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of helping writers tell their stories

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former students with publishing deals

How to write a book & pitch it to literary agents

Are you looking for the best tuition to get you all the way from zero to a completed novel and a polished pitch? We’ll empower you to write your best and approach literary agents with knowledge and confidence. You’re intrinsically alone as a writer, but you don’t have to be lonely.

This step-by-step guide explores the basic stages to writing, editing and pitching your novel, paired with suggested courses to help you develop your skills, support your progress and get you over the finish line. You can join us at any stage of the journey, and we'll be with you every step of the way. Welcome to Curtis Brown Creative – the leading writing school founded by a major literary and talent agency.

Step one: Get playful

The best writing starts in a playful place. Whether you already know what you want to write about or not, it’s good to start by exploring possibilities and connecting with your creativity.

Treat this early stage as an exciting process of discovery: carry a notebook to collect ideas that spark your interest, ask yourself ‘what if?’ questions to probe their potential, and try using writing prompts to loosen up, find your voice and stimulate your imagination. It’s through exercising our writing muscles that we start to meet characters and build story. Results may surprise and delight you.

Step two: Commit to an idea

When you've found an idea that excites you, it’s time to start shaping it into a narrative. Take the time to develop your premise, central conflict, main characters, setting and narrative perspective in tandem with feeling your way into the writing.

Step three: Write your first draft

Now that you’re finding your way into your novel, it’s important to stick with it and establish a sustainable routine. Give yourself permission to write an imperfect first draft and keep moving forward. You may find it helpful to set achievable goals for yourself as you go along. If you like to plan before you write, remain open to the idea that the plan may change as you come up with exciting new possibilities. Every writer has ups and downs while working on a book, but hold your nerve and keep going, remembering that you can revise and reshape with a complete first draft in hand.

Step four: Edit your work

When you have finished your first draft, take a step back and a short break so you can gain some distance and perspective for your first read-through. It’s common to feel disheartened at this stage and to see only the perceived failings of your book rather than its strengths. Take heart and remember that great novels are made in the edit. Try stepping away from the keyboard to interrogate your material, considering all its important elements such as pace, character motivation, narrative perspective and whether the opening pages really get your story going. Make a plan for your edit before you start work again – this will help you to tackle everything that needs your attention.

Step five: Get another perspective

All our courses include peer-to-peer feedback and differing levels of professional feedback. When your draft is as strong as you can make it, seek another perspective from trusted readers, a writing group or a professional editor.

Our editorial reports focus on practical, industry-informed feedback, helping writers identify what is working and what needs development before submission.

Manuscript Report

Submission Report

Step six: Prepare your pitch package

If your goal is to become a traditionally published author, you'll have to prepare your pitch package carefully before approaching literary agents. You can also consider reputable prizes for unpublished authors, such as Discoveries, the Bath Novel Award, the Bridport Prize and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, as useful deadlines and opportunities for visibility.

We're uniquely positioned to support writers with querying agents – we work closely with Curtis Brown, C&W and other leading UK agencies as well as all major publishers.

Don’t submit to agents until you have a completed and polished manuscript. To query an agent, you'll need a concise pitch letter, a one-page synopsis and your strongest opening pages or chapters. Research each agent’s submission requirements carefully, personalise your approach and make sure your opening immediately gives the reader a reason to keep turning the pages.

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15 years

300

How to write a book & pitch it to literary agents

Step one: Get playful

Step two: Commit to an idea

Step three: Write your first draft

Step four: Edit your work

Step five: Get another perspective

Manuscript Report

Submission Report

Step six: Prepare your pitch package

15 years

300

How to write a book & pitch it to literary agents

Manuscript Report

Submission Report