200+ former students with major publishing deals
Celebrating 200 published students
CBC has been running creative writing courses since 2011, and we are delighted to share the news that over 200 of our former students have gone on to get major publishing deals.
Our success stories include international bestseller Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry), crime sensation Jane Harper (The Dry), BBC 2’s ‘Between The Covers’ pick Sean Lusk (The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley), Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisted author Kirsty Capes (Careless) and scholarship student Stacey Thomas whose debut historical novel The Revels is out this month from HQ Stories.
We are lucky to have a thriving and supportive community of alumni made up of those who have gone on to find long-lasting careers as authors and talented writers working away on their manuscripts and getting ready to submit to literary agents.
HOW I GOT PUBLISHED: FREE WEBINARS
We celebrated the landmark moment of 200 former students getting major publishing deals by offering two free webinars for aspiring writers. Participants learnt about the journey to becoming a published author. Each webinar was open to 500 people, and are now available to watch on the CBC YouTube channel. Ticket holders also had the chance to put their questions to the expert panel.
How I Got Published: Emilia Hart & Felicity Blunt
This webinar took place on Tuesday 12 September (5pm-6pm, UK time) and features Curtis Brown literary agent Felicity Blunt and her client Emilia Hart, author of the New York Times bestselling historical fiction debut Weyward. Emilia was a student on our three-month Writing Your Novel course in 2020.
This event was hosted by Jennifer Kerslake, Head of Courses at CBC. Participants learnt about Emilia Hart's time studying with us and how she worked with her literary agent Felicity Blunt to get Weyward ready to submit to publishers, and receive advice on the writing and publishing process, including how to write hook a literary agent.
Watch the recording of the webinar with Emilia Hart & Felicity Blunt here
How I Got Published: Cynthia Murphy & Steph Thwaites
This webinar took place on Thursday 28 September (5pm-6pm, UK time) and featured literary agent and Head of the Book Department at Curtis Brown Steph Thwaites and her client Cynthia Murphy, YA horror author (The Midnight Game, Win, Lose, Kill, Die and Last One to Die) and viral TikTok sensation. Cynthia was a student on our Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course in 2015.
This event was hosted by Abby Parsons, Senior Courses Manager at CBC. Participants learnt about Cynthia’s time studying with us and how she works with her literary agent Steph Thwaites to build her career as a successful YA author, and receive advice on the writing and publishing process, including how to write for younger readers.
Watch the recording of the webinar with Cynthia Murphy & Steph Thwaites here
200th CBC student with a book deal
The 200th alumni to get a publishing deal is marked by former Writing Your Novel student Emma Nanami Strenner’s debut novel, sold by Curtis Brown agent Sheila Crowley to Hutchinson Heinemann (UK) and Pamela Dorman Books (US) in an exciting six-figure deal. The novel follows three women and explores the importance of female friendships and mother-daughter relationships, in particular the culture clashes between first-generation, second-generation and third-generation immigrants. It is slated for publication in spring 2025. Emma studied on our six-month online Writing Your Novel course in 2020.
The tutors were amazing, they helped me to delve deeper into my story, examine my characters more and get the most out of my scenes. Having a community who were going through the same experience as me was incredible.
200th CBC student with a publishing deal
Anna Davis, CBC's Founder & Managing Director
'It’s been a joy and a privilege to work with so many fantastic writers during CBC’s first 12 years – and not just the 200 who have already become published authors, but the many other talented writers still working on their novels. My team at CBC are utterly wonderful, and we’re so lucky to have the support of the brilliant literary agents at Curtis Brown and C&W – together we’ve shaped up a writing academy that has far outstripped anything I could have imagined back in 2011 when we first started. Here’s to the next 200!'
Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown Literary Agent
'I owe so much to CBC and their nurturing and championing of the writers they work with. Nearly all of my debut writers have been on one of their courses: my list, indeed my career, is defined by my work with their students.'
Emilia Hart, Author of Weyward
'Every aspect of the course – the brilliant materials, my wonderful tutor Suzannah Dunn and my fellow course mates – had a huge impact on my writing... I can’t emphasise enough the joy of connecting with other aspiring writers.'