Key Information:

A 5-week online course taught by 5-million-copy bestselling author Mark Edwards.

Live and interactive teaching sessions via Zoom Online Meeting

Day/Time: Wednesdays:19:00 - 21:00 BST

Dates: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th May 2024

Course Overview:

There are many courses that will tell you how to write a novel.

This one will help you understand everything else you’ll need to know, whether you want to be traditionally published or try self-publishing, and will show you how to lay the groundwork for success from day one.

Across 5 live Zoom sessions, established and successful author Mark Edwards will share his wealth of experience and help you learn how to find an audience for your work, avoiding all the most common mistakes.

This course will focus on:

• Starting your author journey: commercial vs literary fiction, defining success and laying the groundwork for it, creating the time and space to write, networking, writer and reader communities.

• Traditional publishing: finding an agent, querying, how publishing works, advances and royalties.

• Self-publishing: the entrepreneurial mindset, being professional, paid advertising, case studies of success.

• Marketing and PR: building a relationship with readers, social media, websites and newsletters, building a brand, measuring success.

• The hard stuff: dealing with rejection, bad reviews, staying motivated, not giving up.

Participants of this course will benefit from:

• Live Zoom Sessions: Enjoy five live Zoom sessions where you'll receive expert guidance from an author who has been making a living writing fiction for over a decade.

• Q&A: Engage in real-time discussions and ask questions. This is your opportunity to pick the brains of an established writer who has seen it all.

• Writing Community: Connect with a community of writers during each live session. Share your experiences, exchange ideas, and receive constructive feedback in a supportive online environment.

Tutor bio:

Mark Edwards is a bestselling author of twenty novels (so far) which have sold 5 million copies worldwide.

Starting with no industry contacts or knowledge of publishing, but with a background in marketing and a passion for books, Mark first achieved success through self-publishing, then moved to traditional publishing and has been a full-time writer for a decade.

He lives in Wolverhampton with his wife and their three children.

Who is this course suitable for?

• Aspiring/emerging fiction writers

• Published writers seeking to refresh or deepen their knowledge

• Anyone who is thinking about starting to write who wants an understanding of what to expect

Details:

The sessions will take place online via Zoom Online Meeting software. It is free to download and you will only need the free version to attend. Please download it and check it is working before the course.

Please try and be somewhere you can concentrate and won’t be interrupted. Headphones can be useful if you have some, to cut out other noise.

Bursary Scheme 2024:

We understand that not all writers are able to pay for their writing courses to further their career, and we run a Bursary Scheme as a consequence. If you feel you need a bursary, please contact us: [email protected].

Please note: you must sign up for the full course even if you cannot attend all dates. No partial course ticket is available.

Short Courses are for over 18s. If you are a young writer, you can sign up for our Spark Young Writers Programme.

All Writing West Midlands short courses are collaborative, and you will learn as much from your fellow course attendees as from the tutor. You will be expected to play an active role in group tasks, and you will also have time to reflect on your own writing during sessions.

Course handouts are sometimes (but not always) available, and notes may be available in advance upon request. If you have any additional needs, please contact Writing West Midlands in advance of the course starting and we will try to assist you.