Edit Your Novel course

From first draft to pitch-ready

Learn how to edit your novel the professional way with our CPD-accredited course.

Over 18 weeks, take your novel from first draft to submission-ready with our Edit Your Novel online course, run in collaboration with Professional Writing Academy. The course covers: plan and plot, characterisation, POV, effective dialogue and description, show-stopping scenes, page-turning pacing, Show not Tell, and how to catch an agent’s eye. By the end, you’ll emerge a pro in self-editing, with a concrete submission package and a list of agents who are open to receiving queries.

If you’re a serious writer with a draft novel and aiming for publication, this selective programme is for you.

Discover the transformative effects of deep-level developmental editing – for your manuscript, your voice and your writing practice – as you drill down into your novel.

Over 18 weeks online, this combined advanced mentorship and editing workshop will guide you through a structured, deadline-driven revision process, designed and delivered by publishing professionals. We’ll help you build the skills and find the commercial know-how and confidence to submit your work to agents and publishers. Or, if you wish to take the indie publishing route, the reassurance that your manuscript will meet industry standards.

Working alongside a small group of dedicated writers, you’ll be coached step by step by an expert editor-tutor as you gain hours of editing and critiquing experience, get query-ready and develop a submission package. Emerge with 10,000 words edited and industry-formatted, a tight synopsis, query letter, and an understanding of how to approach literary agents and publishers in a confident and professional way.

Editing is far more than polishing your prose – it’s an essential part of getting the structure of your novel right, ensuring that every element works as hard as it can to engage your readers, so that your submission stands out for the right reasons. It’s also important to learn the language editors use, so that when you get an agent and/or start working with an editor at a publishing house you understand their feedback and you already have the know-how to work through revisions independently.

This course isn’t just about one book, it’s about developing the all skills you need for a successful career as a professional writer.

The course includes:

Three one-to-one mentoring sessions with your tutor (including an individual pitch preparation session to get ready for our live pitching event).
Three group mentoring sessions with the course team.
Live pitch panel – at the end of the course, you will have the chance to pitch your novel to a specially selected panel of agents and editors via Zoom.
Professional submission package review (a report on your first 10,000 words, synopsis and cover letter).
Access to an exclusive list of agents open to submission from course alumni.

This is a challenging course, with tight deadlines and high standards, taught by the professionals who train editors and agents.

Entry by application, to ensure you are at the right stage to benefit from the course. Read PWA’s guide to writing a standout application.

Interest-free payment plans available.

Apply Now

Next Course

Start Date: 14th October 2026

Price: £3,750

Location: Online

Duration: 18 weeks

Format: 7 fortnightly classes, plus final class lasting one month

Apply now

FAQs

Who is this for?

Edit Your Novel is an advanced-level group mentoring experience, designed for writers with a draft novel – either a work-in-progress or a novel you would like to revisit.

This course is suitable if you:

Have a full draft of a novel or narrative non-fiction you'd like to improve
Need to get the structure of your story right and engage readers
Would like to speak the same language as editors
Would like to broaden your knowledge of the publishing industry and submission process
Want to get query-ready
Are considering self-publishing or an indie-author route
Want to develop the skills you need as a professional novelist and author
Would like the opportunity to pitch your novel to agents
Enjoy the discipline of deadlines and peer feedback
Want to join a friendly and supportive small group of learners
Can dedicate 10 hours per week for the duration of the course

What will I learn?

This course allows you to:

Acquire the key skills needed to professionally self-edit a novel or narrative non-fiction and prepare a manuscript for submission
Gain greater understanding of commercial expectations around genre, market and publishing
Make sure every element of your novel is working as hard as it can
Use editing techniques to diagnose and fix problems in your work
Think like an editor and have the confidence to work through revisions
Get to grips with the professional aspects of preparing a manuscript for submission to literary agents
Practise your pitching skills and present your novel live to agents
Edit 10,000 words of your novel, and produce a synopsis and covering letter ready to send out to agents
Further develop the professional skills novelists require (e.g. discipline, attention to detail, ability to work to deadlines)
Practise giving effective feedback to other writers and receiving critical notes
Build greater independence, autonomy and critical judgment as you self-direct, self-manage and realise your project to the course briefs.

How does online learning work?

Our courses and training are carefully designed to supportaccessible and inclusive learning.

This course is divided into fortnightly modulesreleased one by one fortnightly, but .

Tthere’s no need to log on at a set time. You can work through the learning materials whenever suits you, day or night, wherever you are in the world. Just complete the assignments and join forum discussions by the module deadline. This is augmented by live group Zooms organised to suit the time zones of the group (recorded for playback if you can't attend live), three one-to-one mentoring sessions with your tutor, and a live agent pitch session.

Our teaching method is based on the science of active learning: you read/listen/watch, try out, share and reflect. It’s a social experience – you become part of a small group, feeding back on each other’s writing to build a supportive bunch of readers you trust and can continue working with after the course finishes.

Is this course for you?

Why should you choose this course?

Course Outline

During the course, literary consultants Kathryn Price and Helen Corner-Bryant will show you how to take your novel from draft to agent-ready submission. We’ll introduce you to the techniques used by professional editors based on our time-tested approach to author development, as well as the skills outlined in our essential guide to editing, On Editing. You’ll need to put in up to 10 hours per week to make the most of the course (180 hours over the 18 weeks) – that includes reading and thinking, completing practical exercises, feeding back on your peers’ novels, and contributing to forum discussions. You can work at any time of the day (or night) – you just need to meet the final deadline in each class.

It’s very important that we both agree that you and your manuscript are at the right stage to get the most out of this course.

You can book in for the course here; once payment has been received we will email you a receipt and confirm your place and the course start date. You will be emailed a login and link to the online classroom with how-to steps to get you started.

What's in each module?

Module 1: Plan, Plot and Pitch

Learn about diagnostic structuring techniques and how to apply them to your novel. Discover how to think commercially about your novel, including mastering taglines, comp titles and genre.

You’ll find and fix plot problems in your work-in-progress, and produce a solid structural overview (synopsis).

Group mentoring session on Zoom.

Module 2: Cracking Characters

Find out how to assess character strengths and weaknesses, and flesh out less defined characters. Analyse characters in terms of their role and function in the plot, looking at character arcs and their impact on structure.

You’ll make a detailed analysis of your protagonist, including their inner and external conflicts mapped side by side with your plot structure.

Meet your tutor for your first one-to-one mentoring session on Zoom.

Module 3: What is the Point of View?

Explore different POVs and their effect on tension and readability. Learn the dos and don’ts of POV and how to make yours as effective and intimate as possible.

You’ll edit your work to avoid head-hopping and bring us even closer to your protagonist.

Receive a tutor mark-up of a passage from your manuscript, assessing your use of point of view.

Module 4: Effective Dialogue and Description

Understand the purpose of dialogue and how to juggle context, text and subtext. Explore ways to use description to kick-start the reader’s imagination, and blend dialogue and description effectively within the parameters of POV.

You’ll red-pen and rewrite scenes to make them better serve your narrative.

Module 5: Show-stopping Scenes

Learn how to prioritise material so that each scene has a clear purpose and direction, using questions and answers to increase tension and make scenes shine.

You’ll check that each scene in your first 10,000 words is necessary, and rewrite one full scene implementing the techniques you’ve learned.

Group mentoring session on Zoom.

Module 6: Page-turning Pacing

Develop advanced approaches to balancing material, dealing with overwriting or superfluous elements, and learning when to extend/slow down and when to cut back/speed up.

You’ll apply the idea of pacing to your overall structure.

Module 7: Let Show not Tell Lead the Way

Find out how to spot telling in your writing, and why, how and where to dramatise instead. See how to use ‘show not tell’ as a lens to examine every aspect of your writing.

You’ll experiment with inhabiting the ‘show not tell’ mindset when editing.

Module 8: How to Catch an Agent’s Eye

Find out what makes the perfect industry-level package to submit to agents, including a compelling book description and covering letter, and watertight synopsis. Learn how to research the right agents for you, with tips on how to land on your chosen agent’s desk.

You’ll finalise and submit an industry-standard submission package, aided by an editing checklist of dos and don’ts.

Pre-pitch one-to-one preparation session with your tutor on Zoom.

*Live Agent Pitch *session – Pitch your novel to a specially selected group of agents and publishers in a supportive, encouraging session. If you’re not quite ready, you are welcome to join the session and pick up tips.

Final group mentoring session on Zoom (round-up and debrief).

Post-course – You will receive a detailed editorial feedback report on your first 10,000 words, synopsis and covering letter, plus an exclusive list of agents open to submissions from course alumni (normally within four weeks of the end of the course).

*Final one-to-one mentoring session with your tutor on Zoom. *

Alumni Testimonials

Course testimonials

Louise

"The EYN course not only helped me get my manuscript into shape to find my wonderful agent, it also helped me develop skills that made getting the book ready for publication a much smoother and more enjoyable process. My cohort of fellow writers were so supportive and I love that I can still refer back to the course materials when I'm writing or editing." – EYN alumnus and debut author who previously won the Cornerstones PWA prize for most promising manuscript in the Bath Children’s Novel Awards in 2022. Recently published with Macmillan.

Fiona

“It was absolutely amazing to work with Kathryn throughout the course – her feedback was detailed and specific and endlessly generous and I was able to apply it to both the new book and to the editorial comments I was getting on Looking for Emily. I loved giving and receiving feedback within my group. I’ve never had a critique group before and was surprised by how much I got out of it.” – EYN alumna, represented by Julia Silk, Greyhound, published by Nosy Crow.

Monica

"The course is phenomenally good. I don't have enough superlatives or emphatic expressions to describe it. I have an MFA in fiction, and have taken so many other courses over the years, but I think Kathryn and the course modules manage to articulate things that somehow I never fully integrated. The way it's structured is so thoughtful and effective - each module leads so beautifully on from the other, and as I revisit earlier chapters in the On Editing book, I just realize how much I've learned between readings."

Mike

“Thanks a million. I’m looking forward to staying in touch with our talented, generous colleagues. I also appreciate your efforts making sure such great resources were available to us and keeping the ball rolling – and Kathryn’s outstanding contribution in so many ways as the go-to person for the course. Cornerstones feels like a home away from home now, so congrats for that and deep gratitude.”

Catherine

“I completed the Edit Your Novel course which was invaluable in helping me take a critical look at my writing and provide me with the tools to improve it. I learned how to think about point of view, pacing and structure of chapters and the book as a whole. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Not only did the course provide practical advice and feedback, I have also made lifelong writing friends who have been incredibly supportive and helpful.”

Jason

“I don’t think I could ever have got my novel to this level without the guidance of this course and the incredible friendship and support of my fellow writers.”

Rohan

“I have found the course extremely constructive and useful. The design and execution of the various elements has opened my eyes to the way editing works. Before I started the course, I wondered about the interactive nature of the class, but I have found that the input from my colleagues at all levels has been full of insight, and invariably constructive.”

Jerome

“The course is brilliant, and the reason I say that is because it is built on firm and reliable foundations.”

Cary

“I knew when I decided to do this course, with the expense considerations and the time, that if nothing else it would at least make me a better writer, but honestly it’s really surpassed my expectations. I just feel like I’ve been given a complete tool-kit.”

Meet Your Tutors

Kathryn Price

After achieving a first in Literature and Criticism at UCL, Kathryn worked for literary agencies and for a bookshop specialising in crime fiction where she developed a taste for unusual and macabre stories. Following her true passions – editing and teaching writing skills – she joined Cornerstones as managing editor in 2005 and later became co-director. In 2014 she decided to focus on the editorial side of the business and now works closely with authors developing their manuscripts. She is also co-author of the forthcoming On Editing, the essential Cornerstones guide to writing and editing a successful novel, which the Edit Your Novel course is based on.
Ayisha Malik

Ayisha began her publishing career at Penguin Random House, joining Cornerstones Literary Consultancy as editorial assistant in 2010 where she became managing editor within her first year. She holds an MA in Creative Writing and her debut novel, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged (Bonnier) was published in January 2016, a WHSmith’s Fresh Talent pick. This Green and Pleasant Land was published by Zaffre Books in 2019, and both novels were optioned for television. She now writes full-time, and is a ghostwriter and Cornerstones market editor along with being a tutor for the Edit Your Novel the Professional Way course.
Lee Weatherly

Lee Weatherly (L.A. Weatherly) has written more than 50 books for children and young adults, including the bestselling Angel series. She is published in 20 different languages, and awards for her work include the Sheffield Children’s Book Award, the Stockport Children’s Book Award, and the Leeds Book Award. Passionate about guiding new writing talent, Lee ran the Cornerstones Kids Corner and now tutors for the Edit Your Novel course. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Lee lives with her husband and cat in a rambling Victorian house in the Scottish Borders, where she one day hopes to run a writers’ retreat.
Rachel Hamilton

Rachel is a literary agent with the Ben Illis Agency and the author of six books, published by Simon & Schuster, OUP, and Scholastic US. She has a first-class degree in English Literature and Language and a PGCE in Secondary English, which she puts to good use running creative writing workshops and events for both adults and children. She also lectures at Bath Spa University. Rachel freelances as an editor, copywriter, and festival moderator to feed her need for new stories. She works as a Cornerstones market editor and tutors on the Edit Your Novel the Professional Way course.