How to get published

Course Dates: 18/02/25 - 25/03/25
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Location: Online
Tutors: 
So you've finished your novel. What's next? This short course provides guidance in submitting to agents and publishers, and helps you to tailor your work to maximise its potential in the marketplace.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
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Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
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How to get published
  • Course Code: HW147
  • Dates: 18/02/25 - 25/03/25
  • Time: 19:00 - 21:00
  • Taught: Tue, Evening
  • Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
  • Location: Online
  • Tutor: Neil Arksey

Course Code: HW147

Choose a start date  

Tue, eve, 18 Feb - 25 Mar '25

Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)

Any questions? writing@citylit.ac.uk
or call 020 4582 0415

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

What to do when you’ve finished your novel. On this short course, you'll receive guidance on how to edit and present your manuscript, and how to craft submissions to publishers and agents in order to boost your chances of success.

Students say: "I appreciated the opportunity to practice synopsis writing and the chance to ask someone knowledgeable about points I struggled with"; "The discussions about publishing were really useful"; "I liked working within a group and I received very useful feedback, enabling me to make my writing better and gear it towards what publishers are looking for.".

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

- What to do with a manuscript you think is finished.
- Structural editing, copy editing and other forms of revision.
- Online and other services for authors.
- Approaching agents and publishers.
- Crafting loglines, synopses and letters of introduction.
- What agents do and don’t do.
- The publishing process.
- Advances, agent’s fees and royalties.
- Self-publishing and variants thereof, marketing yourself and your work, social media.
- Strategies to increase your chances of getting published and/or getting an agent.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Identify the work that needs to be done on your manuscript to boost its chance of success.
- Determine the best way forward for you and your novel.
- Craft the best approach for a particular agent or publisher.
- Navigate some of the financial complexities of the publishing industry.
- Improve your chances of getting published.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Ideally you will have finished or be far-advanced with a novel or other similar full-length piece of writing.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

A variety of methods including discussion, exercises, question and answer and written tasks in class and as homework.

There will be homework that involves writing and rewriting. To get the most out of the course you will need to do this.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Please bring a pen and paper to the first session.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

If you feel your manuscript needs further work, you may wish to apply for one of our advanced critical workshops.

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.

Neil Arksey

Neil Arksey has had a number of novels for children and young adults published by Penguin Random House. His writing has been shortlisted for and won a number of prizes. He was also part of the team that created the highly successful Little Robots TV pre-school TV series for the BBC as well as writing Kipper the Dog and other TV series for younger children. As screenwriter, story editor, consultant, head writer and series producer, Neil Arksey has been responsible for over a thousand episodes of TV drama. In the UK, he has worked on shows such as Crossroads, Family Affairs, Doctors, Mile High, and River City. And abroad, amongst other projects, he was head writer on Finnish TV drama Salatut Elämät, (Secret Lives) and series story producer on Jóban Rosszban, a hospital drama set and based in Budapest. Neil has also worked in script development for Freemantle and Global Drama Productions. He co-produced dark indie feature film, Run To Ground. In addition to working as a writer and producer, Neil has taught writing at several universities, colleges and film schools.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.