Self-Isolation Drives Growth in Online Writing Courses.

Stay at Home … and Write a Novel?

Self-isolation has driven rapid growth in sales of online writing courses worldwide according to the founder of the online writing school The Novelry.

The numbers taking their writing courses have more than doubled in the last four weeks to May 21 versus three months prior, in February, before the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

To cope with the increase in demand, The Novelry has hired more author tutors, including the bestselling author of Apple Tree Yard, Louise Doughty, award-winning author Tim Lott whose plaudits include The Whitbread and the PEN/J.R. Ackerley Prize and book-to-movie author Katie Khan whose novel is in production with Lionsgate.

‘We were fairly well placed as we have always been a fully online writing school with one-to-one coaching of our writers via Zoom. Our combination of intensive support for writers with affordable pricing means we have been a good choice for those self-isolating,’ says The Novelry’s founder, Booker longlisted author Louise Dean. ‘We're always open worldwide, all hours. It’s a vibrant and active online community, and we’ve made the effort to lay on extra classes for members, such as our 90-minute writing boot camps with the brilliant Louise Doughty for which attendance is over one hundred writers at a time. So we have really pulled out all the stops, and had some fun in circumstances that are so difficult for so many.’

The Novelry welcomes writers at all stages of their writing journey, beginners or old-hands. Their Book in a Year plan (the most popular course they sell) they support and push writers all the way from the creation of an idea through to the literary agent’s desk pitching their writers work to their literary agent connections.

‘Despite being online, it’s a cosy warm-hearted place. We’re proud of our writers, and after they’ve got their publishing deal, they come back to us to write book two and book three,’ says The Novelry.

You can write a first draft of your novel in ninety days, using their one-hour writing method with coached support at thenovelry.com.