E.L. Norry at City Writes — and a Novel Studio deadline to note

E.L. Norry is one of those writers who just keeps delivering, and we can't wait to celebrate her latest, Outlaws, out this July.

E.L. Norry’s latest novel, Outlaws, out this July

Norry is a multi-published author of middle-grade fiction and non-fiction, including Fablehouse and Fablehouse: Heart of Fire (Bloomsbury 2023 and 2024) and Runaways (Bloomsbury 2025). She is also an alumna of both the Book Edit Story Within and the Novel Studio, and this July she takes to the City Writes virtual stage to celebrate the publication of Outlaws (Bloomsbury), her latest middle-grade novel.

Author E.L. Norry

For those who don’t know, City Writes is City St George's termly showcase of new writing talent, founded and hosted by Dr Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone and now in its seventh year. The event takes place on Wednesday 15 July at 7pm on Zoom and you can register here.

Alongside Norry, competition winners from the City St George’s Short Writing Courses community will also read their work live. If you are a past or present City St George’s Writing Short Course student, you are eligible to enter the competition. All you need is 1000 words of fiction or creative non-fiction. There is no set theme: all genres and reading ages are welcome (apart from picture books). The deadline is midnight, 12 June. Email your submission to: rebekah.lattin-rawstrone.2@city.ac.uk stating which course you took or are taking.

And for anyone who’s inspired to follow in E.L. Norry’s footsteps, the deadline for 2026/27 Novel Studio applications is fast approaching. If you're ready to write your novel, this is the programme I'd encourage you to look at seriously. I’m co-founder and course director of the programme at City St George's, and have seen firsthand, over the past twenty years, how helpful the course has been in guiding writers on that path towards publication..

It's a year-long, intensive programme – 30 weeks, two evenings a week – available in-person in London or fully online. Over three terms you’ll develop your novel from concept to completed submission package, workshopping in progress with peers and tutors, building craft across plotting, character, voice and narrative drive, and gaining access to agents and publishers in Term Three. Your work will be included in a professionally edited anthology distributed to all UK literary agents, and one-to-one tutorials and an industry showcase are all part of the year.

Two fully funded places are available via the Captain Tasos Politis Scholarship, open to talented writers from low-income households. Applications close 31 May. To apply or find out more, get in touch here.

Hope to see some of you at City Writes in July to celebrate E.L. Norry and the competition winners, and to read some applications to the Novel Studio before the May 31 deadline!

For anything else editing, mentoring or book coaching related, do get in touch.

Katharine Light’s Path to Publication

When I was a young girl, my dad used to make me little books of paper and I would love to write in them. In my teens these became stories I wrote for my younger sister about a girl who falls in love with the bass player of a pop group. Absolutely not based on John Taylor from Duran Duran.

Author Katharine Light, photo by Alexandra Vanotti

Later on I tried my hand at writing a Mills & Boons. At around 50,000 words it was great practice, but not quite the right genre. When my children were small, I did a year long creative writing course with the Open University. Two years later I did the advanced version. Then, working full-time and a busy family life meant I kept writing only sporadically until 2018 when I started The Novel Studio at City, University of London. It was a brilliant year with excellent tutors in Emma Claire Sweeney, Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone and Kirstan Hawkins. Fourteen of us completed the course, meeting twice a week and sharing our lives through writing. They are a very supportive and talented bunch.

At the end of the year, I had interest from three agents, and signed with one at A M Heath. This is it, I (naively) thought, on my way to publication… Sadly, during lockdown, having worked on this first novel, Like Me, (the agent’s suggestions definitely improved it), she said she wasn’t the right person to take it forward. This was followed by a dispiriting lack of response from several agents she recommended, as well as the two who had previously shown interest.

Throughout the pandemic, the Novel Studio cohort kept in touch, via a WhatsApp group. Before covid, about half of us carried on meeting in person, and carried over onto Zoom. Fellow alumnus Laurence Kershook published The Broygus in March 2022, and fellow alumna Lara Haworth’s book Monumenta will be published by Canongate in 2024.

On publication, I bought Laurence’s book in paperback and was very impressed. It’s a high quality, professionally produced book, as well as a terrific read, and I began to think maybe I could do that too. Independent publishing seeks to emulate the traditional publishing route, with a professional book edit from the wonderfully talented Emily Pedder, Founder of The Book Edit, and a great book cover from designer Simon Avery. Caroline Goldsmith of Goldsmith Publishing Consultancy ensured the manuscript was print and eBook ready, and Philippa Makepeace created the website. My advice is to surround yourself with people who know that they’re doing!

There was one major hiccough. The book has always been on the long side, and when it was first uploaded to www.kdp.amazon.com, although author royalties sounded generous, the print costs on the paperback version were so high, they were almost entirely swallowed up. After a drastic re-think, I cut fifty pages of the book, and added those onto the beginning of book two, which has now become two books. The manuscript for book two has just gone to the editor. The hope is to publish both that and book three in 2024.

There was a point at which I began to feel that the traditional publishing route was becoming less and less likely. Now I’m in my fifties, I developed a sense of urgency, fostered by reading Harry Bingham, founder of Jericho Writers, who is enthusiastic about indy publishing. It has been wonderful to hold the actual book in my hand. We held in person launches where I live in London, and in Altrincham, the fictional Millingham of the series. Lots of kind and lovely people came. As the book is about a group of teenage friends who meet up again twenty years later in their late thirties, the events have been the perfect excuse to reconnect with old friends from the past. As we said, life is now imitating art. We’re doing the fictional reunion for real, just many years later…

Katharine’s debut novel, Like Me

Katharine Light’s debut novel, Like Me, was published in autumn 2023. For more about Katharine visit her website.

And if you would like to find out more about how we could help with your book, have a look at our range of editing services here. Or drop us an email at info@thebookedit.co.uk.

Dr Rosa Rogers joins The Book Edit as a mentor

We are delighted to have added another mentor to The Book Edit’s stable. Rosa Rogers is a Doctor of Philosophy in The Contemporary Novel: Practice as Research, and an experienced writing mentor and workshop facilitator.

A talented author in her own right, Rosa’s debut literary novel, Composition, was completed as part of her PhD at the University of Kent. Her short fiction, poetry and visual art have been published and/or exhibited in The Menteur (Paris), Stirred Press, Northern Quarter, East Street Arts, The Media Centre and Vortex Gallery, and she has performed her work across France and the UK.

Not content with her own creative output, Rosa is also a creator of multiple community projects, e.g. Poetry etc. and Tales of a Town, and is the former Co-Director of Vortex Gallery.

Rosa currently works as an assistant lecturer in Creative Writing in Canterbury, City, University of London, and Nantes where she receives outstanding feedback from students on her warm, generous and inspiring approach to teaching.

We are thrilled to announce she will now also be one of The Book Edit’s fiction mentors, working side-by-side with emerging writers to help develop their work and their confidence.

Welcome, Rosa!

City Writes Final Call For Submissions

Calling all current students and alumni of City, University of London’s short creative writing courses, the deadline to submit to this term's City Writes is this Friday, 11th June. They’re looking for your best 1,000 words - fiction and narrative non fiction - to share the virtual stage with alumna, Alex Morrall, whose debut Helen and the Grandbees was published to great acclaim by Legend Press last year. Full submission details are here.

Helen and the Grandbees by Alex Morrall

This term's online event with Alex Morrall is on Wednesday 7th July at 7pm. You can register for your ticket here.

City Writes was founded by our very own Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone and is a termly event showcasing the best of City's short courses creative writing talent. Winners of the competition get to share the stage with authors like Kiare Ladner, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Katherine Menon, Harriet Tyce and Deepa Anappara.

Winners of this term's competition will be announced in week 9. Find out how to submit here. Register for the event here. We’ll be going and hope to see some of you there!

5 Reasons why you need to apply for City University's Novel Studio

There are just 20 days left to get your application in to City’s Novel Studio 2021 Programme…

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Here’s why you should apply…

1. The course has a proven track record. Alumni include Award-winning authors Deepa Anappara, Hannah Begbie, and Harriet Tyce, amongst many others.

2. It’s practical. Each module has been designed to support you in writing your novel, from developing your plot to character motivation.

3. The tutors are brilliant: Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone and Kiare Ladner are both professional writers, editors and creative writing teachers who really know their onions and want to help you become better writers.

4. It has great links with the publishing industry. Each year students are trained in rehearsed readings towards an end-of-year show to an invited audience of literary agents.

5. There’s one fully-funded space available for a talented writer from a low-income household via their scholarship scheme.

Apply before 30 April 2021