the best chance to be noticed. In a supportive environment you'll be given honest, constructive, industry-style feedback to prepare you for the world of publishing. There will be close guidance on putting together an elevator pitch, a ‘selling’ blurb, synopsis, mission statement and author biography. We’ll go over how agents, publishers and booksellers actually make decisions and what you can do to help them decide in your favour.

The first half of each session will usually be a lecture on the week’s topic. The second half will be a Q&A where students can ask all kinds of questions, use examples of their own work to explore issues they've come up against, or share a few lines they've struggled and/or succeeded with. In this way we'll cover all manner of fixes and things canny writers can do to enhance their craft.

There will be a little homework – for example working on an elevator pitch or experimenting with editing a text. Students will also be encouraged to submit agent query letters or samples of prose for Jenny's individual attention out of session.

The six information-rich sessions will be recorded and can be forwarded to all course members to download. But recordings will only be circulated to the group if everyone is happy – and there is no pressure at all to agree to this. If anyone is uncomfortable in the slightest, the recording in question will be deleted and not circulated.

At the end of this course you may feel ready to immediately start querying agents with your book. You may equally be looking at a redraft, taking into account everything you've discovered about how a book makes it into the shops! Becoming an author is a process, and it’s perfectly normal for books to change radically along their journey as a writer builds on their narrative skills and gains a better understanding of the way publishing works.

Our tutor Jenny says...

My course is for writers at all levels but it will resonate most with those facing the hurdle of getting ready to submit to agents. This is an opportunity to re-discover your work in terms of the reality of the publishing industry. We cover everything from text tweaks to querying to what it will feel like at every stage, including the complete buzz when a much-loved piece of work is first spied in its natural habitat – a bookshop! I’m all about passing on my concrete knowledge of the peaks and pitfalls of editing, and the industry at large, in a relaxed and fun way.

Zoom Delivery, Cost £140. Summer: Evenings: Tuesdays 6.30-9pm; May 9, 16, 23 (break for half term), June 6, 13, 20.