The Big Edit
Polish your manuscript ready for submission
The final chapter of your writing journey
Polish to publishing-ready perfection.
Have you completed the first draft of your story? Congratulations! Now, it’s time to edit.
You’ll work one-on-one with professional editors (of bestselling and award-winning books) to review, revise, and refine to the highest publishing standards.
Editing is what differentiates writing amateurs from published authors
If writing is the heart, editing is the head.
And with The Big Edit, you’ll be taught all aspects of the process by masters of the craft—from interrogating the structure and shape of your story to developing your technical writing skills on a sentence-by-sentence level and learning how to create a pitch-perfect submission package.
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In good company
We’re the book editing service with Big Five publishing professionals
Just imagine...
Editors from Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster fine-tuning your story.
(With The Big Edit, they will.)
What if...
You qualify for our submission service to the literary agents who represent Meg Wolitzer, Madeline Miller, Liane Moriarty, Celeste Ng, Michael Ondaatje, Richard Osman, Marilynne Robinson, Philip Pullman, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Sean Greer, and Tom Clancy?
(By invitation.)
Submissions to the top global literary agencies
If your manuscript is a match for one of our trusted literary agents, you will be invited to enter our submissions process. There is no cost for this service and we neither ask for nor accept commission. It is by invitation only.
We’re the online writing course recommended by leading literary agencies.
Renowned literary agency partners
Including CAA, William Morris Endeavor (WME), The Book Group, United Agents, and more.
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Work with editors from the world’s major publishers
Your course includes editorial sessions with former acquiring editors from major global publishing companies, including Walker Books, Titan, Oneworld, and the Big Five—Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan.
They’ll oversee your revision process and help prepare your submission package for querying literary agents.
Prepare the perfect plan for the best version of your story with the cool logic of the Big Edit lessons
Get feedback from your editor on your story and chapter outline before you revise with the Big Edit First Session
Begin revising your manuscript with step-by-step guidance from the course lessons and get feedback from our beta-reader workshop
Get line-by-line feedback and a live debrief from your editor on your final submission package of the first chapters, your synopsis, and pitch with the Big Edit Second Session
Revise and revise using our guidance to become pitch-perfect for submission to literary agencies
The Big Edit Course
Edit your novel
Revise and polish your manuscript to the highest publishing standards with in-depth feedback from your professional book editor and management of the submission process.
Turning Pro
The Developmental Edit
Line Edit
The Submission Process
“The secret of good writing is to cut it back, pare it down, winnow, chop, hack, prune, and trim, remove every superfluous word, compress, compress, compress.”
The right editor for your book
Meet the professionals from The Big Five major publishing houses including Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan.
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A cautionary tale…
Worked with a single editor before?
Each publisher has a specific goal and many commissioning editors work in only one genre. So, when working with just one editor, be careful to ensure that they truly have experience in your niche.
Equally, a single editor might bring some of their own personal taste and judgment to the process. But a broader view can better set you up for success.
At The Novelry, we meet as a team every week to discuss our writers’ works-in-progress. So you’re guaranteed the unique advantage of combined editorial advice and expertise.
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Now represented by Watson, Little after submission by The Novelry
‘The best decision for my book. The course materials offered the tools to excavate the layers and plumb the depths of my story. The fabulous team at The Novelry were brilliant at cutting through to the heart of the problem, and their suggestions on the text helped me understand the nitty-gritty of creating on the page.’
‘From the first lesson, I felt like I came home’
‘I highly recommend The Novelry. From the first lesson, I felt like I came home to a writing course that welcomed me, that had been waiting patiently in the shadows for me to finally find my way home.’
Michele Collum
‘One of the most transformative experiences of my writing life’
‘The expertise, encouragement, and honesty I received—from the editor, the coaches, and the structure of the course itself—gave me the confidence to push past my limits and produce the strongest work I’ve ever written. I’m deeply grateful.’
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Sofia Georgiou
‘Feeling hopeful!’
‘I didn't know what to expect but found the course to be a welcoming, encouraging, and thoughtful (also humorous!) adventure. I also loved the extra lessons from the other writers and coaches. Frankly, it was a lovely reintroduction to story.’
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Diana Holdridge
‘The experience has been eye-opening, gratifying, and hugely inspirational!’
‘The Novelry taught me the underlying framework of a novel. I loved learning about the inciting incident, rising stakes, the midpoint, the Five F’s, and the shift from what a protagonist wants to what they truly need. It was shocking to see how many books and films fit that structure so seamlessly.’
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Brit Bowen
‘Taught me that imagination is just the beginning and I can do it’
‘I was made to feel welcome, and learned that with the right help, a measured approach and a lot of determination and persistence, you can achieve your goals. The Novelry taught me that imagination is just the beginning and I can do it.’
Glen Smale
‘The coaching sessions have been invaluable’
‘I’ve loved my time with The Novelry. Without it, I don’t think I would have been shortlisted for The Book Edit Writer’s Prize and had three requests for full manuscripts. The coaching sessions have been invaluable and my confidence has grown exponentially.’
Hannah Foster
‘Unraveled my writing stress and answered questions I didn’t even know I had’
‘Fantastic. Unraveled my writing stress and answered questions I didn’t even know I had! The class gave me confidence and belief in myself, and I developed a community which I would not have done without The Novelry.’
Julia Cruse
‘The Novelry will help you accomplish your dreams’
‘If you’re serious about writing a novel, this is the school to help make it a reality. I never thought I could do it. A year later, I have. If you’re willing to do the work, The Novelry will help you accomplish your dreams.’
Priscilla Kennedy
‘Chock-full of smart, actionable advice’
‘Chock-full of smart, actionable advice. My editor took my submission package to the next level, handpicked the perfect agents and gave me the benefit of her industry wisdom throughout the entire submission process.’
Helena Echlin
Why The Big Edit?
Progress at your own pace
52 lessons. A year’s access to the course.
Stay a little longer
Life. It happens to the best of us.
Money-back policy
Our Happy Writing guarantee.
Write with the best in the business
Award-winning authors. Publishing editors. Leading literary agents.
Access to Big Five publishing editors
Add further paid feedback sessions when you need them, as a member.
60+ workshops a month
In addition to your course.
Story First Method™
Understand whether your story has commercial value and is fit to excite publishers and agents.
Genre expertise
What’s your style?
Video masterclasses
From the likes of Kristin Hannah and Yann Martel.
A supportive writing community
Find your people.
More 5-star reviews
Than any other writing course. The Novelry is the world’s top-rated fiction writing school.
A clear path to publishing
Yours if you want it. Fine if you don’t. We will help you reach pro standards.
Smart pricing
Pay up front or monthly.
Created by a Booker Prize-listed author
We don’t just talk the talk.
We polish, you shine
The Big Edit
- Membership (1 year)
- The Big Edit Course
- 52 lessons
- 2 Editorial Sessions
- A Year’s Access
Noteworthy advice
If you are new to The Novelry, we strongly recommend you start with The Big Write in order to reach the standard required for The Big Edit.
FAQs
If you’re bursting with questions we haven’t answered here, check out our full FAQs page or feel free to get in touch.
In this self-paced course, you will enjoy 52 lessons with videos and text giving you guidance to edit your book. Start the course before you touch that manuscript to learn how to approach your edit. You’ll be guided step-by-step within the course and served downloads and tools at just the right time for the revision of your manuscript. Besides your editorial sessions, you’ll enjoy the support of the online community, and be able to join us for live weekly writing classes and regular online workshops for those at every stage of their writing, in every genre.
You will have access to the course for a year, after which it’s easy to maintain access to your course on an annual basis with our Rollover Plan for just $59 (USD) or £49 (GBP) a month.
To edit a novel, we suggest you work in chunks of time, 2–3 hours a session when you can. Your editing sessions don’t need to be daily because we will ensure you have a brilliant working plan to pick up from where you left off and continue your progress. Take your time—writing is rewriting!
Our courses are suitable for people with visual or auditory impairment, dyslexia, and for those with English as a second language. We offer an app which translates the course into 99 languages and a speak-aloud option too.
The best decision for a writing career
‘Joining The Novelry was the best decision I made for myself and my writing career. The Novelry is not just an amazing writing course; it is so much more. It is also a community of ambitious writers, authors, mentors, editors, and all-round lovely people who will be with you on your writing journey. I joined before I even had a story idea, and since then, I have written a first draft, been through rounds of edits, and have a complete manuscript I am really proud of. Throughout their submission process, I had support and guidance from The Novelry team. I am so glad that I found my home here at The Novelry and that I am now represented by James Wills of Watson, Little. I cannot wait to continue to grow as a writer within The Novelry community.’