Novel Development Mentoring, monthly
Keep writing, with a published novelist in your corner.
Regular one to one mentoring that gives your writing time a purpose, honest feedback on your pages, and someone keeping you going until the book is done.
With Eleanor Wasserberg, author of Foxlowe and The Light at the End of the Day, published by Fourth Estate and Penguin. MA Creative Writing, UEA.Online wherever you live, or in person in Stroud.
Reviewed and featured in
Praised by novelists Kate Hamer, Rachel Hore, Megan Bradbury, Nick Bradley and Rachel Edwards
Will lure you in, then cut to the kill
The Guardian on Foxlowe
“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
Writing a novel alone is harder than anyone tells you.
- I write well for a fortnight, then life takes over and I lose a month.
- Nobody has read a single page of it.
- I'm never sure if this draft is better, or just different.
- Every evening at the desk is an evening I'm not somewhere else.
- I keep promising myself this will be the year.
- I don't need another course. I need someone who knows my book.
The writers who finish aren't the ones with the most time. They're the ones with a reason to keep going.
A goal for the month, a date in the diary and someone waiting to read your next chapter. That's what turns protected writing time into pages, and makes it feel well spent, by you and by everyone who makes room for it.
See what's includedHow Mentoring helps
What changes after we work together.
- Writing in the darkMonthly feedback on up to 5,000 words from a published novelist
- Losing momentumAgreed goals between sessions so you always know what to write next
- Feeling guilty about the timeWriting time with a purpose, and progress you can show at home
- Open ended costsA fixed monthly fee, with a clear goal every month
What you get
Novel Development Mentoring
- One 60 minute session per month
- Up to 5,000 words read with written feedback each month
- Agreed writing or revision goals between sessions
- Help with structure, character, voice, pace and point of view
- Regular check ins on progress as your book develops
Plan your mentoring
Slide to see what you'd get over different lengths of time.
- Months
- 6
- One to one sessions
- 6
- Hours with Eleanor
- 6
- Words read with feedback
- 30,000
Total £1,500, paid as £250 a month
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.
-
Oxford
English and Classics
A degree in how the great stories are built.
-
University of East Anglia
MA in Creative Writing
The UK's best known writing course, where many of the country's novelists started.
-
2016
Foxlowe, published by Fourth Estate
The literary fiction imprint of HarperCollins took on her debut, in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook.
-
United States
Published by Penguin
Foxlowe crossed the Atlantic, and was reviewed in the UK, Ireland, the US and Australia.
-
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.
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 kill
The GuardianA natural storyteller with hypnotic descriptive powers
Megan BradburyMesmerising
Kate Hamer
Diary
Book a call about mentoring
Pick a time to talk about your novel and whether mentoring is right for you. 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 Novel Development Mentoring
How long do most writers stay?
Most work with me for 3, 6 or 12 months, depending on the stage of the novel and what they want to achieve. The minimum is three months.
Will I finish my novel in three months?
That depends on where you start. We agree a realistic goal for each three months, such as finishing a section of your draft or working through a set of revisions.
Is mentoring online?
Yes, all mentoring is available online, by video call, so you can work with me from anywhere in the UK and beyond. If you live in Gloucestershire and prefer to meet in person, I offer in person meetings in Stroud.
Google reviews
5.0
★★★★★
A perfect score from every writer who has reviewed her classes and mentoring
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
What comes next
Finished your draft?
A Manuscript Assessment looks at whether the whole novel works together.