Manuscript to Submission, intensive support

Send your novel to agents knowing it's the best it can be.

Intensive support from a published novelist to get your finished book, your synopsis and your covering letter ready, and to find the agents who are right for you.

Choose a timeFrom £1,750 Quoted on the length of your manuscript and the work it needs
Eleanor beside a bookshop display of Foxlowe

Reviewed and featured in

  • The Guardian
  • The Irish Times
  • Vox
  • The Jewish Chronicle
  • World Literature Today
  • The Scotsman

Praised by novelists Kate Hamer, Rachel Hore, Megan Bradbury, Nick Bradley and Rachel Edwards

A masterpiece of storytellingNick Bradley, author

Eleanor Wasserberg

“I know what agents and publishers are looking for. I can’t promise you a book deal, nobody honestly can, but I’m very well connected in the publishing world, and I’ll make sure your novel is ready before it goes out.”

Eleanor Wasserberg, published by Fourth Estate and Penguin

Something writers often tell me

You only get one first impression with each agent.

  • I've worked on this for years. I can't afford to rush the last step.
  • Summing up the whole book in one page feels impossible.
  • I don't know which agents would even want it.
  • Everyone thinks the hard part is over.
  • I want to send it knowing I did everything I could.
  • I'm ready for rejection. I just don't want it to be avoidable.

Good novels are often turned down for reasons that could have been fixed.

A manuscript sent one draft too early. A synopsis that undersells the story. A letter to the wrong agent. Each of these can be put right before you press send, so your novel goes out as the book you, and everyone who has supported it, always knew it could be.

See how we get it ready

How Submission helps

What changes after we work together.

  • Fear of wasting your chanceA manuscript revised and checked for readiness before it goes out
  • Struggling with the synopsisHelp with your synopsis, pitch and covering letter
  • Sending to the wrong agentsA researched shortlist of agents who are right for your book
  • Not knowing if it's readyA final read on whether your manuscript is ready to send

What you get

Manuscript to Submission

  • A detailed developmental assessment of your manuscript
  • One to one sessions on the major areas to revise
  • Support through a substantial revision
  • Advice on your synopsis, pitch and covering letter
  • Help finding the right agents and researching their lists
  • A final read on whether your manuscript is ready to send
Eleanor Wasserberg
Eleanor Wasserberg, novelist and mentor

Why work with Eleanor

Advice from someone who has done it, not just studied it.

I've taken my own novels from finished manuscript to publication, in the UK and with Penguin in the US. I know what it takes to get a book ready to go out into the world.

  • Author of two novelsFoxlowe and The Light at the End of the Day
  • Published by Fourth Estate and PenguinBoth novels with Fourth Estate, the literary imprint of HarperCollins, and Foxlowe with Penguin in the US
  • Praised by fellow novelistsKate Hamer, Rachel Hore, Megan Bradbury, Nick Bradley and Rachel Edwards
  • Reviewed in the national pressThe Guardian, The Irish Times, Vox and The Jewish Chronicle
  • Oxford and UEAEnglish and Classics at Oxford, then the MA in Creative Writing at UEA
  • 5.0 on GoogleA perfect score from the writers she has taught
Absorbing, informative, friendly. Eleanor is an approachable, enthusiastic and expert tutor.
Jonathan Preece Award winning screenwriter

The road to publication

She has walked the road you want to walk.

Getting a novel published is a world with its own rules: what editors look for, how a manuscript changes once a publisher takes it on, what has to happen before a book reaches the shelves. Eleanor has been through it twice, with one of the most respected fiction publishers in the country.

  1. Oxford

    English and Classics

    A degree in how the great stories are built.

  2. University of East Anglia

    MA in Creative Writing

    The UK's best known writing course, where many of the country's novelists started.

  3. 2016

    Foxlowe, published by Fourth Estate

    The literary fiction imprint of HarperCollins took on her debut, in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook.

  4. United States

    Published by Penguin

    Foxlowe crossed the Atlantic, and was reviewed in the UK, Ireland, the US and Australia.

  5. Second novel

    The Light at the End of the Day

    Published by Fourth Estate again: a publisher coming back for a writer's next book.

What that means for your novel

  • She knows what an editor looks for on the first page, and why most submissions are put down.
  • She has been edited by a major publisher, so she knows the changes a book goes through before it is ready.
  • She knows how the industry works, from the submission letter to the launch, and can show you the way in.

Choose a time to talk about your novel

Eleanor Wasserberg

About your mentor

Eleanor Wasserberg is the author of two novels, Foxlowe and The Light at the End of the Day. Both were published by Fourth Estate, part of HarperCollins, and Foxlowe by Penguin in the United States. They were reviewed in The Guardian, The Irish Times and Vox.

She read English and Classics at Oxford, holds an MA in Creative Writing from UEA, and has appeared in conversation with the writers Kim Sherwood and Dan Richards.

  • Will lure you in, then cut to the killThe Guardian
  • A natural storyteller with hypnotic descriptive powersMegan Bradbury
  • MesmerisingKate Hamer

Diary

Book a call about submission

Pick a time to talk about your finished novel and your plans for agents. There's nothing to pay at this stage. You'll get a calendar invite with the video link straight away.

Questions writers ask

About the Manuscript to Submission

Can you guarantee me an agent?

No one can honestly promise a deal. What I can tell you is that I know what agents and publishers are looking for, I'm very well connected in the publishing world, and I'll make sure your novel and your submission give you the very best chance.

Do I need an assessment first?

The programme starts with a detailed assessment of your manuscript. If you've already had one with me, we build on it.

How long does it take?

It depends on how much revision the book needs. We agree the plan and the price before we start.

Google reviews

5.0

★★★★★

A perfect score from every writer who has reviewed her classes and mentoring

Read them on Google

  • I can't recommend highly enough the experience of working with Eleanor. She has a wonderful ability to help you develop your ideas while ensuring that your writing remains distinctly your own.

    James WatsonGoogle review

  • I learnt a great deal, and was able to apply this to the novel I was working on, which helped to improve it greatly. Eleanor's classes are also very enjoyable.

    J PGoogle review

  • Her guidance helped me unlock my ideas and start getting my novel onto paper. She's a great teacher, skilled at working with a group at different stages of their writing journey.

    John EastGoogle review

  • Highly informative, helpful and fun. I loved learning in a relaxed setting surrounded by other creatives. The sessions really helped me plan my novel.

    Erin PoppyWrite Your Novel course, Google review

  • An excellent blend of learning the craft, writing exercises and peer feedback. We progressed in our writing, learned from others and we had fun. The weekly biccies and tea were also most welcome!

    Emily YoungGoogle review

  • Eleanor brings so much fun energy to the classes, they flew by. Her writing experiences, knowledge and advice and tips are generously shared.

    Ceri GascoyneGoogle review

  • Her style is always supportive, positive, and upbeat. I found the classes were extremely useful, inspiring, and a lot of fun! Highly recommended!

    John NichollsGoogle review